Mastering Customer Support: 5 Invaluable Skills I've Developed That Every Professional Should Know

"Mastery lies on an infinite continuum, and as a result, we will never reach the end. We can, however, see to it that we are as far along that continuum as our circumstance allows."

― Chris Matakas.

One thing I love about my job as a regional team lead, customer success with Moniepoint Group is that I always learn something new. Some may think that being a regional team lead means I have peaked in my CS learning journey and have nothing new to learn. But the reverse is the case, especially when working in a team like Moniepoint Group .?

Sometimes, I learn from my colleagues; other times, I learn from our customers. Learning is a continuous affair, and life is a never-ending playground.?

Today, I'll share some skills I have learned over the years as a customer experience professional. These skills have helped me improve on the job and my overall being.?

These 5 skills are:?

Empathy?

One skill I've been able to hone properly is being empathetic when I am working with customers, which has also transferred to how I relate to colleagues and even outside work life. Empathy is a very crucial skill for a CS person.?

You often have to deal with different types of people from different backgrounds. In times like this, it will help if you put yourself in others' shoes, be objective, and help them find a solution.?

I communicated somewhere recently that empathy is not just another word for sympathy. The critical difference is that you can put yourself in people's shoes and at the same time not get emotional about it. It is taking action, addressing the underlying issue, and trying to help the other person.?

Empathy helps you to relate to customers better, understand their problems, and even ‘fight’ for them internally within your company.?

Most people focus on empathy as it relates to external customers. However, it would be best to empathize with people you work with across all units and functions.?

For example, as a CS person working with some departments, you may feel agitated when they are not handling issues with the same urgency as you would. But, it would be best if you extended grace, which is where empathy comes into play.?

Managing Relationships?

Managing relationships is almost similar to empathy as it applies to both your external (paying customers) and internal (colleagues) customers. As a CS person, you need to be able to build valuable relationships with your customers to understand their needs. You need to know what's important to them.?

No matter how perfect your business is, you will have downtime. You will have a particular period when things wouldn't look so pretty. If you've built strong relationships with your customers, they are more likely to give you that little bit of grace. They can trust that you would fix their issue based on your precedents.?

I have learned to build valuable relationships with my customers by understanding and constantly listening to them. You may need to go beyond your regular job description when building relationships. This is particularly important when working with internal customers.

Let me illustrate this with a little example. As a CS person working in the tech industry, some bugs are not very common to all our customers. So occasionally, when it happens, my internal customers that I have built a relationship with are the ones who help me.?

If you've already built a strong internal relationship with your colleagues, you may not need to go the formal route of emailing the product team for help. Being that you have a solid relationship with them before, you can slide into their dm or just quickly call them, and you'll be able to get insight to help you faster than sending emails.?

Relationships are something you need to build over time. Sometimes, you must put yourself out and show that you are reliable before people can build those relationships with you.?

For example, if you work in the CS department, the product guys can reach out, saying they need people to interview for user research. In this situation, they are asking something from you, and not you needing something from them. It would help if you were reliable then so they could realize it's a partnership. But if they ask for certain things and you're constantly unwilling to help, they will likely not be responsive when you need help.?

Troubleshooting

As a CS person, you can’t assume. The more you assume, the more likely you’ll spend more time than you need to over an issue. One thing I always tell people is that you need to verify.?

Sometimes, a customer will explain something to you about their challenge. Don’t just assume that it’s the end of the problem or that you know the answer you are supposed to give them already. Always ask open-ended questions to understand correctly where the issue is coming from. Don’t just assume that the problem is always this way, and that’s all. Try to get visual evidence for more clarity. This way, you have a clear picture of the problem and can provide the right solution for them.?

To find a the solution, you sometimes need to do a backend search and try to figure out what’s going on. So, that is a skill that can be very helpful if you have it - the ability to figure things out. Troubleshooting skills help you discover the why behind the why and the why. Therefore, it is vital that you can investigate issues.?

When you investigate thoroughly, it helps you narrow down possible solutions. So, I will say troubleshooting is a crucial skill to have as a CS person.?

Product Knowledge?

Today you might be working in Fintech, and next month, you’re in the recruitment industry or end up in the FMCG industry in 5 years. So, as you are moving in your career or across different companies or industries, you need to learn and understand what is going on in that particular industry. It is enough to have strong knowledge of customer service/experience/success if you don’t have the context.?

It would be best to understand our product and industry deeply because you can’t provide appropriate support for what you don’t understand. It will be challenging for you if you don’t have in-depth knowledge of your company’s product or industry.?

It is one area that most CS people don’t focus on. I’ve seen some people do CS at the primary level, and they don’t get in-depth knowledge because they feel like maybe that’s for the technical team. No, if you’re going to be in that industry, you need to know how the industry works.

I remember my days at my former workplace, an HR recruitment industry. I got a Professional in Human Resources International (PHRI) certificate, one of the top certifications in HR. I had to study to get the certificate because it helped me to be able to understand our customers better and the type of service that we are providing them. I learned why people need the service in the first place, and I developed relationships as well. Getting that certificate alone helped me to be able to have proper conversations with seasoned professionals in the industry. Now, I get what they are going through because I understand their day-to-day activities and what they do, which is very helpful.?

The same thing happened when I joined Moniepoint. I’ve been able to take different payment operations training. I’ve been able to understand how payments work behind the scenes. Let’s say you’re going to the ATM to withdraw money. How does it work? Do they debit your account instantly at that moment, or do banks have an internal agreement? How do they settle with each other? How do they align? How do I know the best place to go if I make a transfer and it’s unsuccessful? I got the answers to these questions by seeking product knowledge.?

As a CS person, you must have strong industry knowledge. Once you have this strong product knowledge, you can design a better experience for your customers and easily pivot from CS to other technical roles if that is something you want.?

Active Listening Skills?

If you don't understand the issue, you can spend a whole day trying to find the solution to what does not exist. It is because you did not listen to understand what it was in the first place. Therefore, you must listen carefully to your customers and understand their pain points to determine what they're not saying. The best way to do this is to listen.?

When I listen to customers, I need to pay attention to what they are saying and what they are not saying, which can be particularly hard if you are not having a physical interaction with them. For example, you are not directly interfacing with customers one-on-one because you work remotely. Thus, you have to chat with them, and it is crucial to be able to pick up on cues.?

You need to understand how they usually chat or interact with your business. This way, you can pick up quickly and see that something might be going on. Some customers will send me a mail, and I can tell that they are having a rough day based on the tone of the email. It is because I understand the tone of their email beforehand.?

You also need to pick up on subtle communication that people might have with you. So, listen to your external and internal customers as much as possible. Also, pay attention to details and ask questions when you need clarification. It is important to give people a chance to talk first before you just jump in and try to share your own opinion. Don't be defensive when you're dealing with customers.?

Upskilling as a tool?

The world is moving at such a fast pace and isn't slowing down for anyone. It is only fitting that you do as much as possible to keep up with the pace. Although you might have some skills already when you land a CS role, you should keep learning and gaining more skills on the job.?

I always preach upskilling to all career professionals, including CS people. Some people feel comfortable once they land a role but you'll remain stagnant if you do not keep trying to upskill and gain new knowledge.?

This way, you are improving yourself and telling your employer that you are poised to become a valuable organization player.