12 Most Zealous Competencies of Customer Service Providers

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Social media has positioned a magnifying glass on the function of customer service and its providers both large and small. Activities and transactions that, for the most part, used to go under the radar are now fodder for viral videos, blogs and Twitter chats.

New rules, paradigms and standards seem to be manufactured monthly to address this industry’s jump into the spotlight but are the rules really any different now? Certainly, the platforms and technologies are different today and possibly require additional technical training. However… at its core, customer service excellence comes from the emotional makeup of the organization delivering it, not the platform they choose to deliver it in.

It’s time we throw out the rule books and refocus on the competencies of insightful customer service professionals. Here are the 12 Most Zealous Competencies of Customer Service Providers that I look for when analyzing the strengths of customer service teams in enterprise organizations.

1. They’re able to keep impulsive feelings and distressing emotions in check

2. They stand outside of themselves and learn from their experiences

3. They’re receptive to feedback, differing perspectives and focused on self-improvement

4. They observe emotional cues and react accordingly

5. They take calculated risks

6. They understand the relationship between feelings: how one thinks, acts and speaks

7. They laugh at themselves, seeing the humor in all situations

8. They’re selfless in their pursuit of win-win options

9. They’re indifferent to rules in their quest to do things better

10. They find self-purpose in the team’s mission rather than personal achievement

11. They’re fearless of personal perils in determining what’s right

12. Their personal expectations are greater than those imposed on them

Collectively, this is the heart of a great customer service team and what drives the organization and each team member to passionately strive for excellence. What’s at the heart of your organization’s customer service team?

Please share your thoughts. Do you agree that these are the competencies that customer service organizations must be zealots for? What’s on your list?

Featured image courtesy of Auntie P via Creative Commons.

Sam Fiorella

http://www.senseiwisdom.com/

Sam Fiorella is a globetrotting interactive marketing strategist who has earned his stripes over the past 20 years in senior management roles with corporate sales &marketing teams as well as consulting for more than 30 marketing agencies. Sam’s experience with over 1600 Interactive projects during the past 15 years spans the government, finance & insurance, manufacturing, national retail and travel/tourism sectors. Currently, Sam is the Chief Strategy Sensei at Sensei Marketing, where he is charged with strategic campaign guidance and marketing technology development that power the Sensei Customer Lifecycle Methodology. Sam is a respected blogger and popular keynote speaker on marketing, branding and social media communications having presented at more than 200 conferences in the past 2 years. Follow Sam on Twitter or Connect with him on LinkedIn.