Top 4 Skills for Effective Problem Solving

One of the most important components of customer service is problem solving for customers. Problem solving usually involves angry or disappointed customers, which is why the matter needs attention when handled. Customer service and problem solving go hand in hand, since customers mostly contact the customer service team when they are faced with a problem. Solving customers’ problems effectively provides an opportunity to not only satisfy disgruntled customers, but turn them into active promoters of the company.

In order to deliver top-notch problem solving services, customer service representatives need to possess some essential skills:

 

Knowledge Base

In order to solve customer problems, customer service staff must acquire all the information that is necessary to arrive at a solution. Ideally, representatives should know the product or service thoroughly. At times, this would require expert knowledge about various technicalities of the product or service. If the customer service representative is equipped with all the relevant information, it would be a lot easier for them to solve the problems at hand.

Companies need to undertake focused and continual training to develop this skill, which would require more information from the technical department.

Improvisation

Problem solving is more than just being able to offer a solution. Effective problem solving requires customer service representatives to know how to deal with conflicts and disgruntled customers. Representatives need to be able to constantly maneuver through uncharted situations.

Customer service team’s ability to improvise is essential especially when mistakes are made and there is a need for rectification. Innovative approach towards a complaint can help resolve the issue and win the customer back.

Problem solving requires being able to improvise according to a given situation or problem and offer innovative solutions to the problems at hand. Customer service agents should be able to come up with out of the box solutions for the customers, which will add value to the overall customer experience. For example, Emirates is known to accommodate passengers with lost luggage by replacing the essential items such as medicines on immediate basis.

Skillful Troubleshooting

The process of problem solving begins with understanding what the actual problem is. Customer service representatives must be able to ask open ended question, which would help them discern the problem. The next step involves narrowing down the possible problems and eventually determining and pinpointing the problem and its cause. Customer service representatives need to follow a systematic and elaborate walk-through process, which could help streamline the problem solving. After the problem has been identified, CSRs could ask closed question in order to clarify and confirm what has been already determined. It must be made sure that any confusion or ambiguity is avoided through clear and simple communication.

Handling Pressure

Representatives must learn to handle pressure situations by responding to customers in a calm and composed manner. Staff must be able to deconstruct the problem for customers and provide a solution. At times representatives instantly take pressure, when customers lash out for mistakes or inconvenience caused from the company’s end. Instead of feeling pressurized, you should look to take control of the situation, face the problem and take the customer in confidence. This why it is essential to market your company as an organization which is willing to go an extra mile and solve each and every challenge at hand.

Apple was faced with complaints regarding bending issue of iPhone 6 upon its launch. The company handled the situation smartly by asking customers experiencing the problem to contact the customer center and have the problem resolved. The company also claimed that only nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6.