How to Be a Good Service Representative

The qualities of a good customer service representative
are qualities that can be learned

A service representative serves as the storefront of the business.

They represent the business to new and existing customers, and the more pleasant, reliable, professional, and good they are—

the business will also be perceived as such in the eyes of the customers!

Most communication with customers today is conducted by phone. People are in a hurry, busy, located far from the business, etc. The ability to receive comprehensive answers from a good service representative who will address questions and concerns over the phone is essential.

A good service representative must know the business well, be familiar with the services or products the business offers, and be able to describe in detail or briefly what the business offers according to customer needs. (Here is a link to the article “What is customer service?“)

Qualities of a Good Service Representative

The qualities of a good service representative are mostly acquired traits. One can learn how to be a good service representative, but first they must possess several basic qualities such as courtesy, a pleasant voice, helpfulness, willingness to assist, and a great deal of patience.

Basic politeness, listening ability, and in-depth knowledge of the business’s field of activity are qualities of a good service representative. The ability to provide service to hesitant and distrustful customers, to inquisitive customers who are certain they know everything, and to impatient customers is an essential skill for a service representative.

The qualities of a good service representative are essentially a long list of attributes that begins with the basics:

• Politeness and courtesy— When you call a customer or respond to their inquiry, first greet them and introduce yourself and the business (“Hello, this is X from Y”). If the call was initiated by you, remind the customer that they contacted the business and ask if it is convenient for them to talk now (“You left us an inquiry on Facebook, and I’m getting back to you. Are you available for a brief call?”). At the end of the call, in any case even if no transaction was made, it is important to thank them and end with a farewell greeting.
• Proper use of voice—It is important to speak in a clear voice and in language adapted to the customer. Do not talk down to them or be condescending. A conversation at eye level will advance the business’s goals without embarrassing the customer in front of you or making them want to end the call.
• Listening to the customer—By listening to the customer, you can eliminate the need to ask many questions on one hand, and allow the customer to feel and know that they are being heard and their needs are being addressed. Through the very act of listening and addressing the customer, a pleasant relationship is created between you and the customer, making them more willing to listen to you and receive information and offers from you.
  
• • Mirroring as part of listening—Sometimes it is worthwhile to repeat the customer’s words: “So what you’re saying is…”
• • This is something that allows us to reach good understandings with our conversation partner when we reflect their words back to them

Examples of types of telephone customer service:

• Information center—for example, the 144 hotline, centers in government offices, educational institutions, etc.
• Service center—after purchasing a product or service
• Technical support center—for handling technical issues
• Service coordination center—for installation, repair, delivery, etc.
• Providing consultation—in banks, insurance companies, etc.
• Telemarketing center—focuses on scheduling face-to-face meetings for sales personnel.
• Message center—providing message-taking services for the business
• Sales center—telephone purchasing, acquiring services, course registration, etc.

A good customer service representative knows how to navigate between the types of customer service required of them—according to promotions, seasons, advertisements, and especially the type of inquiry. There are inquiries for general information, inquiries that come through a landing page or social media advertising, those who heard from a friend or family member, and of course returning customers.

In addition to all these, there are customers we contact to offer them a product or service, and there we are required to use our full capabilities: since we initiated the contact, we must be clear, precise, brief, and interesting—so that even impatient customers will stop to listen to us.

Relative Advantage Solutions Ltd. has inscribed on its banner since its establishment the value of service orientation, respectful dialogue, providing proper responses, and solutions for customers. Therefore, excellent customer service is natural for it and it performs this with great efficiency. Excellent customer service is the foundation for the success of any business.

Some service representative roles also involve sales elements. Thus, part of responding to inquiries is also for the purpose of selling a product or service. A customer relations representative needs to try to understand their customers’ needs, the reasons for their hesitations and concerns, and be prepared to answer them with complete answers and full information (including materials that can be sent by email or WhatsApp), and above all, to establish a relationship of trust with customers.
A customer who trusts you and believes in you is a customer who will be more willing to purchase a service or product, will return in the future, and will even recommend the business you represent to others.

How do you become a better service representative?

• Knowledge and familiarity

A service representative must be well-versed in the details of the service or product they are selling. They must be thoroughly familiar with the things they are talking about, and in any case when they do not know, tell the truth: “I don’t know, but I will find out and get back to you as soon as possible”—and then find out and return to the customer as promised. Honesty is also part of the good relationship with the customer, and getting back to them promptly will increase your credibility in their eyes.

• Documentation

A telephone service representative must document every call fully and clearly record the call summary. What was done and what was decided. If information was promised to the customer—send it; if they were promised a callback—return the call on schedule.

In general, documentation is important for any repeat customer inquiry. The feeling that they are already known and do not need to repeat everything from the beginning is pleasant for everyone and creates closeness that leads to loyalty and even customer commitment.

• Follow-ups

Many calls that come to customer service or go out from it are exploratory calls, information gathering, and clarification. There are customers who like to close a deal immediately and to the point, which is nice, but many customers like to deliberate, consult, and compare before they close a deal.

This is where the importance of follow-up is expressed—after providing complete information, the telephone service representative should coordinate with the customer a time when they will return to them after they review the materials we sent them, check options, visit the business website and get an impression, etc., or consult with whomever they need to, and we will return to them on time.

Customers do not always remember to return to us, are not always available, and do not always remember what was agreed upon. Therefore, our follow-ups are essential. Returning to customers for follow-up will significantly increase their satisfaction and the volume of closed transactions.

• Reliability

A good service representative must be reliable and project reliability because the representative is the contact person—sometimes the only one—of the organization with its customers. They must represent the organization in the best way possible. Provide accurate details, send complete information, keep their word—if they promised to return to the customer—return on time; if they promised to find out—find out and update, etc.

The more the service representative is perceived as reliable and genuine, the more the business or organization they represent will be perceived as such.

At Relative Advantage Solutions Ltd. we cultivate a team of excellent service representatives who can help you provide your customers with the best service, increase the number of closed transactions in your business, and represent you in the best possible way.

The clear advantages of Relative Advantage Solutions Ltd. are reputation, seniority, reliability, dozens of referrals, and a mode of operation that leaves control in your hands as the business owner. The services we provide to the business owner include maximum transparency (recorded calls, shared spreadsheets, end-of-day summaries, performance statistics), close accompaniment by our management team, continuous monitoring and control, and emphasis on creating excellent human relations with existing and potential customers.

Our service includes training and employee development with ongoing skill refinement, so that they will represent your business at its best and provide comprehensive, reliable, accurate, and focused responses to customers.