Author: XACT

In customer service, you never know what type of conversation you’re going to have. You may be greeted by friendly, understanding customers or by ones who are outright angry. Those friendly customers, of course, make your job as a service agent easier, but the ones who call heated can make it a challenge for you. The thing is, it’s the customer service agent’s job to keep the customer satisfied, which means helping those who are upset. But, how do you keep a positive mindset while dealing with these calls?

Try to start your morning off happy. When you wake up, put on some music that gets you ready for your day. Choose something that will make you feel motivated, energized and uplifted. Maybe do some stretches first thing too, to help you feel less tense going into work. And, don’t forget to start off with a good, healthy breakfast. One that contains protein and complex carbohydrates is a good choice. Getting a good night’s sleep the night before can also help you start the day with a better mindset.

When you take good care of yourself, your mental clarity and mood will be in their best state. This can help you tackle your day and maintain a more positive attitude when talking with customers.

There are times when you may feel negative thoughts creeping in. In these moments, try to focus on something positive. Put up inspirational quotes by your desk, trinkets that make you smile, and pictures of your loved ones. Find something to focus on.

When a customer does go on a tirade, try not to take it personally. Take a deep breath, and work to address the issue at hand. Remember that if you keep a calm and collected tone, you’re more likely to appease and even win over those customers.

When you’re able to keep a positive mindset, you’re able to assist customers better and keep them happy. For example, it’s important to use positive language with your customers. This means not telling them, “no, we can’t do that,” but instead saying something like “We’re sorry that happened to you. Here’s what we can offer…” Think about ways you can change your answers to have a positive connotation every time. This is much easier to do when you keep an upbeat attitude. This mindset will also help you keep your cool when a customer calls in upset.

We know it can be a challenge at times to stay positive but work on starting your day off right and refocusing on something positive during those challenging times. You’ll feel better and your customers will be more satisfied.

What are you going to do today to benefit your future self?

Let us help you leverage our skill, experience and technology into something amazing that is personalized for your business needs. Visit our website to learn more:

One of the ways for businesses to be successful is to “provide great service.” As number eight in this article says, “If you provide better service for your customers, they’ll be more inclined to come to you the next time they need something instead of going to your competition.”

There’s a lot of training that can help an agent become great at customer service and representing a brand. Agents need to know how to use the technology involved. They need to know what solutions they’re allowed to offer. In addition, they need to be well-versed in the brand’s services and/or products. But, beyond that, they also need to have a few soft skills. These are the skills that will define whether they’re an OK agent or a great agent. But soft skills aren’t easily learned by just reading a how-to. It takes some training. That’s why, at XACT, we include soft skills in our comprehensive training. We know that it’s essential for excellent customer service.

What are some of the soft skills that make an agent great? Here are a few of them:

Tone of voice: You may have heard this saying before, “it’s not what you said, it’s how you said it.” The tone of a person’s voice can change the whole meaning of what is being said. That’s why it’s important that customer service agents learn how to use the right tone in every situation.

Empathy: Service agents need to learn how to be empathetic towards customers. When someone reaches out to a company it’s because they want something. Maybe an item arrived damaged or they have a question about a product, as an agent, you need to listen and show genuine concern for the customer. When a customer feels cared about, it will increase the likelihood that they’ll remain loyal and even recommend the brand to others.

Positive attitude: Agents need to learn how to have a good attitude, this can mean learning how to control emotions when customers reach out to them with a heated demeanor. Customer service agents also need to learn how to use positive language in order to better assist customers.

Active listening: Customers get frustrated when they have to repeat themselves. Agents should be skilled in active listening so that customers feel heard and receive the best solutions.

Effective communication: As a customer service agent, it’s important to know how to effectively communicate with a customer. The right balance needs to be found between saying too much and saying too little. Customers should know exactly what to expect and be able to understand what is being said. Your words should communicate clearly without being confusing.

Mastering these soft skills can help agents better assist customers and help brands maintain a great reputation. That’s why, at XACT, we include this as part of our training program. Learn more about the customer service solutions we have to offer and our comprehensive training by reaching out to us at (877) 922-8877.