A customer service specialist is one of the people a customer will interact with when they make a purchase of a product or service from a company. The role requires many skills, but perhaps the most important are interpersonal skills and a thorough knowledge of the company’s customer care policies. In this article, we’ll look at what customer service and customer experience are, how they interact, and then go into more detail about the typical tasks of a customer service specialist.

As the months of remote work add up, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to partake in the virtual coffee dates and happy hours we relied on in the early days of the pandemic. Zoom fatigue is setting in, and it often feels better to simply opt out of the activities that aren’t required. Of course, we all need to make choices about how we spend our energy right now.

Over the past couple of years, the pandemic – and numerous lockdowns – have significantly reshaped the way we work. Now, as many of us return to the office once more, employers must continue to focus on the mental wellbeing of their employees. There’s been much discussion recently about the Great Resignation – the large number of employees leaving, or considering leaving, their jobs.

There is more to running a successful business than just turning a profit and making the numbers work. A positive work environment is a key indicator of a great business that encourages its employees to thrive and succeed. Workplace culture is all around us and truly defines the environment that employees work in. It can be described as the personality and character of a company or organisation, so every business has its own culture.

As online shopping enters a period of hyper-growth and competition for consumers intensifies, getting the customer service experience right has never been more important for retailers. Those that are ahead of the CX curve have their fingers on the pulse when it comes to the latest trends and technologies—they’re reaping the rewards, too. In fact, 66% of companies agree that there’s a direct link between customer service and business performance.

In a recent study commissioned by Zendesk, just 39% of customer service agents said they were confident they could respond to customers in a conversational, convenient way. And only 32% said they could effectively manage and monitor customer requests during the working day. Both of these findings reveal powerful truths. Customer service staff often feel overwhelmed, particularly when they have to respond to everything quickly.

We are forever being reminded that retaining existing customers is more cost-effective than going out and proactively trying to attract new customers. But at the same time, we are told that new customers are the lifeblood of any successful enterprise. So which is it?

When done right, technology can help companies create great customer experiences. This is why 82% of top-performing businesses say they pay close attention to the human experience around digital and technology, according to a study by PwC. However, IT Services companies often view the quality of service through the lens of applications and infrastructure, while their customers are more concerned with outcomes and usage. This creates a disconnect, which can lead to low customer satisfaction.

While 2020 will certainly go down in history as the year that rocked our economic foundations, it’s not the only period to have done so. Just 12 years prior, we experienced the Global Financial Crisis, allegedly the worst economic disaster since the Great Depression. Traditional retail banks were largely blamed for the 2008 crisis, and consumer trust in them plummeted—this trust has not been regained yet, according to an Accenture report.

Everyone in an organisation needs to know what it takes to keep customers happy. According to research published in Forbes, 59% of companies with a CEO who is focused on customer XP report higher revenue growth, compared to companies without a customer-focused CEO. The customer-focused culture is led from the top and should be observed and adhered to company-wide. In a fast-changing world during a global pandemic, priorities are changing.