With a virtual customer service assistant, you can give your customers support and care from anywhere! But what qualities should you look for in a virtual customer service specialist? Here are five attributes to consider when hiring for a virtual customer service role.
Strong Written Communication Skills
Virtual customer service assistants must excel at written communication. They need to provide customer support through emails, chat tools, and social media messages. To be successful, virtual customer service specialists must have strong written communication skills that allow them to be professional, clear, and concise. They should be able to read writing quickly and craft replies promptly so customers feel valued and cared for.
High Level of Problem-Solving Ability
Virtual customer service representatives must be able to think critically and assess the situation quickly. To provide effective problem-solving, they must have an excellent technical skill set, which enables them to understand the customer’s problem as well as its solution. They also need to be analytical, so they can evaluate a customer’s requirements and suggest the best possible outcome or resolution.
Professionalism and a positive attitude are essential qualities for any customer service representative in a virtual setting. Virtual customer service assistants need to be able to stay calm, professional, and helpful, despite facing challenging situations and difficult or frustrated customers. They need to maintain their composure while staying professional and treating each customer with respect and courtesy. Furthermore, they need to have strong communication skills, both verbal and nonverbal.
To provide exceptional customer service and a positive experience for virtual customers, customer service assistants need to have proactive listening abilities. This means being able to actively listen and hear not only what the customer is saying, but also being able to pick up on subtle cues and clues such as tone of voice. Being aware of these cues enables them to better understand and address the customer’s concern effectively. Essentially, having good active listening skills allows them to go “above and beyond” the expected level of service.
Successful Virtual Customer Service Assistants
They must have empathy and understanding for customers as well as patience for any long standing difficulties. These qualities will reassure customers that their issues are being taken seriously and that a resolution is possible. Additionally, customer service assistants should be able to diagnose problems quickly, research solutions, provide meaningful feedback, and maintain composure when dealing with difficult situations. Being patient, understanding, and empathetic is critical to building strong relationships with virtual customers.