Customer Service Skills Training
Companies are always looking for a person with great customer service skills, since the customer service representative is usually the first contact a customer has with the company. Training to be a customer service representative is not difficult; however, you must possess a certain frame of mind to do the job well.
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Interpersonal Skills
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In order to succeed in this field, you must posses great interpersonal skills. No company or training program can teach you this; it has to come from within. Remember, you will be talking to people constantly, and sooner or later, you will come across an irate customer. By having good interpersonal skills, you can keep cool under pressure and deal professionally with the occasional rude person.
Education Requirements
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Most companies require at least a high school diploma. However, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), "because employers are demanding a more skilled workforce, some customer service jobs now require associate or bachelor's degrees." This is especially true in the technology sector. Usually, companies specify what prior education is required when posting a job opening.
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On The Job Skills Training
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According to the BLS, "Employers provide training to workers before they begin serving customers." This on-the-job training varies from organization to organization, depending on a variety of factors. This training will include how to utilize the computer system to retrieve customer's files, and learning the company's infrastructure. Some customer service jobs require you to have a company or government security clearance (or be able to obtain one), since sensitive information may be discussed. Also, companies will train you how to deal effectively with irate or unpleasant callers.
Time Frame of Training
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This varies from company to company, depending on how much technical expertise is required. The on-the-job training may last only a day or it may take a month or more. Usually, the more time a company invests in you, the higher the level of compensation. Remember, you are not a receptionist, but a representative of the company and have to possess an in-depth knowledge of the product line.
Legal Skills Training
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As a representative of the company, you are legally binding the company by what you say to a customer. For example, if you quoted a price of $100 for a $1,000 part because you did not see the last zero, the company is legally obligated to sell that part for $100. As part of the on-the-job training, all companies will address these and other legal issues as part of their training curriculum.
Lifelong Training
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Most companies have lifelong training. As long as you are employed by the firm, you will be given in-service training classes from time to time. This is especially true in the technology or medical sectors, since new discoveries are commonplace. Also, a company may introduce a new product, or discontinue an old one. You have to keep current on these changes; hence, in-service classes are a job requirement.
Prior Training
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Companies like to hire people who have prior experience working in a phone room setting. If you do not have any, the best place to familiarize yourself with a phone room is telemarketing. It will look good on your resume that you are a successful telemarketer, since this demonstrates that you have good interpersonal skills. Think of it as "preschool" to becoming a successful customer service representative .
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References
- Photo Credit A beautiful friendly secretary/telephone operator. image by Andy Dean from Fotolia.com
