Consume the Market
Soft skills refer to the abilities used to delight a customer that don’t relate to your product, service, or company. These are nontechnical skills like interpersonal communication, personality traits, and social awareness, which all play an important role in customer experience. If a customer is […]
EditorialRestoring Damaged Customer Relationship An angry customer is an equivalent of a ticking time bomb that can explode at any given time, thanks to technological advancements. From a business perspective losing a single customer has the potential to open the flood gates for others to […]
EditorialWe speak your language, how may we be of assistance? Many times services rendered to you are not up to standard and this leaves you wanting and at times frustrated. Simply because ‘they’ do not understand your language. Here at Telesky we are conscious of […]
EditorialSoft skills refer to the abilities used to delight a customer that don’t relate to your product, service, or company. These are nontechnical skills like interpersonal communication, personality traits, and social awareness, which all play an important role in customer experience. If a customer is […]
EditorialSoft skills refer to the abilities used to delight a customer that don’t relate to your product, service, or company. These are nontechnical skills like interpersonal communication, personality traits, and social awareness, which all play an important role in customer experience.
If a customer is upset and an agent needs to de-escalate immediately, it’s solely up to their ability to communicate effectively and use soft skills to resolve the customer issue even when a solution isn’t exactly clear.
Below is a list of some of the most important soft skills that are essential in customer support.
1. Conversation- Conversation starting is a very useful customer support skill. A small, back-and-forth banter helps establish common ground with the customer and creates a more human interaction with them. This is particularly important if you’re communicating over the phone or through live chat, as these interactions are less personal than a face-to-face conversation.
Whenever you’re working with a customer, it helps to have some go-to conversation-starters ready. You can ask about common topics e.g the weather, but, feel free to get more creative as long as you keep topics professional. Ask about work experiences, hobbies, or anything else that will keep the customer engaged with the conversation.
2. Empathy and Understanding
Empathy and understanding are fundamental to customer service. However, they’re difficult to master if you don’t understand customer needs. It is hard to display genuine empathy for the customer since you don’t realize or comprehend the repercussions of the problem they’re facing.
One of the ways you can show empathy is by explaining what you know about the customer’s problem. Talk about what the situation is, how the problem occurred, and, most importantly, why it’s significant for the customer. Showing that you completely understand the issue will make the customer feel like you’re more invested in their case and more likely to help them find a solution.
3. Managing Ambiguity
As a Customer Service Representative, you’re expected to know all of the technical language associated with your product or brand. The customer, however, might not be as well-versed in the same environment and might not provide the level of detail you’re looking for when they’re explaining a problem.
Managing ambiguity is all about obtaining the information you need to troubleshoot while still working seamlessly with the customer. This means asking the right questions, using examples to illustrate an idea, and trusting your troubleshooting skills to arrive at the right solution. Ideally, the customer should leave the experience feeling like they collaborated with you on the effort and contributed to their own success.
4. Creative Problem Solving
When the customer is ambiguous or has a complicated problem, sometimes you need to be creative to find a solution. Great customer service representatives are excellent problem solvers and can come up with clever and effective solutions to overcome objection points.
To become a better problem solver, try to challenge yourself to think differently. Don’t immediately jump on the first solution. Instead, make a list of potential options and weigh their pros and cons. If possible, tell a colleague about your ideas and ask them for feedback on what they think is best. Listening to a new perspective can help you identify the best solution available or come up with new ideas to solve the problem altogether.
5. Body Language
Body language can make or break customer service interactions.
But, even when you’re not communicating with a customer face-to-face, your body language still plays a crucial role in how you deliver a message. Your breathing patterns affect the way words are spoken and facial expressions influence your tone of voice. So, even when you’re on the phone with a customer, it’s important to keep your body language in check to ensure you sound optimistic and empathetic
6. Time Management
We are a society that expects instant fulfilment, or at the very least, satisfaction with the least amount of waiting time.
Time management is said to be a set of principles, practices, skills, tools and systems that help you use your time to accomplish what you want. In today’s world where we are often in a hurry, effective time management in customer service is vital. It is important to understand what customers think a long wait period is and how those intervals impact the bottom line.
Most customers will always have a deadline for when they expect you to respond to their case. This is where it helps to set response time SLA’s that outline when customers should expect a reply from your team. Meeting these expectations consistently is the key to developing trust with your customer base.
7. Positive Vocabulary
When serving customers, it’s important to use positive vocabulary. While you can’t control how significant a problem is, you can control how you make it sound to the customer. If you use pessimistic language or overexaggerate the issue, the customer will feel like you can’t solve their problem which is the exact opposite effect that your support team should have.
Customer Service Representatives should always feel confident that they can solve a case. While you should be transparent and straight forward about the severity of the issue, you should couple that honesty with an assurance that you’ll overcome whatever roadblock is put in front of you.
8. Follow-Up Questioning
As a Customer Service Representative, you should be asking customers almost as many questions as you’re answering. This shows that you have a genuine interest in your support cases and that you’re searching for the best solutions possible.
If you just answer the customer’s questions and don’t ask any of your own, you’ll only leverage the customer’s product knowledge during your troubleshooting. Instead, by asking follow-up questions and diving a bit deeper based on your own intuition, you can uncover solutions that the customer might not have considered before. This can really help you become a creative problem solver especially when a customer has been dealing with a complicated or reoccurring issue.
9. Active Listening
Customers don’t just want to be heard, they want to be understood the first time they explain an issue. This means customer service representative need to be actively listening whenever a customer is telling them a problem.
Active listening involves a deep focus on the other person’s point of view. Rather than thinking about what you’re going to say next, center your attention on what the customer is telling you and be prepared to repeat those same details back to them when you’re providing a solution. This shows that you not only heard what the customer told you, but you understand their goals and how you can help them navigate the problem at hand.
Author ~ Dennis Mmasava
Restoring Damaged Customer Relationship An angry customer is an equivalent of a ticking time bomb that can explode at any given time, thanks to technological advancements. From a business perspective losing a single customer has the potential to open the flood gates for others to […]
EditorialRestoring Damaged Customer Relationship
An angry customer is an equivalent of a ticking time bomb that can explode at any given time, thanks to technological advancements.
From a business perspective losing a single customer has the potential to open the flood gates for others to walk out as well, provided the dissatisfied customer gives negative feedback or poor ratings.
As a result, companies have been grappling with the problem of how to restore damaged customer relations. A sure way to answer this is through the adoption of the service recovery strategy.
Monopolies and other huge players in the business sector realized this and are fully enjoying its benefits. Through effective service recovery strategies, companies can surely solidify their market shares’
Def-Service recovery entails the process of extending a hand to customers who have had a negative experience with your product or services and inquiring on how to improve the next experiences. This philosophy builds upon the principle of taking responsibility and ownership.
A properly executed service recovery presents several gains for any organization regardless of the industry in which it operates.
Steps for Implementing service recovery
To adequately haveabetter and effective service recovery and restore damaged customer relationships. Companies have to;
Keep improving your company’s service recovery and customer experience, and watch how you grow exponentially.
BY HEMPSTONE OMONDI
We speak your language, how may we be of assistance? Many times services rendered to you are not up to standard and this leaves you wanting and at times frustrated. Simply because ‘they’ do not understand your language. Here at Telesky we are conscious of […]
EditorialWe speak your language, how may we be of assistance?
Many times services rendered to you are not up to standard and this leaves you wanting and at times frustrated. Simply because ‘they’ do not understand your language.
Here at Telesky we are conscious of this fact and are dedicated to ensuring exemplary service is rendered to our customers, with our diverse, multilingual, and welcoming customer service representatives. Our doors are always open to you, our dear customer.
Tell us your needs, for we speak your language.
By;LucyWakio
“Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They expect you to fix things when they go wrong” Donald Porter I get to live that quote each day, I know it might sound cliché but interacting with people each day is interesting, knowing you played part […]
Editorial“Customers don’t expect you to be perfect. They expect you to fix things when they go wrong” Donald Porter
I get to live that quote each day, I know it might sound cliché but interacting with people each day is interesting, knowing you played part in making an otherwise dull day for someone productive is Fulfilling, especially working in call center as a customer service representative.
One of the many things I love about my job is that I get to be a solver or fixer of the everyday problems our clients face daily. The problems can at times be hilarious trust me when I say I have held a laughter on one too many calls, challenging that you probably wished you had taken that science class seriously instead of day dreaming of a vacation to Santorini Greece and my personal favorite the conspiracy theories.
What happens then in the midst of a worldwide epidemic when no one knows facts from fiction? When the conspiracy theories the myths and the misconceptions have you believing in all sorts of gossip? You who should be the voice of reason. The one who should calm the many panicked thoughts running through everyone’s mind. You who should have the full information on when, where, how and why it is happening. You remain calm in the midst of the chaos. You reassure and provide proven facts. Most importantly you remain patient and cheerful, even when the person is testing your patience.
There is a popular Japanese saying that one kind word can warm three winter words this saying is aptly reflected on the yellow walls on our office symbolize the positivity as a team we aspire to bring even in the midst of worldwide pandemic when none of you know myth from facts. The clarity we strive to give each caller and the joy we aspire to spread.
Even in the worst of days when probably you are late to work because the ‘matatu’ driver decided to use the longer route and your team lead is on your case, you are supposed to have that ability to smile through your call and ensure the client ends the call better than the call started. You may never know who is calling, it could be the president calling to find out if his citizens are getting the correct information or it could be your neighbor calling because they are scared and they believe you on the other end of the call has all the answers they need.
At times when I gaze at the yellow walls I usually wonder how did David feel when he had to fight Goliath, how does Kipchoge Keino feel every time he has to run a marathon knowing among his many competitors each has a goal, a goal to defeat the greatest of all. What about Lionel Messi or Ronaldo that moment they have to score that goal that one goal that could tip the scales and they either win or lose that one goal that has millions of fans at the edge of their seats.
Perhaps in that moment that single moment you realize you have to give it your all, your one hundred that you are changing the narrative. That you are part of the few who in the background who are making a difference. Because as Mahatma Gandhi said the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
By; Njogu Joy Wanjuhi
Companies often say, “We are more than just colleagues- We are a family.” What are the elements within a company that can make this statement true? Ever since the masses within the population started to migrate to cities back in the industrial age in search […]
EditorialCompanies often say, “We are more than just colleagues- We are a family.” What are the elements within a company that can make this statement true?
Ever since the masses within the population started to migrate to cities back in the industrial age in search of work and sustainable growth and development within their lives, we have seen a significant change of process, relations, job descriptions, and methods of operations over the years. Society has transformed its working class into a system that operates on a scale grander as opposed to half a century ago.
Most of the industries in this day and age have evolved a working model that is more ‘work smart, not hard and this has shifted both the mindsets of the majority of employees as well as incentivized the innovations employers and business owners aspire to adopt within their organizations.
At some point in our lives, we have found ourselves working with, or for somebody; whether an individual or an organization. This might be for whatever personal reason; paying the bills, chasing a career, job security and sustainability or even for the love and passion of keeping busy and being productive. We find ourselves on most mornings in a week disabling (and some of us snoozing) our alarms, dragging our feet to the bathroom so that we can get ready for the day ahead of us.
Is it not crazy to imagine that most of the time we spend in a typical week is spent at the office? And if some of us are not at the office, we are running errands on behalf of the organizations that employ us. This would mean that the relationships that we forge with our colleagues and our predecessors need to be sufficient, sustainable, respectable and most importantly, genuine. Often in most company speeches, you tend to hear a term that is repeated countlessly, “We are more than just colleagues, we are a family.”
Now, while some of us may roll our eyes sarcastically or make memes about it after work, there is usually a message being communicated there. From both the employee and the employer. Do we ever take a minute to sit back and try and figure out what those ten words might really mean? Let us objectively discuss three factors that both sides might consider as family accommodative within the workplace setting:
What makes workplace colleagues family?
Under what circumstances would you consider a fellow workmate a family member within your organization? Is it because you have your lunch breaks together? Do you have similarities both in and out of work? Do you share the same visions for the future? Did you befriend each other during the interview sessions and grew the relationship from there onwards?
There are so many things that one can think to add to the paragraph above. Each of us comes with a story, a desire and a goal to work on in order to further ourselves and those who mean something to us. Fortunately or unfortunately, we still have individuals that carry the, “you’re born alone and you will die alone” mentality. This is not so sustainable if we are being honest. We all need support one way or another. Even if you were ‘born alone,’ you still needed your parents’ support to grow and nurture you to be this individual sitting in front of a panel seeking a job, don’t you?
There is power and progress in support. Effective support. Support breeds motivation and that breeds vision which then breeds action, perseverance and results. The system is more complex but that is a simple way to envision this model. Every morning that you wake up and go to work, make a habit of creating a supportive mindset. You’ll be surprised how many of your colleagues and even clients will gravitate towards you.
Many of us out here (myself included) would much rather just get to work, plug in our earphones, put on our favorite 80’s and 90’s soul playlist, crack a few jokes with colleagues and just dive into the work in order to meet set targets for the day. But is that all there is for to coming to work? Is that all we really want? There is a saying that goes ‘all work and no play makes Jill a dull boy.’
Sure, some work settings have a little more of a serious atmosphere than others, but that does not mean that we need to be robotic in our daily operations. Between the hours you leave your house and come back in the evening, you should always ask yourself at the end of that day; “how many people have I made smile today? How many have I been kind to? How many did I genuinely support? Did I create value in someone else’s life, other than my own?”
Nowadays, life is moving too fast. Days go by and it often feels like you blinked and three years went by. It is important to live in the moment in whatever situation you find yourself in. We already established that we spend most of our time at work. Why would you want to be so manual, so synchronized, and so robotic when you sit in that chair? Please, as you reflect on this, keep in mind that your organization still expects you to perform to the required extent. All play and no work might also make for a distasteful track record.
This goes back to similarities, common interests, and forging more than just an “at work” relationship. Call centers, for example, deal with a majority of different people on any given day and in my experience, call center agents have some of the funniest, wildest, and most unimaginable stories due to the variety of people they engage with on a day today. It is the same with many other organizations. If you are insightful, you can socialize with colleagues and use some of their challenges, experiences, and success stories to grow yourself within your organization. Do not be malicious in this activity though. It has to be a genuine approach. Nobody likes a manipulator.
Seek out mentorship from the individuals in the organization that is in the position you would want to be in. Learn from them and always be eager to take on responsibility- and not just for a pay raise or other incentives. Maintain a marathon mindset. Responsibilities breed experience and experience breeds rewards- not just in the workplace, but in your setups on the side that you wish to turn into passive income streams (assuming you have one in mind). You never know, your seniors often end up being the ones who open the doors that you pray for to open. They are beings just like you. Respect them but don’t fear them!
I hope that after those three points, the idea of a “work family” seems a little less obnoxious or cliché. There are so many other things that can be integrated within these three points, though I would like you to try to think of a few ideas of your own that you can implement towards working to build more stable, genuine, and sustainable work-family relationships. I will leave you with this quote I often ask myself when I am looking to make an amendment to my ethics, “if one mind can change the world, imagine all that could change if a group of collective minds fused their thoughts, ideologies, and aspirations?” Think about it.
Written By:
Ian Mwangi
Imagine a primary or high school student on the road to college without digital skills. The limited capability to conduct research, connect with relevant teachers, peers and stakeholders on the journey to their aspired career can be inhibiting. Ikumini Primary School On Friday, 9th July […]
EditorialImagine a primary or high school student on the road to college without digital skills. The limited capability to conduct research, connect with relevant teachers, peers and stakeholders on the journey to their aspired career can be inhibiting.
On Friday, 9th July 2021, our team of customer service executives traveled to Machakos County to celebrate with the students of Ikumini primary school as they held their thanksgiving mass for the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) class of 2020.
The school is located in Mwala sub-county and has a total enrollment of 179 pupils. In an event graced by the area assistant chief as well as various alumni of the school, the TeleSky family donated computers to the school to aid the current exam candidates prepare for their exams.
The team also visited newly opened Kaloleni secondary school with a current enrollment of 68 students, the school’s first candidate class will sit for their exams in 2021. The team donated computers to contribute towards the setting up of the school’s first computer lab.
Customer Service Pros got to interact with the students and community. They reiterated to them the importance of all children getting an education as well as the kids getting sorely needed digital literacy skills. The kids were eager to start putting the computers to good use and the smiles on their faces were all the gratitude we needed.
Students in the two schools had previously struggled due to lack of enough computers and equipment to cater for the ever-increasing numbers. We hope that the team’s efforts will go a long way towards alleviating that and give them a platform from which they will be able to achieve their dreams.
A few years ago it was quite easy to get business by traditional advertisement on print media. Times have changed and potential customers are flooded with ads on literally every platform. To blanket ads are not only expensive but as a business it’s not possible […]
MarketA few years ago it was quite easy to get business by traditional advertisement on print media. Times have changed and potential customers are flooded with ads on literally every platform. To blanket ads are not only expensive but as a business it’s not possible to tell their impact. Cold Calling is a targeted technique that involves making calls to prospected clients also known as leads and convert prospects to customers.
The following six cold calling techniques are proven to transform prospects to customers.
First impressions are important, this is when a sale is closed or lost. Fumbling at this stage loses the customer and drops the level sincerity preserved by the prospect. To make a great first impression, rehearse your opening line as many times as possible until you perfect it.
Building a relationship with your client is what you aim to do when cold calling. You want the client to feel comfortable and open to speak to you. At the same time you need to be prepared and have all the information ready in case the client asks you any question you can assure them that you will provide a solution specifically catered for them.
You do not want to call the client too early or too late as this will make them agitated and not willing to speak to you. This then means that you need to keep a track of the timings to ensure you call the client at the most convenient time for them. It does not hurt to even ask the client when the best time to contact them will be!
You need to be so sure about the services and products that you offer and always ensure not to over promise the client because this does not always end well. Give the client information that is true and concise and sound confident when you are doing this. You should also remember that though you want to be confident when informing the client about your products and services, do not be so over confident, nobody appreciates this quality.
Most call center agents have one weakness which is they tend to hear clients rather than listening to them. Listening to a client makes him or her feel valued and that you care for what they are saying and are not only interested in closing a sale. When cold calling ensure to listen to what the client is telling you to see how your products or services can add value to them.
A client might listen to you as you go on and on about the features of the product or service that you are selling. But what they really want to hear is how that product or service will be beneficial to them. This means that even as you talk to a client prioritize on telling them the benefits of using your service or product rather than just the features of the product or service.
The Day is 12thDecember 2019. This dates is branded Jamhuri Day in Kenya, loosely translated “Independence Day”. Truth is that we have always been interdependent. On this day, our wonderful Customer Service executives visited Motherly Care Children’s home to share love with the little angels. […]
EditorialThe Day is 12thDecember 2019. This dates is branded Jamhuri Day in Kenya, loosely translated “Independence Day”. Truth is that we have always been interdependent.
On this day, our wonderful Customer Service executives visited Motherly Care Children’s home to share love with the little angels. The home was founded by Mary Merube Metobo in 2002 and has been in operation for 17 years. It has 91 children – 15 children in Secondary school, 4 in college and 72 in primary and with over 500 alumni who have passed through the home onward to success in life any celebration is bound to be a big feast.
On this day the alumni of the home spoke with emotion and gratitude on how being there had given them an opportunity to succeed. Mary who had passed away a year earlier was being celebrated for putting a smile on the faces of many children who had no one else to care for them.
TeleSky got to speak on the value of all children getting ready for a digital, fast paced world as they donated computers to launch the Home’s first Computer Learning Center for the Children. The computers were pre-loaded with digital literacy programs and of course computer games. The kids wasted no time finding out what it took to work in a call center…instead they launched straight to candy crush!
In the end, it was a wonderful day of joy, sumptuous meals and laughter, celebrating the life of Mary Metobo who went beyond herself to impact the lives of children.
There is no argument, live chat is critical. Firstly, Social media has 3 billion daily users on a platform of live chat. This means that nearly half the world’s population is interacting online and that can’t be ignored. Therefore, web chat provides your customers ability […]
Market
There is no argument, live chat is critical. Firstly, Social media has 3 billion daily users on a platform of live chat. This means that nearly half the world’s population is interacting online and that can’t be ignored. Therefore, web chat provides your customers ability to chat with your business on demand. This happens through a platform on your website. In other words, as soon as a customer sees something they want to inquire about, all they do is text you online.
Secondly, online communication is a vital sales and marketing tool. Moreover, It is fast, live and an easy way to address customers concerns as soon as they arise. However, If your company does not offer this service for your clients, it’s time that you started it. Call Centers are the most sort after solution to provide 24/7 web chat services.
Live Web Chat interaction projects a proactive customer care. Therefore, customers can depend on your business respond to issues in good time.
Social Media Marketing Cant Be Avoided. There are over 3.2 billion daily active social media users in the world. That is 42% of global population. 90% of these users are millennials. Every startup needs a social media strategy to succeed. 42% market share cannot be wished […]
Passion