Distinguishing Yourself
by Ron Venckus

Customer Service

Customer Service is a competency common to many resumes. Keep in mind that if this is a competency for you, the information provided may give you ideas on how to bring it to life during an interview. We do this by breaking it down into its various components because like some others, customer service is an amalgamation of a huge variety of competencies and can refer to both the external and the internal.

Identifying the needs or requirements of a customer is important, and meeting and exceeding customer expectations is a critical piece. It goes without saying that your ability to communicate and listen, serve to create a favorable impression—and you don’t get a second chance at this. Another component of customer service is the ability to think innovatively and develop unique ideas.

Have you ever considered how you could differentiate yourself from others who provide customer service? First, it is important to remember that customer service extends beyond the initial contact. Your work with a customer before, during and after a sale could be helpful in distinguishing yourself. How about your ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes? Empathy could demonstrate your ability to influence and persuade. What about your ability to deal with disagreements? How about a situation where you could demonstrate your acknowledgement of an error, quickly, and deal with the situation in a responsible fashion?

During an interview, discuss your philosophy about the importance of being customer-focused. By demonstrating the following, you will present a picture of effectiveness in the customer service area:

• empathetic approach to dealing with others;
• analytical skills;
• systematic attack of a problem or a potential sale;
• ability to think through various courses of action; and,
• ability to question your own assumptions.

Bottom line is, look at this material and decide in your mind how you could construct a business event, SHARE, by including those behaviors which you feel are necessary for success in the area of customer service.

About the author: Ron Venckus