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Customer service definition, skills, and important qualities for 2021

Customer service is the act of supporting customers. Learn key customer service skills, types, job requirements, and more.

Published May 26, 2021
Last updated December 12, 2021

Customer service can make or break a business. But not everyone agrees on what it is or how to do it well. In this guide, we'll share how to set your business up for customer service success.

The definition of customer service

Customer service is the act of supporting and advocating for customers in their discovery, use, optimization, and troubleshooting of a product or service. It's also the processes that support the teams making good customer service happen. The goal of customer service is to foster lasting customer relationships.

The evolution of customer service

The main difference between service today and service 10 years ago is that customers expect premium service to be built-in from the first sales or marketing interaction and carry through to the moment they ask for help, post-purchase, and back again. To position themselves for success, businesses must integrate service into the journey at every interaction point.

Why is customer service important in business?

Customer service is important because it sets your business apart from competitors. It can make people loyal to your brand, products, and services for years to come. In fact, 77% of customers say they're more loyal to businesses that offer top-notch service, according to our Trends Report.

But this is only possible if your business makes customer service a priority—customers will vote you off the island if you don't. Our research also revealed that roughly half of customers say they would switch to a competitor after just one bad experience. In the case of more than one bad experience, that number snowballs to 80%.

And the experience you provide for your customers is only becoming more important, with 50% of customers reporting that CX is more important to them now compared to a year ago.

customer service

The difference between customer service and customer support

customer service

There is a difference between customer support and customer service. It helps to think of customer support as the how, such as the nuts and bolts of troubleshooting an issue, and customer service as the why—why it's recommended to set up your cloud account in a certain way or why today's issue could balloon into a bigger issue in time if certain steps aren't taken.

A customer support team can fix a technical issue in the short term, but providing good customer service helps build relationships and establish a true partnership in the long term. Adding the "why" into the support process improves the experience for customers, and it helps agents grow.

This may sound like a lot more than you thought. If so, you're not alone. We've narrowed it down to a few key takeaways:

Customer service examples
Types of customer service
Customer service skills
Customer service objectives
Customer service trends
Customer service books
Top customer service stories
Customer service tweets

Examples of customer service

Examples of good customer service

We've all heard the stories of companies going above and beyond to provide their customers with incredible support. Morton's steakhouse met a man at the airport with a steak because he asked for one in a tweet. Nordstrom's accepted a set of returned tires even though Nordstrom doesn't actually sell tires. But good customer service is ultimately about the scalable ways a company meets customer needs every day.

Here are a few everyday examples of excellent customer service.

Resolving issues quickly

73% of customers say quick resolutions is the top factor of good customer service.

Providing 24/7 support

47% of customers believe 24/7 support is a key component of great customer service. A knowledge base or chatbot are two great ways to provide customer service when agents are off the clock.

Serving your customers via the channels of their choice

Customers want to connect with you on the same channels they use to talk to friends and family—so being able to help a customer on their preferred support channel is one of the best ways to create an excellent customer service experience.

Being proactively helpful

Great customer service often means anticipating your customer's needs before they even have to tell you.

Personalizing interactions

75% of customers want a personalized experience.

Helping customers help themselves

69% of customers want to resolve as many problems as possible on their own, and 63% always or almost always start with a search on a company's website.

Using customer feedback to get better

If you want to provide better service for your customers, you have to listen to what they have to say. Instead of approaching customer complaints as a game of dodgeball, customer-focused companies use their feedback to create a better experience.

Examples of bad customer service

Bad customer service is when a customer feels their expectations were not met. According to our Trends Report, the top indicators of poor customer service include long wait times, an automated system that makes it hard to reach a human agent, and having to repeat information multiple times.

People have expectations for how a company will serve them. If your customer support is not up to par, it can spell bad news for your brand. When customers have a negative service experience, they're often quick to voice their complaints on social media. The message is clear: You can't afford to ignore these annoyances in today's digitally connected world.

The Museum of Annoying Experiences brings customer service nightmares to life:

Types of customer service you should know about

Each channel could be considered a different type of customer service, but the mindset your business has around customer service is more important. There are four main types of customer service your business should know about: proactive vs. reactive and synchronous vs. asynchronous.

Proactive vs. reactive support

Reactive support used to be the standard: you wait for a customer to contact your business with an inquiry or issue. Proactive service, however, is now a crucial type of customer service—it means anticipating your customers' issues and addressing them before your customers do. This might include:

An e-commerce company getting ahead of abandoned shopping carts by deploying a chatbot on its checkout page to answer frequently asked customer questions.
An internet provider sending customers a text about upcoming service disruptions.

Synchronous vs. asynchronous support

Live chat is typically a one-to-one real-time conversation that is session-based and synchronous. Synchronous means real-time chat. Like a phone call, it requires most or all of your attention, and has a defined beginning and end.

Unlike live chat, messaging is asynchronous. Asynchronous messaging can be understood as conversations that start and stop when convenient for the participants. They can occur in real-time, but like an exchange on WhatsApp or in your Instagram DMs, you can put it in your pocket and pick it back up where you left off without losing the context and history of the conversation. This allows customers to troubleshoot while they do other things, like walking the dog, and agents to help more customers at once. And it's one of the reasons why companies that provide messaging support have the most satisfied customers. In fact, support teams that have the fastest resolution times and highest CSAT ratings are 42% more likely to be messaging with their customers.

The most important customer service skills

Customer service skills or characteristics represent the qualities and abilities a customer service representative needs to deliver good customer service. Customer service managers tend to hire for technical skill sets. Technical skills are important, but soft skills matter, too.

Here are the top customer service skills your customer service representatives need:

Language and tone
Active listening
Clear communication
Interpersonal skills
Comfort multitasking
Attention to detail
Attentiveness
Collaboration skills

Ability to mirror a customer's language and tone

Mirroring another person's language and tone can help you connect with them.

Now, if a customer is angry on a call, you don't want to copy their frustration. Instead, remember that "calm is contagious." Be firm and work to bring the intensity down a notch. Customers respond well to getting help from someone who's clearly level-headed.

Learn more tips for dealing with customers that are angry in this Forbes article.

On live chat, responses are often short, quick, and incomplete. This makes it harder for you and the customer to understand each other's tone. Choose your words carefully and err on the side of caution and clarity. Try to avoid puns or regional turns of phrase.

Instead, use a gentle, informative tone. Patience is your best friend when helping a frustrated customer.
Active listening

When customers complain and are frustrated, they might not be able to take in what you say. So scrambling to a solution isn't always the best approach.

The ability to display empathy first is crucial. Remember, both you and the customer want to reach a resolution, not just a solution.

Customers who are stressed need to feel heard. Explain that you understand the reason for their call. This little bit of empathy will go a long way toward improving a difficult customer experience.
Clear communication

Nobody likes to wait on hold, especially if they don't know how long it'll be until they can talk to someone.

When customers call or start a live chat, set their expectations about hold times. This can help them feel like their issues matter to you.
Interpersonal skills

The best customer service templates do more than give agents pre-written text to copy and paste. They're the starting point for high-quality, personalized answers so agents can build real, human connections with customers.

Start with a template, then adjust it before replying to customers. This makes your answers feel more personal to customers.

It's OK to use your own voice and approach—just make sure you reflect the company's brand and philosophy. For example, maybe you can make your own email signature unique.
Comfort multitasking

Live chat agents are expected to handle more than one chat at a time. This is a skill in itself. Great multitaskers don't lose sight of the bigger picture as they're bombarded by questions.

Be careful not to handle too many chats, or else your customers will be waiting too long between responses. You can always put a chat on a brief hold if you need more time to find an answer. But just like with phone support, set expectations first. For example, ask if you may put them on a brief hold to conduct more research.

customer service skills

Attention to detail

Sometimes it's harder for customers to express themselves in writing. Don't read too quickly and jump to conclusions. It takes a lot of training and practice to understand how different customers communicate. But it's key to success in customer service.

For example, someone who works in sales might come off as assertive or aggressive. Or, an engineer might want more technical details about how their problem was solved.

Being able to read cues like this can give a customer care representative a better idea of how to tailor their customer service approach.
Attentiveness

Always respond to a customer's social post when they need help. You may not be able to answer right away. But it's still important to make quick initial contact with that customer and let them know when you'll respond. Providing speedy responses means being adept in addressing a customer's problem with a precise and polite tone.

The exception to "always respond" is when agents are confronted with an obvious attempt to pick a fight on public channels. These comments are often directed at the company itself. It can be tempting to engage with the person if you feel strongly about the issue at hand. But a company can't afford to have an agent, or any employee, make mistakes on social media. So, always proceed with caution when responding publicly.
Collaboration skills

Answering a customer's question often involves working with other teams or departments. Is answering a social media post a job for customer support, or for marketing? Sometimes it's hard to tell.

If your marketing team manages your social media, make sure they connect with the customer service team for help with any incoming support requests. Remember, everyone is responsible for good customer service so agents will need to have strong collaboration skills.

Learn the top customer service skills for 2021 in our blog post.

What skills should you put on your resume for customer service?

Agents need all of the above skills to help them do their jobs well. Some common customer service skills and qualities employers look for include:

Experience working in a customer service focused environment
Excellent problem-solving skills—you have ideas for how to make a challening situation successful
Strong attention to detail, with exceptional time management
Passion for building relationships
Clear, effective communication with strong interpersonal skills
Anticipates customer needs by constantly evaluating customers for cues
Acts with a customer comes first attitude
Remains calm under pressure
Can juggle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment
Self-motivated and has a positive attitude
Empathy for customers to maximize customer happiness
Confidence that if you don't know something, you can learn it
Enthusiasm for the company's industry
Experience using customer service software, such as Zendesk Support, to track and manage customer conversations

Customer service responsibilities and job requirements

The primary job of a customer service representative is to advocate on behalf of the customer.

Responsibilities of support professionals often include:

Directly interacting with customers across all communication channels
Defusing high-stakes situations by listening to customers and providing speedy, effective resolutions
Acting as the voice of the company on the front lines servicing customers
Keeping customer records up-to-date
Sharing customer feedback with other teams to improve the customer experience
Canceling or upgrading accounts
Helping with refunds or exchanges
Creating knowledge base content

While agents may have slightly different roles, they all share one thing in common: they're on the front lines, communicating with customers directly - so at least a few of these phrases are bound to sound familiar:

Customer service objectives

The primary objective of customer service is to be the customer's champion. This means:

Answering customer questions quickly and effectively
Resolving issues with empathy and care
Documenting pain points to share with internal teams
Nurturing customer relationships
Improving brand credibility

Support teams can measure objectives with key metrics such as:

Average first response time
Average resolution time
A customer's CSAT rating over time
CSAT ratings, by channel
Ticket backlog

customer service

When customer service teams master more direct objectives such as high CSAT scores and fast resolutions, they help the organization meet more cross-functional goals. Here are a few ways customer service impacts the bottom line:

Improving customer retention: According to our research with ESG, companies that prioritize customer service are more than six times more likely to exceed their customer retention goals
Increasing customer lifetime value: Our research with ESG also revealed that companies with high-performing customer service teams are nearly nine times more likely than their low-performing peers to have significantly grown customer spend during the COVID-19 pandemic
Boosting customer loyalty: Our Trends Report showed that 77% of customers report being more loyal to a company that offers a good customer experience if they have an issue

Customer service trends 2021

All year, every year at Zendesk, some of the world's sharpest analysts are doing research and then painstakingly interpreting it to illuminate the coming year's biggest trends in customer service. A few of the top customer service trends in 2021:

Speed up your digital timeline

75% of company leaders agree that the global pandemic has compressed the timeline for acquiring new technologies to reach customers and connect distributed service teams.

Customers expect companies to lead with their values

63% of customers want to buy from socially responsible companies. 54% want to buy from companies that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities and workplaces.

The rise of messaging

Nearly a third of customers messaged a company for the first time in 2020, and 74% of those say they will continue to do so.

Automation improves experiences for customers and agents

Interactions with automated chatbots jumped 81% in 2020.

Emphasis on agility

Managers cited difficulty adapting to change as their biggest pain point last year.

Customer service books to share with your team

Here are our favorite customer service books to help customer service professionals grow their skills and deliver knockout experiences:

The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk
Customer Understanding: Three Ways to Put the "Customer" in Customer Experience (and at the Heart of Your Business) by Annette Franz
The Effortless Experience: Conquering the New Battleground for Customer Loyalty by Matthew Dixon, Nick Toman, and Rick DeLisi
Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It, How to Keep It by Jill Griffin
Strategic Customer Service: Managing the Customer Experience to Increase Positive Word of Mouth, Build Loyalty, and Maximize Profits by John A. Goodman
Undefined World - life in CX & beyond by Elisa Reggiardo with Alexa Huth

Customer service tweets

i once worked with someone who told customers "sorry, it's my first day!" any time they messed up. for 2 years straight

— makayla (@makaylathinks) May 19, 2021

good morning to people who respect customer service workers only

— elena (@elenavic__) May 28, 2021

#MyPetPeevesInclude Trying to get through to customer service of any kind pic.twitter.com/EMilpfm9Bp

— Cindy Gail Prince (@cindyrellapr) May 27, 2021

For anyone who questions the importance of customer service in the current business environment. @zendesk
#ZendeskAnalystSummit pic.twitter.com/INFE0e9lsX

— J. Bruce Daley (@brucedaley) May 20, 2021

March 2: I emailed a company with a question about a small order.

March 16: I received a short response, full of typos, with no personalization.

March 16: I decided against placing that big order.#servicefailure #custserv

— Jeff Toister (@toister) March 17, 2021

me switching my customer service voice off the moment a customer gives me attitude pic.twitter.com/eISn1XQsRX

— weeababe, blood devil (@seventhssage) May 27, 2021

Customer service impacts the bottom line

Customers have long memories. It's up to everyone in an organization to help make them positive ones with great customer service.

Implement a world-class customer service solution

Translate your company goals and strategy into requirements, and establish concrete plans for scaling customer service as your company grows.