In this post I will be going over some of the skills necessary to succeed in a role in customer success, as well as some advice from yours truly! Let’s get started…
A very particular set of skills…
Humility.
Patience.
Listening.
Research.
Communication.
Need Identification.
Problem Solving.
Wait, but why?
Humility.
Imagine if you had just bought a glorious, new bag of chips. The entire drive home from the store you drooled over the thought of the crisp, salty snack that you had just purchased for $3.24 at your local grocery store. You finally pull into your garage, and you can’t hold back any longer. You rip open the bag and lift the chip, that you carefully selected, up to your mouth only to find that it’s stale. You rush to turn the bag over and dial the 1-800 number printed on the back of the bag…
The phone rings…
Then you are met by an impatient voice. One that does not have proper appreciation of the time that you just wasted going all the way to the store for that stale chip.
This would suck, majorly. This is why humility is my number one skill on the list above. Everyone out there has to make decisions about how they spend their time. So, if a customer calls you, and they are unsatisfied with the return for their investment, you must be patient with them.
Patience.
This one is easy to understand. Have you ever been on hold for hours waiting to talk to a success representative? Well, I have, and it isn’t a lot of fun. I mean, sure, they do play elevator music. Who doesn’t love elevator music? Oh boy, and that automated message that the company executives surely hand-picked to tell you, you specifically, that you are a valued customer. Could there be anything more meaningful?
Despite all of those fine amenities, waiting sucks. Customers who spend time being patient with you, giving you the chance to fix the problem, deserve a patient representative. So, check your ego before you take that customer off hold. They’ve already made an investment, and it’s time for you to do the same. Be patient, they’re giving you the chance to fix a problem.
Listening.
You know, listening isn’t always so bad. You hear some pretty interesting things when you spend more time listening to other people. It can actually be kind of fun to hear what people have to say. It’s also the one thing, all jokes aside, that makes every job easier.
You know how, as a kid, when your mom told you to do something and you only half listened to her? Well, you go and you do the thing, and you come back only to find that there was more to it. You missed something. Now you had to go and spend more time doing that thing you missed the first time. I think listening is important in customer success for two big reasons:
If you aren’t going to really listen, you’re wasting everyone’s time.
You will just get work done better, and more efficiently if you listen, and listen the first time.
Research
When I say this I picture Penelope from Criminal Minds. To me, she is the customer success representative for the fictional version of the F.B.I., and she is good too. Probably the best in her field. I think that the ideal success representative for every business is a bit like her. They have to find some sense of accomplishment or joy in solving your problems, and answering your questions. They almost never need to know the answer, but they know where to look, and they will find it for you quickly. Best of all, they’re loyal, and they won’t stop until they find exactly what you need.
Communication.
I think this one is a no-brainer. You need to have enough communication skills to understand why the customer is reaching out, and what they’re looking for. Once you find what they need, you need to be able to relay it to them in a clear and effective manner. It’s not too complicated. I don’t think a metaphor is necessary here, but if I had to use one, I’d use this one…
In customer success you need to be at least as competent in communication as the Cookie Monster. He is pretty straightforward, and you can typically get the point he is trying to make. I think it is because of his unique approach of saying exactly what he means, in the most simple terms.
Need Identification.
I don’t know if this is an actual term, but I’m making it one if it isn’t. Sometimes, you might run into a customer who doesn’t know exactly what their problem is. I know that seems a little weird, but it’s very true. You may even find that the issue a customer had, only came up, because they were using the wrong product. Sometimes the customer doesn’t actually know how to identify their need. So, it is a very useful skill to be able to do this for them. It can be really helpful when you run into someone who has a problem, but they can’t quite put their finger on it.
Problem Solving.
I think this one is probably the most obvious of them all. This may surprise you, but when a customer calls and tells you their issue, they want you to give them a solution. I know, it’s so unexpected, but I promise it’s not unusual. It really is all about problem solving. You want to improve the experience for the customer, and this is the easiest, or at least the most obvious, way to do it.
Some advice…
If you find any kind of gratification from helping others, I highly suggest checking out a role in customer success/service. It can be a really awesome job, if you are dedicated to making the customer happy, especially when their happiness makes you happy too.
Listening, humility, patience… All of the skills listed above are one’s that you can work to cultivate. All of them are skills that can be refined and improved in numerous ways. So, if you have an interest in customer success, work on your skill set.
Like I have said before, anyone can be successful in this role if they really want to be. So, if it interests you, dive in. You may like what you find!
Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this post. Check out some of my other posts on customer success, and let me know what you think in the comments!