One job that has one of the highest turnover rates is customer service representatives. Hiring customer service representatives is not hard, but typically, someone who makes a good representative is born and not taught. This makes it critical for companies to have the necessary interview skills to spot an awesome employee in the making or a future dud that needs polite escorting to the door.
Here are some common traits that excellent customer service representative’s share.
- Eye Contact – Customer service representatives sell the experience of a product or the company. No one wants to buy from someone that doesn’t maintain eye contact. Maintaining eye contact is a common sign of courtesy. This position fields complaints and concerns and customers need to have their feelings validated by having someone give them eye contact. If someone doesn’t maintain good eye contact during an interview, they won’t make a long-lasting customer service representative.
- Upbeat Energy – When hiring customer service representatives, focus on people that are upbeat and have positive energy. If customers are filing complaints, having someone that is upbeat and polite makes a significant difference. If you hire a customer service employee that is down on life and complains to customers, this will translate into bad experiences for customers. Good customer service representatives have a can-do attitude that lets customers know that no matter how bad their problem may seem, it’s fixable.
- Empathy – Good customer service reps have one thing in common: they have empathetic voices. If someone has empathy and can diffuse customers by making them feel good, it will be a huge benefit to any corporation.
- Smiling – Whether in person or over the phone, customer service reps need a smile in their voices. To hear whether a candidate has the skills it takes to shine over the phone, make sure to conduct a telephone interview as a hiring prerequisite.
- Previous Experience – If someone has held several different short-term customer service representative jobs over the years, they may not be a good fit. Studies show that people that love working in a customer service environment will stick with a position for longer, which shows on resumes.
If companies hire the right customer service representative for their organization, they’ll have less turnover, which translates into substantial cost savings for employers.
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