The 16 Customer service skills of great

customer service agents





 Scale operations
 Team efficiency

Customer service involves much more than answering questions over the phone.
Responding to tickets through email, live chat, and social media are equally
important communication channels for customers. While there's plenty of overlap in
the customer service skills required to do a great job, each customer service channel
benefits from a unique approach to these skills.

For example, there are important customer service skills associated with phone
support, such as empathy, the ability to “read” a customer’s emotional state, clear
communication, and friendliness. But things emotional cues are much harder to read
in writing, so additional customer service skills for newer customer-facing channels
need to be developed and improved upon (in order to make those channels more
viable for customers).
Whether you’re interviewing or brushing up your customer service skills for your
resume, it’s good to remember that most customer support managers aren't just
interviewing for technical skills. They'll be looking for team members that can
demonstrate real customer service skills.

The following examples are the good customer service skills that all customer
service professionals strive to master:

1. Smile, literally

Smiles translate through the phone but should be used at appropriate times. You
don't want your customer service to come off as inauthentic, but you should still
always be cordial during conversations. Smile as you would in a face-to-face
conversation while responding to questions and conveying necessary information.

2. Mirror a customer's’ language and tone

Part of the job in customer service is mirroring a customer's language and tone.
Mirroring another person’s language and tone can help create a connection. That
said, if a customer is angry, you don’t want to copy their frustration. Instead, you can
try increasing your volume just a little and then quickly work to bring the intensity
down a notch. Customers respond well when the help they're receiving is coming
from someone who's clearly level-headed.

3. Listen first, then validate the problem

When customers are upset or frustrated, they might not be able to take in what you
say—even if it’s the right answer. Listen first, let them calm down, and then try to
help solve their problems. Empathy is a crucial ability in customer service, so make
sure you know exactly what you're showing empathy towards.

4. Acknowledge the customer

Customers need to feel heard, so tell them that you understand the reason for their
call. They'll appreciate the touch of empathy and it'll go a long way towards making
an angry customer's experience much better. Customer service that accurately
recognizes what ails the customer comes off as more human and reflects well on the
company.

5. Summarize your help

You’ve got to listen to a customer's problems in order to repeat information to them
with supportive language, and do so in a way that summarizes the help that you’re
providing them. Being able to adequately communicate all that you’re doing to help is
a top job skill for customer service agents.

6. Communicate hold times

Even if you’ve just handled a call really well, you can lose a customer by leaving
them on hold for too long. This is especially true if you haven’t set their expectations
first—it will make them feel like their questions don't matter, and ultimately reflects
poorly on your customer service and your company's reputation.

7. Use templates, not boilerplates

For efficient customer service, you’ll want to use templates that include some pre-
written text. At Zendesk, we call them macros. Templates are like guidelines—they
shouldn't be overly rigid and unwavering, but can provide a helpful structure for
common responses (like a list for step-by-step responses). Even though the whole
team can use it, you’ll want to personalize your own answer before replying to
customers. This leads to a more personal interaction (and a more fulfilling customer
service job).

8. Make a template your own (with a personal spin)

It’s okay to use your own voice and approach when providing customer service, even
as you reflect your company’s persona and philosophies. Think about how you might
make your own signature unique or consider different ways to close the email
depending on the tone and resolution of the interaction.

Set your support organization up for

success
See how

9. Be considerate of timeframes

Emails, especially a first response, need to be answered within a defined timeframe.

A great email support agent will prioritize their responses by urgency and how long
they’ve been sitting for. There's a chance your customer was spoiled during the
sales process and expects similar treatment in customer service—having a
great customer service platform will help make that responsibility easier.

10. Imitate the customer’s language and phrasing in text

Similar to phone support, it’s great to mirror a customer’s language or phrasing in an

email to show them that you understand and acknowledge their issue. This helps to
create rapport and establishes a better relationship, making it easier for them to
receive the information they need.

11. Always use a considerate tone over email or text

Tone can be hard to decipher over chat, especially since the responses can be
short, quick, and incomplete. It's an essential customer service skill to choose your
words carefully. A good rule of thumb is to use a gentle, informative tone—patience
is a critical ability when faced with a very frustrated customer.

12. Be comfortable with multitasking

Live chat agents are expected to handle more than one chat at a time, which is a
skill in itself. Great multitaskers don’t lose sight of the bigger picture as they're
bombarded by questions. Be careful not to handle too many chats, or else your
customers will be waiting too long between responses. You can always put a chat
“on hold” if you need more time to find an answer, but just like with phone support,
set their expectations first!

13. Look for cues if something is unclear

Sometimes it’s harder for customers to express themselves by writing, so don’t read
too quickly and jump to conclusions. It takes a lot of training to understand the
nuances of different customers, but it's part of what makes someone successful at a
job in customer service. For example, someone that works in sales might come off
as assertive while you're providing them support, while an engineer might need
complex technical details to see their problem solved. Being able to read specific
cues is a problem-solving skill that can give agents a better idea of how they can
help.

14. On social media, (almost) always respond

Always respond to a customer’s social post—especially when they need help. Even
if you can’t answer right away, make quick initial contact with them and let them
know where and when you’ll respond. Providing speedy responses means you’ve
got to be adept in addressing a customer's problem in a precise and polite tone.

15. Don’t take obvious bait

The exception to “always respond” is when you are confronted with an obvious
attempt to create an altercation in a public space. These comments are often
directed at the company itself, and sometimes other people will quickly take the bait.
Most organizations know they can’t afford to have a customer service agent who
makes mistakes on social media. The damage to the company's reputation can be
far-reaching.

16. Determine if something should be handled by support or another

department

Social media contacts occasionally walk a line between something that should be
handled by support and something that should be handled by marketing. It's an
important skill that an agent will know what should be a ticket and what should be
forwarded to another team.

Agents need customer service skills specific to each

support channel
The best customer service employee will be able to move easily between channels
and solve problems with the skills that best suit each channel. If you can hone your
ability to practice empathy and communicate your product knowledge with
customers, you’ll be a rock star in customer service.

What follows are our tips and solutions for improving your skills by specific channels,
excerpted from the eBook Customer Service Skills You Need.

Phone support: How’s your “phone voice”?

Some say we wear our emotions on our sleeve, but others might say we convey our
emotions through our voice. Customer service employees know from experience
how frustration and anger translates through the phone lines. And, of course, that
communication is a two-way street; phone agents reading from a script must
consider their tone.

The following are what's needed for skilled phone support:

1. Smile, literally
2. Mirror a customer's’ language and tone
3. Listen first, then validate the problem
4. Acknowledge the customer
5. Summarize the problem
6. Communicate hold times

Email support: You are not a robot

Honing your writing skills is especially important when providing email support. The
email response is arguably the most structured response and requires the most
precision. You must write with clarity and brevity while detailing a list of issues while
also taking the time to proofread and correct any mistakes.

Here's what you'll need for great email support in any situation:

1. Use templates, not boilerplates

2. Make the templates your own
3. Respond in a defined timeframe
4. Imitate a customer’s phrasing

Chat support: Multitasking is a key skill

Providing great live chat support requires a cross of phone and email skills. Chat is
conversational and real-time, just like customer service over the phone, but it also
requires strong writing skills.

Here’s what every great live chat agent needs to pay attention to:

1. Use a gentle, informative tone

2. Multitask
3. Read customer cues

Social support calls for speedy deliveries

Social media support requires a combination of all of the above skills. When live chat
isn’t available, customers turn to social media for an exceptionally fast response. The
skillset required to provide customer service on social media is generally a bit
advanced, and often saved for more senior or specialized customer service agents.

The following skills are crucial for social media support:

1. (Almost) always respond

2. React carefully to confrontation
3. Differentiate social media tickets

For the complete list of tips as a condensed version of this article, download the
ebook. Share it with your team, or print and hang the skills list in your office.