Do you have the 3 most important customer service skills?

1. Empathy

As a customer service professional you will be in contact with numerous people with different questions throughout the day. Whether it’s about placing an order, handling a complaint or answering questions regarding a specific product; customers expect great and timely service.

Bao-Han: “Within customer service it is crucial that you are able to understand what it is the customer actually wants. Therefore it is more important to listen than to talk. Ask questions or summarise what the customer has asked in order to make sure there are no misunderstandings. And always remain understanding and show empathy, which can be a challenge if a customer is impatient or irritated.”

You should also never make promises you can’t keep, says Bao-Han. “No matter how good a product is, customers who are dissatisfied with the service are likely to leave a negative review which in the long term might affect sales numbers.”

2. Language skills

If you are interested in joining the customer service department of an international organisation it is a must that you speak multiple languages. In the Netherlands, currently Dutch, English, German and French are the most sought-after language skills in customer service professionals.

“Working in customer service you will mostly speak to customers in your mother tongue, but every now and then you will also have to help customers who speak a different language. So if you have a knack for languages, customer service could be the ideal field for you.”

3. Flexibility

Many customer service departments don’t stick to a nine-to-five schedule. If you enjoy flexible working hours and don’t mind working in the evening or on weekends, a job as a customer service professional might just be perfect for you. As an added bonus, many businesses will pay extra for time worked outside of regular office hours or will compensate this in another way.

Webcare department 

Do you tick all boxes and do you also have a passion for social media, than you might consider working in a webcare department. 

Bao-Han: “More and more companies offer customer service via online chat and social media like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. The advantage for you as a customer service professional is that you have a bit more time to come up with the answer or solution to a customer’s question or problem than you would normally have on the phone. And you can ask a colleague to assist you.”

In addition, many organisations use this ‘social customer service’ as a successful marketing tool by coming up with and sharing creative answers and solutions. Do your friends think your social media posts are hilarious? Than webcare might be the department for you.  

What do you earn as a customer service specialist?

The salary for a customer service professional with zero to three years of experience lies somewhere within the range of €1.850 to €2.500 per month, depending of the field of industry. With a few years of experience under your belt this could grow to €3.000.

Bao-Han: “Alongside your salary you often receive a reimbursement for working outside of office hours, as well as bonuses and a travel reimbursement. In some cases you can also benefit from getting discounts on company products. 

Ambitious and aiming for a promotion? For team leaders, the salary ranges from €3.000 tot €3.500 and often you will be eligible to drive a company car. A customer service manager will earn around €3.500 to €4.000 every month. For more information on salaries, check out our annual Salary Survey. 

More information

For more information, please contact Bao-Han Nguyen, recruitment consultant for customer support roles at bao-han.nguyen@walterspeople.nl or check out our recent customer support jobs.