Without the patronage and business provide by cash paying customers many firms and businesses would not be able to stay in business. Many employers know that it is imperative to have staff trained in good customer service skills if they are to survive in a competitive market. Providing new staff with proper guidelines to follow is therefore important in educating them on how to interact with customers. By doing so customers will feel looked after through exceptional service that will leave them with a feeling of satisfaction and a desire to deal with your business again in the future.
The following are 6 helpful customer service skills that may assist new staff on how to effectively interact with customers –
1. Upon arrival of a customer, client or visitor always acknowledge them with a friendly smile and warm welcome. A simple “hi” or “good morning” or “good afternoon” is perfectly acceptable.
2. If you are busy or dealing with another customer and unable to attend to the needs of incoming customers, inform them you will attend in a minute or two. Customers will understand your situation and by letting them know you are aware they are waiting will indicate they have not been forgotten and you are keen to assist them as soon as possible.
3. If a customer asks for a product, item or service you can readily supply then under normal circumstances it will be a simple matter of getting it, packaging the item and making the sale. However, if a product is unavailable, sold out or not in stock then the key is to try and do something about the situation. For example this could be managed by making inquiries to find out if you can source the product required from the supplier or another sister store.
At all times keep the customer fully informed of what you are doing and what is happening. If you exhaust all avenues of inquiry make sure the customer is informed what you have done. By doing so you are making the customer aware you have gone the extra mile by using your customer service skills, even though you have not been able to help in the end.
4. The key is to be courteous, positive and friendly at all times.
5. If you have completed a sale for a customer always thank them and ask whether there is anything else you can do for them. Alternatively, if you are unable to help a customer ask whether there is anything else you can do to help as this may lead to the sale of an another product or service that would suit the customer’s requirements.
6. Never forget that every customer is a potential future return customer who could in turn influence other people such as family members, friends and work colleagues to visit your store or business. For this reason it is therefore extremely important to always value your customers business.
Although the customer service skills as outlined above are designed for new employees, they can of course be applied by any employee in position where interaction with customers, clients or others to your business is necessary.
Providing excellent customer service at all times should therefore be a priority for employees in the workplace who have first contact with a customer, especially for employees working in front counter or reception type positions. Contact in such situations could be from a telephone call, through a call center, front counter or reception inquiry or from a customer shopping in a retail store. Some businesses struggling in an economic downturn may find it necessary to cut costs by either trimming staff numbers or taking on part-timers instead of full time employees. 
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