Three Traits to Look for When Hiring Customer Service Professionals

The level of customer service your company provides can ultimately make or break you. A 2011 American Express Survey found “78 percent of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience.” Even worse, “It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience”. So it’s vital that you select the right candidates when hiring customer service professionals. Here are three key traits to look for when making your decision.

  1. Communicative

It’s nearly impossible to succeed in this type of position without possessing some solid communication skills. A customer service professional must be able to effectively articulate and express their ideas to others. What’s equally important is being able to listen and accept feedback.

Verbal skills are usually the most important for this position, but writing skills are helpful too. Pay close attention to how well a candidate communicates with you during the interview because this will indicate their potential for success at your company.

  1. Patient 

Let’s be honest. Customer service professionals deal with a lot of stress on a daily basis. They may face irate customers venting about their problems and encounter setbacks or delays. In other words, it’s a position that comes with a lot of curveballs. If a person easily loses their patience and snaps at customers, it’s not a good situation. This can obviously diminish the customer service experience, frustrate the customer, and damage your company’s reputation.

  1. Compassionate

Often the reason a customer is contacting your company is because of a problem they’re facing. Whether it’s something major or minor, they want to be able to get through and be heard. Ideally, a customer service professional will have innate compassion and a genuine desire to help. They should be able to put themselves in a customer’s shoes and work diligently to find solution.

There’s one other thing to point out. An individual should possess “compassion stamina” meaning they’re not easily drained by handling ongoing problems daily. This will also factor into their success.

Not everyone is cut out to be a customer service professional. As an employer or recruiter, it’s up to you to base your hiring decision on some integral traits. While many skills can be learned, these are three inherent traits that greatly increase the chances of finding the right person for the job.

Need help finding the right workers for your company? Contact Encadria Staffing Solutions today.

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