Finding and Keeping Your Sense of Customer Service Wonder

Listening to complaining customers and negative feedback all day long can poorly impact any customer service representative. If you don't make an effort to remain positive at work, you'll lose your sense of customer service wonder and quickly become drained. As a customer service professional, it's up to you to change the tone of a difficult conversation. Doing so keeps you happy and allows you to be more helpful to customers.

Stay Positive

You might be tempted to raise your voice or get angry at an irate customer, especially if he's disrespectful. Never succumb to this feeling. It's important to remain calm, collected and positive when dealing with customers, as matching the customer's emotions is sure to enhance his anger and negatively impact your overall mood and job performance.

Usually, an irate customer simply needs a moment to vent, so give him that moment. Do your best to overlook the screaming and anger as you listen to the customer, and focus on the actual complaint rather than the customer's attitude. Allow the customer to finish his thoughts before interjecting, and then reiterate his issue to ensure you clearly understand why he's upset. These actions help to calm his anger and keep you in a positive mood.

Exceed Customer Expectations

Having the ability to help another person is the best part of performing a customer service job. To maintain your sense of wonder, always go above and beyond when assisting customers, as this will surely make your work more gratifying. Be creative when coming up with solutions to problems. For example, if the customer's software isn't working properly, instruct him on a workaround or offer a temporary solution until you can offer a permanent fix. If possible, compensate the customer for his troubles and frustration by offering an additional product for a discounted price or for free. It should always be clear to customers that your number one goal is to satisfy them. This helps build trust and increases your overall job satisfaction.

Never Stop Improving

Always try to improve your customer service skills. Sign up for training through your company, read customer service books, and subscribe to blogs that focus heavily on providing great service. As you continuously learn new tactics for dealing with customers, you'll get better at dealing with many different types of people and situations. Eventually, you'll be an expert at turning an irate, disappointed customer into one who's happy and thoroughly satisfied. Improving your skills is a great way to boost your confidence, which also boosts your overall attitude and the manner in which you approach your work and could lead to greater career opportunities.

As a customer service professional, you're going to deal with negativity, but that doesn't mean you can't remain positive while doing your job. Always maintain a friendly tone, and go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure your customers are satisfied.

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