We chatted with Kristen Cadena-Herrera, Senior Customer Service representative with Philips Sleep and Respiratory Care Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), on #servicethinking at Philips and how every employee is able to create longer lasting customer relationships with good customer service.

Every interaction you have with a customer is important in understanding their needs and what they’re looking to get out of your organization. Successful companies do this by effectively communicating and connecting with customers by creating meaningful interactions throughout their journey.

Customer service is key to creating these lasting relationships for your business. Consumers value being treated like unique and valued individuals. As such, it is every employee’s responsibility to go above and beyond their role to ensure that the end-user is happy with the product or service they receive. Here are four things you can do in customer service that I believe every employee should have.

Manners go a long way

Being polite and helpful is a great way of getting to know your customer and their needs. By greeting a person on the phone and patiently listening to their queries, you will be able to provide the right solution for them.

Helping a customer comes down to how you make them feel when they talk to you. If they feel that they are being listened to, they will feel valued as a customer and confident that you will help them resolve their issue.

Know your products inside and out

Customers need accurate information about the products and services your company offers. Having product knowledge and making sure you know the information they require goes a long way in ensuring they’re being looked after. Simply offering to call back or email the information allows customers to confidently carry out their day knowing that their needs are being serviced.

Providing alternative solutions

Sometimes customers are unsure of what they need and come to you for solutions. By offering alternative options or solutions that you feel may suit them better - customers will appreciate the extra effort as it makes their life easier. A great way to do this is building upon your product and company knowledge to place yourself in a position where you can confidently give recommendations.

Work towards earning customer trust and confidence

Through all of your interactions, you want to build trust and confidence with customers to ensure that they are happy with the service you are providing them. You can do this by providing concrete information, carrying out your promises to resolve their issues, and taking the time to care about their circumstances to make them feel important.

Problem-solving and resolution is a big part of customer service. It’s key to provide options and discussing ways of doing things they may not know about to get customers to trust in your opinions and be confident in the solutions you provide them.

How Philips supports customer service

At Philips, we are provided product training and a Learning Academy where we can see and touch the products we sell. We are also able to see the issues customers report on and learn about what they deal with in their day-to-day. It’s great having representatives make the time to train us on products and show us how different equipment works and how they benefit customers.

If you want to find out more about a role in Customer Service at Philips, check out our job opportunities here or take the first step and join our Talent Community to get access to insider information and a glimpse into #LifeAtPhilips.