When it comes to call centres, strong customer service skills are paramount. It is these skills that lead to contact centre success, and are vital for keeping customers happy. With that in mind, here are five customer service skills all call centre agents should have.

1. Patience

At the point of contact customers may be angry or frustrated and this requires patience. Listening calmly to their complaints and patiently waiting for them to finish what they’ve got to say is the best way to ensure you respond appropriately. By listening and responding calmly you are more likely to build a positive rapport with the customer, which will hopefully help them to calm down, and resolve their issues.

2. Empathy

Being empathetic is hugely important, as you’ll be able to sympathise with customers who are experiencing anger or disappointment. It’s also essential when it comes to funeral call handling, when people are experiencing extreme grief, sadness and shock. An empathetic nature enables call centre agents to connect with customers and build strong customer relationships.

3. Knowledge

Call centre agents must have efficient knowledge in the company’s products and services. If they aren’t confident, then how can you expect the customer to feel confident in your business? When people approach a call centre it is usually for advice, and agents must know how to answer queries to the best of their ability.

4. Positive attitude

When you speak with a smile it adjusts your tone of voice to reflect a positive attitude. Being able to stay positive during difficult phone calls will not only ensure all queries are resolved efficiently, but could help to make the caller feel more positive too. Positive attitude can be shown in tone of voice as well as with words and phrases.

5. Adaptability

Each phone call will be different, and call centre agents should have the ability to adapt almost instantly to suit the customer. Whether this is due to different emotions, different queries or different ages and abilities, it’s important to communicate in a way that best suits the individual needs of the caller.

If your business needs a telephone answering service run by fully trained, professional staff then contact Frontline today.