Customer service skills are essential for anyone who deals with clients on a regular basis. These skills can help you build a good relationship with a client and encourage regulars to recommend you to a friend or business contact. Though client interactions may seem like a small part of your courier jobs, they can have a massive impact on the future of your business.
After spending many years in this industry, I know what it takes to create positive and professional relationships. So, keep reading to see whether you’ve got what it takes to put a smile on a customer’s face.
Have a Little Patience
Though you spend most of your time on the road, courier jobs are often customer-facing. This means that you have to talk to, and work with, a variety of people. Patience is a key skill in crafting a good relationship with the people you may come across during a job. Most customers will appreciate it if you spend a little more time with them, helping them understand something, or even repeating where the pick-up location is several times. It will all be seen as part of your top-quality service.
Communication
The magic ingredient for all successful courier jobs is clear communication. Strike a professional tone and leave the banter at home, so there is never any confusion about dates, times or rates. Deliver the core information that your patron needs to know as soon as possible and always be as accurate as you can. This will lead to fewer complaints and fewer disgruntled customers.
Another key element of effective communication is positivity; using positive language can help to create a good impression of you and your business. If you are upbeat, others are likely to respond in the same way, leading to a more pleasant experience for all parties.
Persuasion
Persuasion is not about manipulating or forcing your clients into a particular decision. Instead, it is a way of ensuring that people know how good your service is. When enquiry emails arrive, make sure that you follow them up promptly. Don’t be pushy, but do offer to discuss the job further. Why be backwards in promoting your brilliant service?
It’s not often that courier jobs and Aristotle appear in the same sentence, yet Aristotle said that “Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasionâ€. What we can take from this is that if a client thinks you are honest, reliable and trustworthy, they are much more likely to use your service.
Become a Mind Reader
Whether you’re dealing with patrons face-to-face or over the phone, you need to be able to ‘read’ them. Responding sensitively to customers’ personalities, moods and patience levels can help deflate a difficult situation, such as dealing with a customer complaint.
These are just a few tips on how to improve your customer service. In all courier jobs, one of the most important things is convincing others that you are providing a better service than anyone else could. Full customer service will go a long way in creating that impression among your clients.
Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Over 5,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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