Having an outstanding customer experience requires more than just wishing for good consumer service. Hiring the best customer service representative with a trained team can make the process quicker and easier. With this in mind, as a customer service manager, where would you begin? If you spot candidates who have the necessary traits to make them the best agents, you’ll have met most of your customer’s needs and bolstered consumer satisfaction.
Being perfect is rare – but some people happen to be gifted with the necessary skills and characteristics to make them suited for the customer care seat. In contrast, others only have the essential attributes of a good employee. So, what kind of skills are we talking about other than the obvious required skills and job requirements? What characteristics are we trying to highlight to make ideal candidates handle other people’s issues?
Here are some guidelines that help set aside outstanding workers from the rest who are merely just doing the job. These five qualities will help you discover what exactly you’re looking for in a customer care employee.
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Loyalty Comes First
McDonald’s corporate adheres to the rule that, “Contented employees make the consumers happy.” It’s a simple rule to follow, but happiness and contentment go hand in hand with loyalty in companies.
When cross-examining a candidate, be attentive to what they say about their former workplaces. Some may show unhappiness and awful experience in their communication, but the potential candidate will speak highly of their former companies. It shows that the latter, despite having left that employment, are still loyal and respectful.
In light of this, a loyal consumer care employee will put the company’s interest first, especially when dealing with angry customers. It shows that they are willing to protect its name even while dealing with the most challenging consumers.
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Admirable Employee Traits
The majority of companies have a limited customer service budget and are always searching for areas to cut down costs. In regards to this, finding the perfect employee has been one of the best ways of lowering of costs.
Customer care employees are considered patient with consumers, have an optimistic attitude, and are polite to everyone. These fundamental traits that satisfy both client and company are what you should be looking for; otherwise, you might be converting an angry individual to be a member of your customer care team.
Considering this, the HR manager should read in between the lines of all the potential employee’s resumes. Check for keywords that have the necessary soft skills like “optimistic attitude,” “problem solver,” or “a good listener.”
Positivity in customer care is crucial. This is because dealing with other people’s problems daily can negatively affect a worker’s mental health. Having the ability to remain composed despite the daily negativity can help invalidate toxic aspects of customer care.
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They Think on Their Feet
Businesses with excellent customer care services don’t wait for an issue to emerge for them to address it. One of the most admirable skills about employees in customer care is taking a precautionary approach towards managing possible issues. Customer care employees should always be ready with a solution in case a problem arises or when a customer poses a question. In addition to thinking on their feet, a candidate needs to be a good listener and gather required information while still communicating.
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They are Highly Diligent
In job applicants, look for diligent candidates. The applicant that isn’t punctual, looks disorganized, and confused, is not the perfect choice. Industrious people are disciplined, organized, and go-getters. Motel 6 corporate noted that some of the applicants who showed diligence had better interpersonal skills that contributed to positive feedback from customers.
When a consumer calls, they’re looking for help in rectifying a problem. A hardworking customer care employee will be able to pick up clues when the consumer speaks to sort out issues.
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They are Convincing
An excellent customer care worker has terrific advertising and sales skills. It’s not always about manipulating people but directing the customer to benefit both the consumer and the company. The best way to know if an applicant possesses this quality is by asking them, “Why should we hire you?”. This way, they’ll be obligated to persuade you by listing traits, reasons, and qualities that make them competent for customer care.
Conclusion
Customer care service is an essential part of your business. Therefore, you need to hire the best people for the job because your business depends on it. Some might say that a customer service team is the face of the company because it serves as the point of human contact with your consumers.
Lastly, do you know other important sectors in a business other than customer care? Kindly share with us by leaving your comments below.
Author Bio
Christine James believes that every customer has a voice. She is the Community Manager at HissingKitty.com (a customer complaints website) and loves talking to customers on social media about their challenges with Fortune 500 companies. Her work has been published on Huffington Post, Inc., SocialMediaToday, and Thought Catalog. Follow her on Twitter @hissingkittycom.
