Photo by Sora Shimazaki
How can knowing about your company and what it sells be the domain of the sales and marketing teams only? Is it essential for these teams? Product knowledge in customer service is the very base of any company. It should, therefore, be considered as important. Customers expect perfection and fluency at every stage of their business journey.
Product knowledge in customer service is as crucial as communication and problem-solving skills. It makes the customer service agents appear a lot more friendly, in control, and self-confident. In turn, it makes the customers respond in the same way. Customers are keener to listen to and buy from companies that are passionate and enthusiastic about their offerings and services.
Who would you as a customer prefer to talk to? The smiling sales assistant who knows exactly where each product is and its benefits. Or the grouchy one trying to hide away in the aisles because he or she couldn’t care whether the company sold anything or the customer received the service they deserve? Companies and businesses can use tools to teach customer service teams about product knowledge. An example of such tools is Interactive decision trees.
Apart from the smiling countenance and eager demeanor, how can your customer service teams display product knowledge? How do they gain product knowledge?
How customer service teams display product knowledge
There are various ways that your customer service teams can display product knowledge. Let’s find out how.
Desire to know
Product knowledge comes from having the desire to know. If it is an integral part of your job, product knowledge should be part of the job description. Even for the most basic front-line customer service staff. Product knowledge in customer service, like sales, builds confidence. This confidence reflects in how customer service staff deal with customers. Companies can give the onus to the customer service staff to learn about the company’s products and services.
It can be by the way the information is available in the company or by seeking training opportunities that deal with product knowledge. Alternatively, companies could have mandatory training programs that specifically deal with product details and how they benefit the customers. They could also ensure that product brochures and catalogs are freely available by the customer service staff for quick reference whenever required. Competitor product information is also useful to have. It helps to make a sharper and more informed case to your customer when defining why your company’s product is better.
When the customer service team advises customers
When customers call to find out about certain products, they are looking for information on whether the product is right for their business or not. In this case, product knowledge in customer service helps agents understand whether their company’s product is suitable for the customer or not. Offering candid advice and acknowledging that the product may not be the best fit gives customers confidence in your abilities. They are more inclined to trust your company and its representatives.
Engaging with customers
With enhanced product knowledge, customer service staff finds it a lot easier to engage their customers. It keeps them interested in the company’s offerings. Having a grasp over the product features allows them to put the features across, as it benefits the customers. For example, a product could have a detachable feature. This can be put across to the customer as a benefit of being mobile. Therefore, it has greater usefulness, serving the customer even while on the go.
Confidence when convincing customers
Product knowledge in customer service is crucial. It allows these company representatives to share ownership. Knowing about the product not only gives them the required confidence but also displays passion and eagerness for the product. When they are convinced of the product, they are able to convince the customer of the product’s efficacy and benefits. It’s the responsibility of the customer service staff to ensure that they always have current information about a product or service.
They should know what changes, improvements, and when other developments happen around the offerings they represent. Companies must support these efforts completely by providing them with the necessary technology, tools, support, and leadership. Also, the know-how and the company’s offerings should help them to keep abreast of similar products in the market. They should understand the customer’s behavior and attitude towards each of the products.
Product knowledge training
Through updated product knowledge, the customer service staff is able to provide the company with valuable insights and information on how customers perceive the company’s offerings versus the competition. It’s the company’s responsibility to provide structured training and coaching. Not just about the products, but understanding and learning about the products and services, becomes a lot easier for them.
The reality of customer service is that a lot of the content used, the manner of communicating with customers, answering a call or query, and a lot of other key jobs, are tutored and become repetition. There is not much improvising that customer service staff needs to make. However, knowing about products must not and cannot be ‘normal and routine’. If customer service agents sound robotic while convincing customers about the products, it’s a sure way to not sell.
Enthusiasm in customer service
Product knowledge in customer service leads to enthusiasm. It lends surety to the manner of the agents keeping the robotic monotones out of such engagements. If the customer service representatives are not aware of the products, they can read manuals, brochures, or other written materials. We all know that the words in such materials cannot always be used while speaking. Lack of knowledge and zeal would be clear to the customer.
Training, coaching, and leadership help the new recruits and current ones to see the direct link between product knowledge and being effective as customer service agents. While the primary task of customer service agents is to provide service, customers do expect more. When they seek to know about a product, the customer service staff should be able to help.
Imagine a situation for your company, where a prospective customer would like to know more about the offerings. They meet an agent who fumbles and stumbles while trying to answer the queries. Or, a situation where they have to hold or wait for someone to call them back with the information. This kind of approach could put the customer off. They would much rather approach a company where everyone is happy, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable about the product.
Importance of product knowledge in customer service
It is human nature to get distracted. If you are a customer short on time and patience, a lack of product knowledge could be a major reason not to do business. Who wants to associate with a company that does not have a handle on its own products and services? Product knowledge in customer service is also vital. It maintains a balance between bombarding your customer with the product features and providing them with only the ‘relevant’ features. Relevance would depend on the customer’s needs and expectations of a product. Thorough knowledge controls the desire to blurt out everything about the product. It would be a restrained, yet intelligent method of communicating the features of the offerings.
Even the features that may be beneficial to the customer may not be understood by the customer. The technical jargon does not make sense! Product knowledge allows customer service agents to simplify this jargon. They are able to explain to the customers exactly the way they would like to hear the information.
The Verdict
A customer service job is demanding. But, it can get simpler and fun by remaining abreast with the company’s products and services. Focusing on the customer’s needs and requirements raises the level of customer satisfaction. It keeps the customers glued to your company, making it profitable and sustained.
