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Customer Service Skills: Definitions and 17 Examples
March 11, 2020
Customer service skills are traits and practices that equip you to address customer needs and foster a positive
What is customer service?
Customer service is both a type of job and a set of job skills. As a job, customer service professionals are responsible for addressing customer needs and ensuring they have a good experience. As a skill set, customer service entails several qualities like active listening, empathy, problem-solving and communication. Customer service is used in many jobs at every level.
While traditionally you might think of customer care as a service from a business to a consumer, it is also applicable within a business. For example, you may be in a role that provides services to other, internal
Related: 15 Customer Service Jobs That Pay Well
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What are customer service skills?
Customer service skills are the set of behaviors you rely on when interacting with a customer. They can also be useful when following up after an initial conversation. For example, if you work as a virtual assistant for a technology company, you may need to help customers troubleshoot problems with their devices. To accomplish this, you will likely use several different skills:
Communication. You will need to be responsive in a timely manner. You will need to communicate with them in a clear, easy-to-understand way to solve the problem.
Empathy. Your interactions may begin with someone who is frustrated or
Patience. Clients and customers might ask several questions, be unhappy or ask you to repeat instructions several times. Patience is important to keep the conversation on track, remain personable and provide a positive experience.
Technical knowledge. To effectively solve problems, you will likely need to know a bit of technical or industry knowledge to help them resolve the issue at hand.
After your conversation, you will likely use active listening skills to record action items and complete any follow-up tasks. Effectively working with others will require different skills to help create an effective solution for everyone. You can also easily apply skills like these to situations with colleagues, as well.
Related: 9 Ways to Provide Excellent Customer Service
Why are customer service skills important?
For many businesses, people working in customer service roles or using customer service skills are the human face of the company. These businesses rely on employees who can create a positive dialogue with customers, helping to foster loyalty and a good reputation.
If you are in a customer service role, common in industries like food and beverage or retail, a large part of your success might be attributed to your ability to provide positive experiences to customers. Learning and developing traits that make a strong customer service worker paired with on-the-job experience can help you advance in your role.
Related: 9 Tips for Improving Your Customer Service Skills
Customer service skills list and examples
Although customer service is often seen as a skill in and of itself, there are many associated skills that support strong customer service abilities.
Necessary customer service skills include:
Active listening
Adaptability
Attentiveness
Conflict resolution
Creativity
Decision-making
Dependability
Effective communication
Empathy
Friendliness
Knowledge of your product or service
Open-mindedness
Patience
Quick thinking
Reading physical and emotional cues
Responsiveness
Timeliness
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