The 5 Key Categories of Customer Service

Since I started in service skills training courses I always tell my trainees to remember to treat every customer as though they sign my pay check because as a matter of fact they do.

As a customer service skills trainer I recognise how telecare service providers are called upon to do a number of different jobs roles. Depending on your callers needs, their emotional state and their situation. I do realise that it sounds like there are a lot of factors involved in telecare service however if you know what these roles are than you will have no problem fulfilling them. These roles are;

1. The Host. It is known in customer service that all relationships require trust and co-operation. Your role is to make customers feel welcomed. A good way to ensure this would be to have good record keeping which is even as simple as using their names and spelling them correctly. A little bit of small talk would go a long way also to allow them to realise that you are human too. If you have helped the customer then allow them to take your personal work e-mail address so that they can call you if there are any further complications.

1. The Teacher. This is when you give the customer some instructions to enable them to mend their predicament. To do this professionally you will have to be aware of the product and facts and be consistent in knowing what they need to know. This then leads you to be able to teach the customer which consequently leads to a better formed relationship which in turn results in loyal customers.

1. The Detective. You will take a lot of information in one day from your customers. This can overload you but always ensure to be accurate. Keep the information stored safely in a file on your desktop or in a folder in your files as this saves time when you as the detective are called to the case hen a problem arises. A great strength that customer service courses will teach you as a detective is to always get your facts straight by asking questions such as what happened, where, when and how so that you can clarify the situation. Then confirm that you have the right information. This allows the customer feel as though they have been taken into account and listened to. Once the problem is solved, case closed.

1. The Healer. You need to reduce the customer’s distress to empower them to express. To do this you need to understand that the customer is frustrated and disappointed in your company’s service. They may have had a broken promise in which case this should be admitted and apologised for. To prevent this you need to under promise and over deliver to ensure the commitment will be followed through on.

1. The Advocate. Many people on customer service skills courses will say that the key to effective customer service skills is to remember that you are the voice of your company as well as being the voice of the customer to the company. When representing your customer to your company you need to state boldly and clearly in writhing what the problem is as actions speak louder than words. The key is to use specific numbers to indicate the problem not broad generalization, get personal as these are people you are working with not numbers.

Through customer service skills courses you will see that customers do not want to be dealt with or handled, they want to be helped and empowered through the problem by helpful hosts, teachers, detectives, healers and advocates.