Let’s talk about true customer service skills. Are you still under the belief that simply having a smile on your face, and being nice to a customer, is all that it takes to keep your customer base satisfied and attract new customers?

In today’s world, consumers expect more. Much more. Today’s consumers are armed with more knowledge than that of previous years and have an unlimited amount of choices when it comes to hiring a service professional.

This dynamic alone is the very reason we as customer service representatives and companies must up our game. We must first separate ourselves from the other guys by clearly presenting a solid basis for rational decision making with our customers.

Your representatives should be able to easily communicate with a firm belief that you are the best company in the business and the correct company for the customer. This begins with building value among your customer service representatives (CSRs) to deliver a clear message to your customers.

Do your employees believe you are truly the best? Every CSR should feel confident actually listing the benefits of the company without having an asterisk or side note to them. If you have your representatives making statements that your company cannot realistically uphold or stand behind with certainty, then you need to revisit these statements.

A great CSR should be able to readily explain at least 10 reasons why you are the best. This could be that you have been in business for an extended amount of time. It could be that all of your employees are background checked, have clean driving records, and have received countless awards and accolades. It could also be that your company offers sick days, casual work environment, and an open door communication policy. All of these could be coupled with the fact that you offer emergency service and fully stocked trucks. I hear representatives ramble off this list constantly day in and day out, rarely focusing on what need or want of the customer if any is being addressed by the list.

Most CSRs will readily announce everything on the list but rarely understand the customer’s primal want or need. We as a company need to clearly understand what basic need or want is satisfied with these claims. If a customer is concerned about their family’s safety, then your representative may explain that you all pride yourselves in hiring only the best. Then the CSR would explain that all of your employees go through a comprehensive background check, drug screen, and extensive hiring process to ensure only the cream of the crop are working for your company and that a customer can feel rest assured when a technician from your company enters their home that their safety is at the forefront of your hiring process.

Check back next month for part two.