If you’re a customer service representative with a desire to improve, we’ve got good news for you: anyone can be a customer service superstar. If you’ve ever had an interaction with a service representative that left you feeling like they truly listened, worked hard to solve your problem, and treated you with a business-friendly demeanor, you might have wondered how it is that some people seem to be naturally gifted at providing service to customers. And while it may be an innate inclination for some, most excellent customer service representatives have worked hard to be superstars.
Anyone Can Be a Customer Service Standout
A customer service superstar is a high-performing team member who consistently delivers customer service that exceeds normal expectations. These team members don’t limit their great treatment of others to just their customers – they also treat their colleagues well, aligning with the Service Skills mantra that “We are customers to each other.” After all, customers can be considered anyone you come into contact with on a daily basis.
Given this, it’s helpful to note that great customer service skills are important in every position in an organization. Even if you’re not primarily in a customer-facing position, your ability to provide excellent service and treat people well will have lasting positive impacts on the organization as a whole. Service superstars don’t just perform when they’re interacting with clients – they go above and beyond all of the time.
They also recognize that their interactions with every member of the organization at every level matter for the health and wellbeing of the organization. Service superstars have a holistic view of their workplace and colleagues rather than a single-minded focus on only serving customers.
Despite what you might believe, you can find a customer service superstar anywhere. Anyone, from any background, can become a service stand out with the right motivation and training. Similarly, you can find examples of superstar-level service in nearly every position throughout companies around the world in different industries. There’s something to be learned from each one of these individuals.
Motivation to Excel
In a conversation with six service providers who were chosen out of hundreds of people put forth by their companies as top performers, several key points were mentioned as being crucial to their success. One of the most important was their motivation to excel.
Everyone draws upon different sources of motivation to encourage themselves to show up and work hard each and every day. The superstars involved in this conversation were no different. They referenced a number of motivational factors that they rely on to do their job at a high caliber each day. These include:
- Pride in themselves
- Potential promotions
- Recognition from others
- Customer retention
While each of the members of the panel had a different source of inspiration to do their jobs as well as they do, one motivation was consistent – a sincere desire to help others. Everyone on the panel got into customer service or remained in the industry because they genuinely enjoyed helping people and interacting with others.
In addition to their motivations, these six superstars offered other important lessons. One such lesson was the commitment of all these individuals to live by the Golden Rule – treat others as you would like to be treated. The superstar panel agreed that they strive to treat everyone they interact with well since that reflects how they wish to be treated at work.
Importantly, the panel clarified that they extend this treatment to both internal and external customers as both groups are equally important to the success of the business. Many people fail to extend their excellent service to their coworkers. As such, they might present as service superstars to external clients, but their attitude and treatment of others in all other interactions leaves something to be desired. True service superstars, including those in our panel, know that high-level service should be delivered to everyone with whom you interact.
Impact of Service Superstars
It’s no secret that good service equates to more customers for your company. But what specifically is the impact of delivering high-quality customer service to your clients? According to Harris Interactive, 73% of customers develop loyalty to a brand because of their friendly customer service representatives. The quality of service delivered by customer service representatives has a tremendous impact on customer retention and the company’s bottom line. Even a 5% increase in customer retention can have a wide-reaching impact on profits, according to Harvard Business Review – anywhere from 25-95%!
To learn more of the valuable lessons shared by the six customer service superstars we gathered and spoke to, contact a Service Skills representative today and request a demo of the ServiceMatters Roundtable Series.
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