10 Customer Service Qualities Your Customers Expect I [Examples]

Just because your company offers around-the-clock customer service doesn’t necessarily mean you’re offering great service to your customers. Not all customer service qualities are obvious and it’s a place many organizations fall short in. Consumers who are attentive enough to reach out for assistance in the first place will always be able to spot the difference between above-and-beyond customer support and disjointed, sloppy service.

Just consider these consumer insights from PwC:

• 3 in 4 customers identify customer experience as a top consideration in their purchasing decisions.
• 2 in 3 find excellent customer service more compelling than marketing and advertising.
• 1 in 2 believes that most brands could improve their customer service.
• 1 in 3 would break up with a beloved brand after just one negative customer experience.

Certainly, the last thing you want your customers to experience is bad customer service following an already negative experience with your product or service. The type of customer service you deliver should matter to you because it matters to your customers.

But how can you treat your customers right? Well, you can start by exploring our essential customer service qualities list. Not only are the tactics below simply good skills to have, but they also give you a good idea of some key examples of customer service qualities for your organization.

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What Are Essential Customer Service Qualities Examples?

Good customer service can have a direct impact on your business’ viability. By exhibiting the following customer service qualities and skills, you can help deliver an excellent experience, promote brand loyalty and ensure customer retention.

1. Delivering Respect to Your Customer

Great customer service starts with respect for the customer. During each and every customer interaction, it’s important to remember that each customer is a person — not a ticket — and to treat them accordingly. Simple ways to do this include using the customer’s name, thanking them for their patience and keeping your emotions in check, even if the customer starts to get worked up.

Additionally, providing personalized customer service through an omnichannel approach shows that you respect your customers’ time, energy and attention. If your customers find contacting you to be too laborious or time-consuming, you won’t be off to a great start. Instead, make it as easy as possible for them to reach you when they have issues or concerns.

2. Have Your Agents Practice Active Listening Skills

Active and effective listening is one of the most important qualities needed for customer service. It requires a deep and insightful understanding of what the customer is saying — and what they’re not saying. Only when you dedicate the time and attention to hearing the customer out completely can you begin to work toward a satisfactory resolution.

Showing that you’re concerned for the customer and attentive to their needs is all part of active listening. Be sure to stay present during all conversations, repeat the customer’s concerns or questions back to them as a confirmation and use the right tools to keep track of the information your customer has already provided.

3. Empathy: The Key to Customer Success

To offer the most successful customer service, you’ll need to practice empathy and emotional intelligence. Being empathetic means putting yourself in your customers’ shoes and making an effort to understand the emotions they’re experiencing.

For instance, something as simple as a shipping delay can cause a lot of stress, especially if the customer purchased it for a loved one or a special occasion. And, even if your customer doesn’t articulate any specific emotional dilemma, recognize that their reason for contacting you is partly driven by feelings. In your interactions with the customer, demonstrate that you care about the things they care about and do your best to put their mind at ease without dismissing their concerns.

4. Ability to Communicate Clearly With the Customer

In addition to the above good customer service qualities that relate to listening, it’s equally important to have the right approach when it comes to responding. Exceptional customer service skills include speaking clearly and articulately, providing just the right amount of information and asking the right questions at the right time. Even your choice of the right words and affirming phrases like “can,” “help” and “resolve” can point the customer service interaction toward a more positive conclusion.

5. A Positive Attitude

Speaking of positivity, another important customer service quality is a positive attitude. This, of course, should be paired with an empathetic approach so as to not dismiss your customer’s worries.

A warm, approachable demeanor is always appropriate, and, in the right moments, a dash of humor and a cheerful tone can help ensure customer satisfaction. Even when the going gets tough, a calm and positive outlook can help diffuse negativity and underscore the resolution you’re working toward.

6. Be Patient

Patience is a virtue — and it’s also one of the most important customer service rep skills. For agents tasked with assisting frustrated customers, solving challenging dilemmas and accommodating high volumes of customer service inquiries, patience isn’t always easy.

However, the ability to stay level-headed and attentive enough to follow a customer’s journey and reach a solution helps contribute toward an exceptional customer experience. After all, the last thing a frazzled customer wants to encounter is a customer service professional who loses their temper.

7. Customer Service Agents Determined to Serve

Determination goes hand in hand with patience and related customer care skills like tenacity, persistence and focus. Sometimes, the answer to a customer’s problem is not always obvious or immediate. It takes a determined and focused approach to get to the bottom of some issues, and just as much effort to ensure that things turn out the right way.

8. Product and Service Expertise

Deep knowledge of your products and services — and the confidence to talk about them in detail — are key customer service attributes. When a customer reaches out with a question, they certainly don’t want to end up speaking with someone who is just as clueless as they are. To thrive in customer service, you should know your product or service inside and out. Armed with essential information, you can more successfully and expediently understand your customers’ needs and find the right fixes.

9. Creative Problem-Solving Abilities

Adaptability, flexibility and an outside-the-box approach to customer dilemmas are some of the best skills to have for customer service success, especially when there’s no obvious right answer to the customer’s problem.

When customer service agents can confidently come up with creative solutions on their own, they won’t need to loop in a busy customer service manager for every issue that arises. As a result, customers will feel like they’re in good hands and are sure to appreciate the personalized assistance.

10. Able to Clear Common Roadblocks

Providing efficient customer service is more important than ever. It doesn’t mean you should work through customer support inquiries as quickly as possible, though. Rather, efficiency means minimizing effort and maximizing results.

To do this, take advantage of chatbots and other AI tools to address your customers’ basic needs and gather information so that skilled customer service agents can jump in when their expertise is really needed. Additionally, adopt an omnichannel approach to provide customers and agents with the most streamlined process without repeated information or redundant responses.

Want to learn how your CX organization stacks up against the competition? Take our interactive CX Assessment.