High-level customer service and business success go hand in hand. In fact, “73 percent of companies with ‘above average’ customer experience maturity perform better financially than their competitors.” Therefore, it’s critical you know what to look for when hiring a customer service candidate. Here are some specific traits to focus on.
Great Communication
Smooth interactions with customers are vital in this line of work, so you’ll want to pay close attention to a candidate’s communication skills.
- Do they express their thoughts clearly?
- Do they come across as being thoughtful and considerate?
- Do they seem like they could handle tough situations with tact?
These are a few questions to consider when assessing a person’s communication.
A Desire to Help Solve Problems
A customer service representative can have a lot thrown at them during the course of the day. They’ll need to solve a variety of problems, while remaining calm and composed. So it’s ideal for a candidate to have a genuine desire to help solve problems. They should be willing to face them head-on and enjoy taking care of your customers.
Quick Thinking
Things can get chaotic at most companies, and employees never know when a curveball may come their way. Quick thinking usually means they’ll be able to effectively handle these situations and make the necessary adjustments. You can often get a sense of whether a candidate is a quick thinker by paying attention to how easily they respond to interview questions and the quality of their responses. In other words, they shouldn’t struggle to come up with a solid answer.
Compassion
Another important part of this job is being able to understand what customers are going through and leading them to the right solution. That’s where compassion and empathy come into play. If a candidate is capable of putting themselves in another person’s shoes and genuinely cares, they’ll be far more committed and willing to put forth the extra effort. A good way to tell is to ask something like, “How would you respond to an unhappy customer and make the situation right?”
Your customer service team essentially serves as the face of your company. So you definitely want to hire the right people. Looking for the traits mentioned here should help you filter through and remove candidates and find the perfect fit.
Looking for high-quality employees for your company? Get in touch with Encadria Staffing Solutions today to see how we can help.