This skill in action
Cosea swimwear has a specific return policy, which is detailed on their Shopify website. One customer ordered a pair of swimsuits from the brand, and they arrived in poor condition. They reached out to return the items, but due to travel and lack of access to a printer, they missed the 30-day return window.
However, the brand was flexible, took responsibility, and provided a refund outside of their usual policy. This instills more trust in the brand and a willingness to give it another chance.
Cosea Customer Service
7.
Good customer service requires a lot of preparation. Many support teams use standard scripts and responses to common issues to help them provide customer service quickly.
But it’s impossible to prepare for every situation, and often times, customer support issues need to be addressed on a case-by-case basis. Making customers wait while you ask other team members for help, escalate tickets, or search for a new solution hurts the customer experience.
That’s why it’s so important for customer service reps to have the ability to improvise, adapt, and solve problems on the fly. You need to know when to abandon or adapt scripts to create customized solutions, built from a deep understanding of the product and the customer.
This skill in action
Here’s a great example from eBodyboarding.com . Instead of ignoring the customer or telling them that shipping options can’t be changed, the brand was responsive and very accommodating with orders.
The customer service representative wrote: “We were able to retrieve the package before it was picked up by the carrier, we had to void the label and reship the package, so I need to send you a new shipping notification.”
eBodyboarding Customer Service
8. Product knowledge
Deep product knowledge is especially important when it comes to customer support. When you have strong familiarity with the product and its use cases, you can enter customer conversations equipped with more context.
This makes you more agile and adaptable, canadian email addresses seeking solutions that fit the unique context of each client's specific problem.
Product knowledge also prepares you to meet customer needs. Customers contact you because they need help; they expect product expertise, and that's what they should get.
This skill in action
The best way to learn your products is to use them yourself. Nothing beats first-hand experience. And while this may be obvious to founders, you’ll need to be more proactive as your business (and your team) grows.
At beverage company Olipop , all new employees are given the opportunity to try out the different flavors. “They are also provided with a product guide and encouraged to explore our website. We don’t just want them to know what our sodas taste like, we want them to know our ingredient list, benefits, and more,” says Melanie Edwards, senior manager of e-commerce and digital products.
“Our team is encouraged to ask questions and make suggestions,” says Melanie. “The more you know, the more you can answer any customer questions that come up.” As a founder, you can get involved in this process. Share, from your perspective, why you started your company, why you created your products, and what makes them great. Consider creating a knowledge base with important product information and common buyer queries.
9. Growth mindset and willingness to learn
The next customer service skill is harder to quantify, but equally important as the others on this list: a willingness to learn .
Your product may evolve, your business may pivot, your customers’ preferences and habits may change, and through it all, your customer service team needs to be able to adapt and grow with the changing realities of their daily jobs.
That’s why having a growth mindset from the start is one of the best ways to prepare your team for the future. The willingness and desire to continually learn and do better for customers is invaluable.
This skill in action
Consider surveying your customers to find out how they're using your products. Conduct these surveys frequently, perhaps every six months or year, so you can also track how customer preferences and sentiments change over time. Then, look for ways to improve based on this feedback.
10. Time management and organization
There was a time when customer support was primarily provided over the phone. Representatives would answer calls and work until the customer's issue was resolved. Today, customer service reps are pulled in many directions—from social media to chats to phones—which can make it difficult to focus on one-on-one conversations with customers.
That’s why proper time management and organizational skills are a must. Customer service representatives need to be able to handle multiple conversations at once. They need to prioritize channels and tickets and use their time in the most efficient way.
Reps who know how to manage and organize their time can also take the time to give each customer the attention and support they need, because they aren't rushing to resolve ticket after ticket.
This skill in action
With so many different communication channels, it's important to find a way to centralize your customer support tickets to help you stay organized and on top of each issue.
You can use one of the many customer service apps for Shopify to help you organize and even automate some of the organization. Remember to prioritize inquiries accordingly. Developing a system from the start will help you stay organized as your business grows.
“Respond to all customer feedback, and even faster to negative feedback,” says Kanak Hirani, founder of JULAHAS . “People care if you get back to them quickly when they have a problem, a question, or need a solution. If you can prioritize your customer queries into levels of importance and get to the most urgent ones within two hours — those experiences that will perhaps have an impact on your brand — you have a winning formula.”