What is good customer service? In today’s world, good customer service has become one of the key aspects that differentiate a company from its competitors. In order to achieve success in this area and create lasting impressions on customers, as well as cultivate an overall good experience for every person who walks through your door or calls you up, This includes when something has gone wrong with their purchase.
Why is customer service important?
86% of customers quit doing business with a company because of a negative experience. That implies the companies must approach every service interaction as an opportunity to acquire, retain or upsell. Service at its finest generates income for the customer. It offers customers a complete, cohesive experience that aligns with an organization purpose. UK companies lose millions annually because of poor customer service.
Seven in ten consumers said they have spent greater amounts of money doing business with companies that deliver great service. Understanding customer service as an enabling element to improve your customer service experience can help to delight the customer and engage the business in new ways.
What are some qualities of good customer service?
1) Listening to the customer
2) Taking initiative
3) Figuring out what the customer needs and planning around that
4) Following up promptly on any action items from the discussion
5) Providing accurate information about products or services without bias or fluff
6) Showing empathy to the customer’s situation and feelings by not talking down to them and acknowledging their experience
7) Satisfaction in providing a product or service that exceeds expectations
What is an example of good customer service?
An example of good customer service would be when an employee helps the customer with any questions, concerns, or problems they might be experiencing. For example, if a customer is having trouble operating an item that requires assembly, the service agent will offer to help them assemble it. The service agent will make sure the customer is happy with how it fits or functions after assembly and they might go as far as to offer a demonstration on how to use the product again if the customer needs help.
Another example would be an estate agent that goes the extra mile to really make a difference to their clients. This could be by adding the personal touch, enabling the client to deal with one specific estate agent to build a relationship, rather than passing them around different employees every time they call the office.
Customers value timely responses and excellent customer service. Being familiar with the company’s products is important for offering strong customer support. Greeting people with a smile or hello can mean a lot in retail stores. Show everyone you meet at the interview what an excellent attitude you have. If you don’t feel upbeat when presenting for a job interview, here’s how to remain positive despite this stress. In customer service situations it is essential for all positions in person, as well as online customer satisfaction, is critical.
What are some examples of bad customer service?
If you have bad services customers complain about it and you lose them. Making your service incredibly outstanding won’t come about overnight. It is an arduous commitment to change and requires a team of rockstar support professionals across the company. Here are some examples of bad customer service:
1) Making the customer wait without giving an estimate on when they’d receive some service
2) Saying “I don’t know” when the agent does not have an answer and having to go ask someone else or look it up
3) Not following through with what was promised or discussed earlier, such as simply turning in a report that the employee forgot about
4) Being rude and disrespectful to customers by talking down to them and making assumptions without knowing all of the facts
5) Limiting options for goods or services instead of offering alternatives if none of those are good enough
6) An example would be a customer calling their cable company to fix an issue they have been dealing with. They call the number on the website after hearing a recording saying someone will be there between.
Customer Service Interview Questions
Many people reading this article may well be researching this topic because they have a job interview lined up and are researching potential interview questions around customer service. If this is the case, we have researched and answered (or given the way you could answer) some potential questions with our recommendation for answers. Please do not use our answers in full as your potential employer is more interested in YOU rather than what you have read online or in a book, however, the answers will steer you in the direction that your interviewer may be looking for in your answer when they ask these or similar questions.
What do you think makes good customer service?
The main feature of customer service is the quality of services that you offer to a customer. Customers seek quick solutions to troubleshoot their problems immediately, which can lead them to make an impression on your mind if they feel like it was solved before anything bad happened or began happening with a said problem; this way there’s no need for concern because our company has got things covered!
The most important aspect in providing good Customer Service (CS) involves looking after each individual’s wants and needs as quickly as possible while still taking care not make any errors along the way. This can be achieved by following a set of standards and procedures that the company has created for this very purpose each member of staff must follow them in order to get their job done properly and be as helpful for a customer as possible.
What are the qualities that make a customer service representative successful?
Enthusiasm, motivation, and great communication skills are just three of the qualities that will help you excel in customer service. Even if you don’t have experience working with customers directly, there are plenty of other fields where this knowledge is transferable. For example, cashiers must often interact with customers even though they aren’t classified as “customer service” jobs. Other than enthusiasm and motivation, it’s also important to be empathetic and listen carefully when your customers describe their problems or complaints. A smile can go a long way!
How do you handle complaints from customers?
The most important aspect of good service involves looking after each individual’s wants and needs as quickly as possible while still taking care not to make any mistakes. Therefore, it’s the responsibility of every employee that deals with customers to handle their requests as fast as he can and resolve all issues as soon as possible. Be available to answer customer questions; don’t ignore them; this way you will avoid future conflicts by preventing things from escalating into bigger difficulties. Watch out for your tone of voice, too: It should be polite and helpful at all times even when a customer gets angry or starts shouting.
Be courteous and show empathy to each customer who contacts you even if they have a complaint. Listen politely to their complaint and try to get as much information from them as you can without becoming too nosy. If the customer is rude, remain calm and courteous at all times. This will help you to prevent yourself from losing your temper or saying something that may make matters worse.
Once you have everything you need to solve the problem, apologise for any inconvenience caused and go ahead with giving the customer a satisfactory solution. Apologise for what happened, not necessarily for what was said. Never say sorry if it’s unlikely that anything was done wrong on purpose because this can be construed as an admission of guilt in some cases
Do good customer service skills come naturally to some people or can they be acquired through training and practice?
I think they can both be acquired by training and practice. Some people are naturally good with people, but some need to work on it more. What is important is that you focus on learning what makes one customer happy or angry so that you can learn from your mistakes and gain experience.
Tell me about a time when you dealt with an angry customer and what you did
In my experience with the public, most people are nice but you do get customers who seem to not only complain but actually become angry. I have always found the best approach is to stay calm, listen to what they are annoyed about and refer to the company complaints policy before carrying out the appropriate action.
This occurred many times but once when I was working in a restaurant, some of the people at a table cancelled their food as it was already been prepared, I was not the waiter on this table but the person who was told them they would need to pay for the food and they got angry about this.
I knew the company policy was to cancel the order and immediately tell the chefs to stop cooking the food. Our policy was to ensure that we don’t give customers a reason not to return or make a recommendation.
So I took their waitress to one side and explained this to her, she was too embarrassed to tell the table so I stepped in and explained the situation to them. This calmed the angry people down and they left. I remember they did actually return about a month later and this time their visit went smoothly.
How do you measure customer satisfaction?
The simple answer is feedback. This can be verbal, i.e. having a chat with a customer before they leave (assuming the scenario allows for this), alternatively, they can be asked to fill out a questionnaire. This can be given to them at the point of the customer getting ready to leave or they can be asked to leave feedback on social media at a time when it is more convenient for them to do so. It is important that you don’t inundate a customer with too many of these requests though. It
What advice would you give a store owner to help them improve their customer service skills?
The best way a store owner can improve their customer service skills is by ensuring that they work well with people. They need to ensure that they listen carefully when customers complain about an issue and not push responsibility away from themselves as some employees might do. Be open, honest and willing to accept any mistakes made during the course of your working day as this will make customers feel valued and important.
If you were a manager, what kind of things would you do to ensure good customer service from your employees?
I would implement policies that require my employees to be proactive in solving customers’ problems instead of waiting for them to bring up concerns. I would also implement a reward system for each step my employees take to provide exceptional service so my employees have motivation towards going above and beyond for each customer.
Describe a time that you worked together with a peer to resolve an issue.
Customer service positions are often dependent on successful teamwork. The hiring manager wants to make sure you’re comfortable working with others and have the communication skills necessary for team projects, which will be crucial in this position as it depends heavily upon group tasks that require collaboration. When providing your anecdote be specific about what problem or situation led up until its resolution by providing all relevant details including how you dealt with them an appropriate solution while also mentioning any comments made from other co-workers along the way so they can evaluate why these interactions were effective/unsuccessful based off their perspective too!
What would you do if you were in a position where you didn’t know how to assist a customer?
Customer service is about understanding your customer’s needs and finding a solution that will meet those demands. However, sometimes the problem isn’t something you can resolve on the spot or without assistance from other employees in an organization who might better understand what they need – this would be outside of your purview as well! Remember not only do hiring managers want to see how qualified are with company hierarchy but also have good problem-solving skills when faced with difficult customers today so make sure to speak specifically about why these critical points matter most.
How would you deal with a customer you know is in the wrong?
Sometimes customers might have incorrect information. When this happens, you must handle the situation delicately in order to preserve good customer relations and show that hiring managers can expect an efficient employee who handles problems well under pressure when they’re looking for new employees! In your answer, I recommend referring back to real-life examples if possible because these are skills that will strengthen us as individuals while also being helpful outside of work too (especially with family members).
Why do you want to work in customer service?
In answering this question, demonstrate that you have researched the company and have heard about what they do and why it’s important. If you love their mission or believe in what they stand for, mention it and explain how that ties into your reasons for wanting to work with them. A hiring manager wants to know if you’re truly interested in the company and that you’re willing to put in the extra effort, even when it’s not required.
What is the importance of empathy in customer service?
To help a customer service representative do their job, empathy is important. In the answer to this question, you must discuss how specifically understanding and appreciating your customers’ point of view can make them feel better about coming into an establishment where they know there will be someone who truly cares for them as much or more than yourself!
In addition, being able to speak from another person’s perspective has many benefits including firstly showing that we value our clientele; secondly making sure every problem feels heard (no matter how small), and thirdly preventing future issues by teaching people not only what happened but also why things went wrong so no one falls through again.
Tell me about a situation you had with a client service difficulty and how you would fix it now.
Mistakes are a part of life, but you have the power to make them great again. Take responsibility for your errors and explain how next time will be different!
There are usually more experienced people within an organisation and in order to progress and not repeat mistakes, it is important to seek out the knowledge of these people. If this is done, in addition to learning the company policies related to the situation, then it is possible to gain experience and prevent yourself and your teammates from making similar mistakes.
You could refer to the situation above, i.e. the restaurant scenario, or refer to another time when this happened to you whilst referencing the answer here and mould your answer to incorporate the two things.
Summary
What is good customer service? Overall, the most important aspects of good customer service are being able to work as part of a team, having an understanding of company policies and demonstrating our ability to go beyond what is required of us including going above and beyond for customers. This means taking responsibility for mistakes, learning from others and trying your best at all times! If we can show these qualities, this will show our future employers that we can work as part of a team whilst being proactive and eager to learn – all skills every employer is looking for in an employee.
We’ve talked about how important it is to be a good customer service representative. It’s not enough to just do your job. You have to show that you’re going the extra mile for customers and putting yourself out there.
You can do this by taking responsibility for mistakes, learning from others and going above and beyond – all skills every employer is looking for in an employee.
Demonstrate that you have researched the company and have heard about what they do and why it’s important. If you love their mission or believe in what they stand for, mention it and explain how that ties into your reasons for wanting to work with them. A hiring manager wants to know if you’re truly interested in the company and that you’re willing to put in the extra effort, even when it’s not required.