Discover 13 customer service skills, such as active listening, improvisation, and resilience, that are vital to your team's development.
two conversation bubbles symbolizing customer service skills
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Today’s retail market demands quality customer service, but achieving it goes beyond customer service software and phone scripts.
While a dedicated customer support team is ideal, many founders are the only employee who interacts with customers in the early days of their business.
That’s why it’s crucial to understand what it takes to canadian email address list offer excellent customer service as an eCommerce brand . Once you understand the customer service skills listed below, you’ll be able to cultivate them in yourself and also look for them in future hires.
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13 Customer Service Skills to Deliver Memorable Customer Service
Effective communication
Empathy and emotional intelligence
Active listening and attention
Ability to work in a team
Patience
Ability to assume responsibilities
Improvisation and adaptability
Product knowledge
Growth mindset and willingness to learn
Time management and organization
Ability to sell
Trust
Resilience
1. Effective communication
Effective communication is vital because customer service representatives must communicate clearly, empathetically, and in a timely manner. They are responsible for conveying more than just words – they need to offer solutions, instructions, and emotions.
Good communicators proactively share clear product information that is easy for customers to understand. And you need to be able to do this in real time.
Communicating effectively also means being clear rather than clever, especially when a customer is frustrated. Many businesses lose customers by not using the right customer service phrases that provide clarity to the customer. Use direct language and words that are easy to understand.
This skill in action
The following customer service email from Everlane shows an excellent approach to communication. The email details their return policy, includes links to more information, and ends with an incentive in the form of a $20 credit that never expires.
Everlane Customer Service
While a return policy may not provide the answers a customer is looking for, free credit is a good way to soften the blow and maintain a positive customer experience .
2. Empathy and emotional intelligence
Empathy, the ability to put yourself in the customer’s shoes and understand the situation from their perspective, is a necessary skill for customer service representatives. Those handling customer service must also take interactions a step further, allowing emotional intelligence to guide those interactions.
When customer service representatives combine empathy and emotional intelligence, another key skill becomes possible: customer advocacy . As a customer advocate, you can proactively seek to resolve customer issues through the best solution, not just the easiest one.
Clients are ultimately looking for a solution to their problem, and the level of care you provide impacts their experience significantly. That’s why shifting your mindset from simply handling cases to advocating for clients can make a huge difference.
For example, Chewy has built a strong reputation as a brand that is empathetic to its customers. Countless instances of pet food deliveries after an animal has passed away have been shared on social media.
Chewy's typical response is a full refund, a recommendation to donate the food to a shelter, and a follow-up with condolences in some way. It's very personalized and empathetic.
This skill in action
The next time a customer reaches out to you with a problem, go the extra mile. Instead of simply offering an apology and moving on to the next customer service issue, offer a solution. Provide your customer with clear steps to take to get closer to a resolution.
“This approach acknowledges the complexity of their situation and the emotions they may be feeling,” says Mitchell Rossit-Lavigne, Customer Support Lead for Shopify’s Guru team. “It shifts the focus and tone of the conversation back to addressing the issue at hand. It creates common ground rather than focusing on how frustrating it may be to deal with said problem.”