Customer Service Techniques

Name: Customer Service Techniques
Author: Rhonda Tenenbaum

Learn how great customer service creates successful customer experiences.

Preview the first lesson free — get full access to all 4 lessons.

Course: On-Demand

(gentle inspirational music) Let's take a look at some customer service techniques that you can employ. We'll go over the practices that you can use in person, over the phone, online, and through social media. Delivering quality customer service in person can be challenging, but it's necessary. When a customer appears in person, you can probably assume that they have a pressing need or concern that they want resolved immediately. While customer service representatives may assist hundreds of customers daily, some days may feel overwhelming. But this isn't the time to pass off the customer to another employee. Customers know when you're avoiding them, and that's not the impression you want to give. However, a new customer service representative might pass off the customer to a more seasoned representative. Or if the representative knows that a coworker helped the customer in the past, they may hand off the customer to that employee. Both are acceptable. Face-to-face customer service tends to be successful when the customer service representative is courteous and uses their body language professionally. That means the representative maintains consistent eye contact with the customer, displays appropriate posture, nods to show interest, and smiles. Beyond body language, other techniques for delivering excellent customer service include tone of voice and patience. Representatives are trained to modify their tone when speaking to customers, to sound upbeat and helpful. The volume of their voice is also an important element for making customers feel comfortable. Once a representative raises their voice, the customer may feel belittled, which is unacceptable. Since customers have different personalities and capabilities, it's important for the representative to display patience. Customer behaviors vary. Some are nervous, others abrupt. It's important to stay polite when a customer is curt. But if the customer is being hostile, you have every right to say, "Please do not speak to me like that, I'm here to help you." And if a customer is shy or has a stutter and takes a while to speak, it's also important to remember not to interrupt them. Doing so is not only disrespectful, but it's also improper customer service and could cause a customer to escalate the situation to a supervisor. It's also important to refrain from talking over the customer. It's best to allow the customer to tell you what the problem is, and then you can ask questions. Talking over the customer suggests that you aren't listening to them. If this happens, it might be a good idea to undergo extra training on handling customer interactions.

Beginner Provider : Rhonda Tenenbaum 4 Lessons · 11m in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Urdu, Chinese

Course Description

Customer service communication techniques play a significant role in managing the customer experience. We’ll show you how employing those techniques will go a long way to delivering quality customer service.

In these lessons, you’ll learn how to use eye contact and body language to engage the customer in a face-to-face interaction. You’ll also become adept at writing suitable emails and social media posts, while becoming skilled at proper phone etiquette. You’ll also understand the importance of timeliness in your interactions, especially when responding to customers on social media platforms.

What You'll Learn

Use eye contact and body language to engage customers in face-to-face interactions
Write suitable emails and social media posts for customer communication
Apply proper phone etiquette when handling customer calls
Respond to customers in a timely manner, especially on social media platforms
Recognize the nuances of communicating through different media
Determine the need for a dedicated social media team to monitor communication

Key Takeaways

Customer service communication techniques play a significant role in managing the customer experience.
Employing these techniques helps deliver quality customer service.
Timeliness in interactions matters, especially when responding to customers on social media platforms.
Different media require communicating with attention to their distinct nuances.
A dedicated social media team may be needed to monitor communication.

Frequently Asked Questions

What communication channels does this course cover?

The course covers in-person, phone/online, and social media communication, including using eye contact and body language face-to-face, writing emails and social media posts, and proper phone etiquette.

What skills will I gain from this course?

You will build skills in customer communications management, customer experience improvement, customer interaction management, customer relationship management, customer service training, and customer success management.

Why does the course emphasize timeliness?

The course stresses the importance of replying to customers in a timely manner, especially when responding on social media platforms.

Does the course include a way to check my understanding?

Yes, the course includes a Test Your Knowledge lesson in addition to the In-Person, Phone/Online, and Social Media lessons.