There is a misconception about working in customer service.
When someone asks you what do you do for a living, and you say I work in customer service, they automatically assume your job is easy.
Sit at a desk, answer calls or greet customers face to face, smile, answer their questions, help them, and you clock off at 5pm and go home.
However, customer service is far more than that.
Customer service is about human connections, personal relationships with your customers.
Regardless if you work in an office, a warehouse or a store.
You need to know your customers, anticipate their wishes and needs.
That is what will put you above others and move from providing average to excellent customer service.
Building rapport with your customer, putting yourself in their shoes, empathising without victimizing or putting all the blame on the carrier/supplier, is what a good customer service officer should do.
Whether you are in transport, and your customer is chasing up their freight for a store opening or a presentation at a convention the next morning, to shopping for the perfect dress for an engagement party, the customer wants to feel they are being heard, and that their concerns are understood.
That someone is` fighting for their cause`, trying to get the best outcome in the shortest amount of time. They want to vent and they want you to be quiet and hear them out, show patience in listening and wisdom on what to say, and when to speak.
They do not want to hear what went wrong, who is to blame but what can be done to solve this mess, help them out and give them what they want.
I guess you can compare customer service office with `a front line soldier`, they are out on a battlefield, taking the first wave of blows, the first heat.
Their actions will affect the outcome of the battle, just like the customer service officer`s actions will affect how the customer will react throughout the investigation.
You can calm them down and make them understand you are for them and not against them.
Or you can aggravate them and turn up the heat to the point of losing the customer as they feel they are all alone fighting against the system.
Rise above the line and reach for excellence!
Posted by: One of Freight People's Customer success team