It’s been said that experience is the best way of learning. In customer service, nothing teaches you better than actually dealing with a certain Situation, seeing what the problem is and looking for possible solutions. Even more recommended, making mistakes is a great way to go through important lessons and acquire valuable information. Yet, sometimes, it may be better to learn from others’ experiences and other sources. Special classes, courses and customer service certifications are a few examples to begin with.
These examples may seem a little general. Usually, when we speak of courses, we think of lessons which treat matters generally. Each company is different and has its own needs, especially in the customer service department. How to deal with angry customers, with crisis situations or how to prioritize tickets are aspects which differ from one Business to another.
So how can a customer service certification bring benefits to your business? In fact, it’s only a simple document which attests somebody is qualified for a specific job or position. It depends very much on how you look at it.
Let’s divide the benefits of customer service certifications into two categories:
- Employee benefits
- Business benefits
Employee benefits of having a customer service certification
Gain knowledge about the field
This is one of the main benefits of customer service certification program is that participants gain knowledge about the field. This includes understanding the information they need to learn (e.g. what a business sells, features of products and services), knowing that they will deal with pressured situations and about the responsibilities of a support representative.
Understand what it means to work in customer service
Support representatives are the company’s image in the eyes of the customers. Their work has a powerful impact on others and on the future of the business they are working for.
Working in customer service means:
- Communicating with customers on different channels (phone, email, live chat, social media)
- Knowing information about the company’s offerings
- Constantly learning about the offerings’ strong and weak points
- Being calm in crisis situations (maintain a calm and friendly tone, paying attention to details of the problem)
- Knowing how to work in a team (asking other colleagues for help and feedback, helping other support representatives when they need)
- Knowing how to do a proper research (in order to find an answer to a question)
Develop or improve certain skills
A support representative needs to have certain skills. These include:
- Patience
- Good listener
- Empathy
- Excellent communication skills
- Having a positive attitude
- Attention to details (related to products and customers)
It may seem hard to have all of these skills, but it’s not impossible to develop them. Some people even have them, but they aren’t completely aware of this because they haven’t been put in certain situations.
Customer service certification programs explain the importance of each skill by presenting and making participants deal with real-life situations.
Have an advantage in getting a support job
At the end, participants with certifications have an advantage over other potential employees. They have the basic information of what it means to work in customer service, how they need to act as support representatives and how to adapt to different situations.
Business benefits
Having the basic customer service information
As we’ve mentioned earlier, during a customer service certification program, participants gain the basic information of what it means to work in the field. As a business owner, having such employees can bring great benefits for you. You don’t have to spend time teaching them the basic information, as they already know it. You can move on to the next face: teaching them about your company (values, principles, policies).
Deliver great customer service
Although it’s not like working as a support representative, following a customer service certification program helps potential employees gain some experience in the field. This comes in handy when speaking of delivering great customer service. They have an idea of what it means to dealing with different customers and situations. Translate this in satisfied customers, customer retention, great sales and business growth.
Recommendations
It’s important to pay attention to who has signed the customer service certificate. Nowadays, it’s pretty easy to obtain a diploma. As a business owner, you need to do a little research on the trustworthy organizations and institutions which offer such certifications. Look at what they teach participants and if it suits your company.
In the end, it’s the direct interaction which matters. If candidates have a good experience and you see them suitable for the job position, go for it.
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