At Skipio, we love a speedy response. It’s why we focus on SMART Automations and the like. That being said, we also know that automations only go so far when it comes to customer service.
Relying on automations alone leads to inauthentic messages and relationships. You still need to know how to respond personally and in real time. Learning to craft quick responses isn’t just great for customer service though.
When people get in the habit and prioritize this sort of attentiveness, it benefits them well after they leave work. You learn and develop life skills like these when you practice speedy responses.
Sensitivity to helping solve other people’s problems
Anyone who handles any sort of customer service knows how powerful quick responses can be. It can turn a prospect into a customer, or a one-time customer into a lifetime customer. Plus, we’ve all had experiences on the customer side of things. A prompt response can totally defuse a stressful situation.
Because of your own experiences resolving issues quickly, you hopefully feel more empathetic to other people and more willing to help them out. And you also hopefully realize when to simply be patient if it takes longer than you’d like for a problem to get solved. Sometimes all we need from others is a little patience.
Consciously striving for this sensitivity and understanding helps you build better relationships with those around you.
Quick problem solving
All too often, there isn’t a simple answer to a question. But those more nuanced situations still often require fast resolutions.
The catalyst of speed helps many people hone their overall problem solving skills. Or they soon learn to team up with people who think better on their feet – and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Especially when customers expect a speedy reply, even if you feel it’s unfair, you very quickly learn how to prioritize that speed with efficient problem solving.
Just always remember that quick problem solving doesn’t equal impulsive decision making. Think about how complicated things become when someone replies immediately without actually thinking through the next steps. Both parties end up feeling frazzled, confused, or frustrated. The same thing happens when you react impulsively away from work as you try to solve a problem.
But when you focus on sending quick responses with real solutions and put that into practice with your customers, you gain valuable insight for solving all sorts of issues. So the next time something goes wrong on family vacation, you’ll be ready to find a solution. And fast.
A way with words
The actual speed at which you respond to a message is only one aspect of providing quality customer service. The content of the message you send is another, and perhaps more important. After all, without a clear message, how fast you respond won’t matter because the recipient won’t understand what you’ve said.
The necessity of a speedy response in customer service naturally teaches people to choose their words carefully and write both concise and detailed messages. (Concise and detailed aren’t opposites, I promise.) As you make an effort to communicate more efficiently, you learn how to keep things short and simple while still providing the needed information.
Just like with quick problem solving, expressing yourself and your ideas takes practice. Improving your ability to know what to say and when to say it really transforms conversations, no matter where those conversations occur.
Plus, with how many different people you talk to when it comes to customer service, you also practice explaining concepts in such a way that each person will understand. Everyone takes in information differently, so the ability to adapt your communication style proves even more beneficial.
Give yourself the best chance at quick responses
The common theme with each of these skills and quickly responding to messages? Practice. Though some people already show greater empathy, solve problems efficiently, or know exactly what to say, the potential for improvement remains huge. Fortunately, practicing one skill like speedy response also helps you get better in other ways.