Customer Service is the big topic of discussion wherever you go!! It’s all about customer service and how you are treated in the business world.

When you work in the customer service field for so many years you learn and you expect to be treated in a certain way and you expect to get superior service, which is not always the case. In your day to day duties you will deal with nice people and you will, unfortunately, deal with a lot of irate people as well. You must be a good listener and be very patient to be able to survive. You need to think that you would like to be treated in the same way you treat others.

I currently work for an Insurance company and deal with irate clients on a daily basis. You can’t take it personally when they are upset about something and take it out on the first person they get a hold of, ie. you. They want to be heard and they want their issues addressed, they want to speak to someone that can give answers. It’s about being a good listener and taking the extra time to listen to them and to try to understand them, taking the time to explain and clarify the concerns that they may have. If they are upset you need to listen and let them vent; they eventually calm down once they do they will be willing to listen to you. You need to put them at ease that you are going to help them resolve the issue as quickly as possible.

Good service is hard to find nowadays and good service goes along way. If you receive "bad service" you will be quicker to share your bad experience with all your friends. You tell 10 people and those people tell another 10 people … next thing a bunch of people know about the "bad service" you received. Customer service is also demonstrated internally in the office when dealing with other departments within your company. You need to ensure that you deal with internal issues promptly.

In different job positions, at times, you will find as a Manager/Team Leader/Supervisor you will need to coach your teams on how handle different situations; the more knowledgeable your team is the better the service you provide. The teams need to build knowledge on the company products in order to be able to give accurate information to the client.

When accepting a customer service job make sure that it fits your personality, you must be patient and knowledgeable about the product you are selling or servicing.

Sandra Valente is the Customer Service Director at TradePals, a B2B website directory of business professionals and entrepreneurs, that she helped to create.