Call center agents and the overall customer support department play the main role in creating a truly satisfying customer experience. In general, soft skills are kind of underrated, especially when it comes to the customer service team.

Unfortunately, if certain soft skills aren’t met, your business can expect a rapid downfall. Or even better said, a point of no return.

So, what are the 6 most important soft skills that every customer service agent should have?

Regardless if you’re a business or a person that wants to try him/herself in this industry, check out what we have prepared for you!

 

#1 Communication skills

Given the fact that call center agents handle plenty of calls per day, knowing how to communicate can only lead to success.

First of all, they must know how to speak clearly and concisely. Aside from this, they also have to know which words and phrases are the most appropriate in specific situations.

Additionally, customer service agents need to find a balance between speaking professionally and speaking academically.

Chances that people can fully understand someone speaking on a high, academic level are low. Not many people would like to experience this either.

The real deal is to fully understand the customer, behave professionally, and then try to speak on his/her level.

In case you plan to work in this industry, we gladly recommend you master this “soft skill”.

#2 Active Listening

Active listening is 80% of the work when working as a customer service agent. Once the customer calls, and you greet him/her, the thing that follows next is the active listening part.

Although many people claim that they know how to “actively listen”, in practice, this is not the case.

Hence, each employee in the customer support department needs to listen first, then act.

Why? Because for two reasons. The first reason is for obtaining information, whereas, the second is to understand the problem.

In case one of the two things isn’t met, you’ll have a problem in terms of job effectiveness, and the customer churn phenomenon will start to form.

As a company that puts a lot of effort and training to make things easier, we recommend you become a better listener starting today!

For instance, if you can’t concentrate on what someone is saying, try to repeat their words mentally. This will let you maintain your focus on the highest level.

#3 Conflict Resolution

Conflict resolution is yet another “soft skill” that customers support agents have to master.

Yes, everyone knows that not every person is the same. Sometimes, you will interact with people that may not be hard to handle at all, and sometimes, what happens is exactly the opposite.

If a conflict arises, the first thing you should remember is to be calm. Let the customer express his/her feeling, and when is your turn to talk, apologize for what happened but do it professionally.

Keep in mind that if you raise your voice unintentionally, this will backfire on you right away.

The second thing call center agents should keep in mind is the appreciation part. Namely, try to reassure the frustrated customers that you are fully aware of the problem.

Lastly, keep the flow of the conversation stable. All it takes is a positive attitude and the conflict will resolve quickly.

Here, you can find out what are the most common customer support mistakes as well.

#4 Independence

Every company has its organizational structure, and that’s expected after all. Even though everyone knows their place in the company, still, most people have a hard time resolving problems by themselves.

Learning how to become independent, and to act in that way can only bring you benefits as a call agent. So, if you master this soft skill you can greatly prosper in your career.

Also, note that customers don’t want to be lost in the labyrinth of transferring from one call agent to another. If there’s an opportunity that you can handle their problems by yourself, don’t want someone else to do it for you.

In general, agents must be independent enough to act alone and under the supervision of the higher management of the hierarchy.

#5 Negotiating

Let’s begin this part with a very interesting quote – “Successful negotiation is not about getting to ‘yes’; it’s about mastering ‘no’ and understanding what the path to an agreement is” – Christopher Voss

As a call agent, you have to rely mostly on the so-called “interest-based negotiation” which is a win-win approach that offers mutual benefits for the two sides.

By negotiating in this way, you will not only improve the customer satisfaction rate, but you will also create a true long-term relationship with the customer.

Therefore, improving this skill set can only bring you and your company an excellent time when doing business.

#6 Adaptability

Since call center agents have dynamic work shifts, the ability to adapt to a variety of different situations is essential.

This means that agents have to be comfortable interacting with customers and solving their inquiries through different channels. That can be done through social media, email, and of course, the good old telephone.

When it comes to your personal growth, people that know how to adapt to different situations will know how to handle change a lot easier than other people. Whether that’s learning a new skill, understanding new technology, or something else.

You will thrive once you’re an adaptable customer support agent, so, don’t lose time and start crafting the necessary skill.

Conclusion

To conclude, customer care and the overall customer experience is determined mainly by the call center agents.

When you combine this with the fact that “For 86%, good customer service turns one-time clients into long-term brand champions” the result is very simple.

Possessing the aforementioned soft skills is important for both, the growth of the businesses and the career growth of the employees. Since we did our part, now it’s your turn to master some, if not all of these soft skills!