Top Customer Service Soft Skills To Train Your Employees

customer service soft skillsCustomer service and soft skills are not common sense. This may be contrary to what most people believe. They are not innate, and most definitely, people are not born with them. 

The quality of your customer service and the level of your organization’s customer service comes down to one thing and one thing only. This is service aptitude of every employee you have. 

The Importance of Service Aptitude

What is the most critical component in building a world-class customer experience culture? It is the service aptitude of every individual employee in your company.

Service Aptitude: A person’s ability to recognize opportunities to meet and exceed customers’ expectations, regardless of the circumstances.

Service aptitude does not apply to the technical or operational side of the experience. It is also a critical part of a company’s customer service. Service aptitude represents the hospitality side only. This means how an employee makes another person feel.

7 Customer Service Soft Skills All Your Employees Should Be Trained On

Customer service soft skills determine a person’s service aptitude competency. Here are seven key interaction traits. 

Compassion & Empathy

Focus on training your employees to develop strong empathy and compassion. Compassion is the ability to feel for another living being, which results in the desire to help. 

These values will enable them to handle any customer situation. Empathy helps them see and understand things from their perspective. It means walking in their shoes.

Enthusiastically Engaging & Warm

They say that a huge part of communication is body language. It’s not really about you say but it is in how you say it. Be mindful of your tone and body language. 

Imagine an employee who is obviously happy in what they do and whom they are doing it for. He or she beats the greet and seeks eye contact. And also, smiles from long distances. 

This immediately helps put the customer at ease. Being friendly, cheerful and caring makes a great customer experience.

Driven By A Purpose to Serve

To be purpose-driven means focusing on the “why”. It is about being intentional. 

In this case, focusing on providing excellent service. 

An individual that is driven by purpose knows the goals of the company. He also prioritizes the customer he is serving. With this skill, he is also able to motivate other members of the team.

Own It

Owning it means taking responsibility. It is committing to the task from start to finish.

This means making sure that the customer leaves happy with their experience. It is caring the same way the owner of the company would. Always serve with the company mission and vision in mind.

Charitable Assumption

As customer service, act as if no customer has bad intentions. Withhold judgment and listen to your customers. 

Make your customers feel that you are on their side. Do not punish 98% of your customers for what you are afraid that 2% might do.

Must Be Present To Win

When engaging with a customer, always be present. This means giving 100% of your focus and attention. It is very important to do so if you want to practice empathy and compassion.

If you are not present, you risk forming a genuine connection with your customer. 

Go Above & Beyond

To go above and beyond for your customers is doing whatever it takes. It is looking and capitalizing on ways to surprise and delight customers. Customer satisfaction is always a priority.

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certified customer experience executive badgeGET YOUR MASTERS IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

We are now accepting applications for the 2021 Customer eXperience Executive Academy (CXEA). The DiJulius Group has worked with top Customer Service organizations in the world. 

The Customer eXperience Executive Academy (CXEA) gives you both theoretical and practical eXperience. This focuses on how to elevate the levels of service at your company.

There is a need for rapid growth of the Customer eXperience Executive. The Customer eXperience Executive Academy uses the X Commandments Methodology. This covers all facets and responsibilities that fall under Customer eXperience. 

The CXEA is unlike other institutions. Its sole focus is strictly on the Customer eXperience. It prepares leaders to champion change at any company, regardless of industry.

About The Author

John DiJulius

John R. DiJulius is a best-selling author, consultant, keynote speaker and President of The DiJulius Group, the leading Customer experience consulting firm in the nation. He blogs on Customer experience trends and best practices.