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Top tips to be a successful Customer Service Advisor - Blog by Search

Published on: 22 Jun 2020

Picking up the phone to deliver or receive a call may seem like nothing more than an ordinary activity to some, but for professional Customer Service Advisors, it is an art. Believe it or not, in customer service jobs,  there are certain qualities that you must cultivate and develop if you wish to be successful as a Customer Services Advisor, and perhaps the most important of these lies in the job title. 

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That's right, 'customer service' is all about aligning yourself with the needs of your customer, empathising with their worries and providing solutions. Furthermore, your customer can also show you a thing or two on how to improve your service, and this will not go unnoticed by your managers. 

So without further ado, we highlight the top five attributes every Customer Service Advisor should have to be successful in their customer service job. 

1. Knowledge retention is essential for every Customer Service Advisor

It can sometimes be all too easy to let your mind wander as a caller monotonously drones on, but neglecting to retain information could just as swiftly come back to bite you when a complaint, concern or query is not effectively dealt with due to information being lost in translation. Retaining information shows that you genuinely care about the customer, so do your best to demonstrate this by repeating information back to the caller, or by taking notes.

2. A Customer Service Advisor must have a human and empathetic approach 

Many Customer Service Advisors grow complacent about their work, thinking their script is enough to carry them through a call. The danger with this is that they then tend to adopt a one size fits all approach, assuming they fully understand the customer’s query, without listening attentively to unique and specific details. For this reason, it's important to remember that every customer is different, and one man's gold could easily be another man's rubbish. 

By offering a generic response to a query or complaint from a customer - which ultimately fails to reach the heart of the matter, you won't be doing yourself any favours. Instead, do your best to attentively listen and try to lighten up the conversation with some humorous story or self deprecating anecdote. This will show the customer that you're human, and thus relate to them and their concerns. This approach will also help you build rapport, meaning you'll be more inclined to listen to, and engage with the caller.

3. Organisation is essential for every Customer Service Advisor

Busy call centres often require Customer Service Advisors to multi-task and this in turn demands a tremendous amount of organisation. Many Customer Service Advisors will be required to monitor and update the call centre database, as well as take notes at the helpdesk, all whilst dealing with a caller’s query or complaint. You need to be able to effectively streamline your daily tasks by prioritising urgent matters over those that can be dealt with later. Keep a diary or weekly planner of all your tasks to be completed, ensuring that you tackle difficult assignments first.

4. Customer Service Advisors have a calm and friendly manner

This goes without saying. A friendly Customer Service Advisor enables callers to feel at ease, and these same customers will definitely remember the warm and welcoming recipient who asked them about their day, offered a compliment on their patience, or made them laugh. A successful Customer Service Advisor also knows how to remain calm at all times, even when they have an angry caller on the line.

5. Adaptability is essential for all Customer Service Advisors

Customer Service Advisors interact with a wide range of personalities on a daily basis. One moment they may be delighted to receive a call from a very friendly and talkative individual, only to cringe at the aggressive tone and colourful language of an angry caller at the next. For this reason, Customer Service Advisors need to be flexible enough to handle the variety of calls that may come their way. Most important of all, you should bear in mind that customers are humans, same as you, and although they may seem cranky at times, puting yourself in their shoes and telling them as much will ultimately reassure them that you're on their side and want to help them. Within reason, of course. 

Thinking of becoming a Customer Service Advisor? We can help!

Just finished school and looking for a job which will help you learn new skills and progress on a professional level? Well, we have good news for you. Here at Search Call & Contact Centre recruitment, we have hundreds of Customer Service Advisor vacancies, and we want to hear from you. Get in touch to find out more about our amazing opportunities, or take a look at our vacancies by Search Consultancy