The Importance of Customer Service
While I have not been working in IT for very long (just started at an IT business last August) dealing with customers has been a part of every job I have ever taken on. From a lowly snacks cashier at a movie theater to a job fielding customer service calls and creating trouble tickets for a big company, one thing has remained a constant - customers just want to be heard without any resistance. When customers aren't very happy with your service, or the service of a company that you represent, their seemingly adversarial tone can trigger a natural tendency to be on the defensive.
I had to train myself hard to be sympathetic to a customer's plight. Sure, in my mind it was trivial but to them it meant the world that I just listened and tried everything I could to help. How does this translate to IT you may ask? What could a job in which you repair, manage, and maintain technology have anything to do with social behaviors? Well, everything! Your duty is not only to the technology, but to the end-user as well. If you want a customer or client to return or recommend your services, you must show that you care about their issues and are genuinely on their side.
The biggest thing I've noticed is that customers want to be respected. If you talk down to them with condescension or annoyance, they easily pick up on that. So, the best way to approach a customer interaction is by always remembering that the customer is someone worthy of your time and respect no matter what their tone or social standing is. You are the first person they turn to for help and it is your duty to do everything in your power to assist them.
In closing here are a few tips that'll help you go a long way with customer service:
I had to train myself hard to be sympathetic to a customer's plight. Sure, in my mind it was trivial but to them it meant the world that I just listened and tried everything I could to help. How does this translate to IT you may ask? What could a job in which you repair, manage, and maintain technology have anything to do with social behaviors? Well, everything! Your duty is not only to the technology, but to the end-user as well. If you want a customer or client to return or recommend your services, you must show that you care about their issues and are genuinely on their side.
The biggest thing I've noticed is that customers want to be respected. If you talk down to them with condescension or annoyance, they easily pick up on that. So, the best way to approach a customer interaction is by always remembering that the customer is someone worthy of your time and respect no matter what their tone or social standing is. You are the first person they turn to for help and it is your duty to do everything in your power to assist them.
In closing here are a few tips that'll help you go a long way with customer service:
- The customer is deserving of respect and attention.
- Approach every situation with an apologetic stance.
- Be sympathetic, you weren't always the tech genius that you are now.
- They turned to you, it is your duty to not let them down.
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