When you’re a freelancer, every client counts, and keeping them happy is one of the best ways to increase your income and become more successful.
Since you’re working on your own, it’s up to you to make sure your clients are getting the treatment they deserve which means providing excellent customer care. But don’t be intimidated: great customer service isn’t as difficult as it sounds! By incorporating these 21 tips into your freelancing routine, you’ll see just how easy it can be.
From small tweaks like communication and organization skills to bigger changes like project management software and onboarding processes, there are plenty of steps you can take today to boost the level of customer service for your freelance business.
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Prioritize active listening to understand your clients’ needs and concerns effectively. |
| 2. Develop strong communication skills to provide clear and concise information to your clients. |
| 3. Practice empathy and show genuine care for your clients’ well-being. |
| 4. Strive for prompt and efficient problem-solving to address any issues or challenges. |
| 5. Continuously improve your customer service skills through training and professional development. |
| 6. Build strong relationships with your clients by providing personalized and customized services. |
| 7. Handle difficult situations with calmness, professionalism, and a solution-oriented approach. |
| 8. Maintain a positive customer experience even during busy periods by managing expectations and effectively managing workload. |
| 9. Regularly seek feedback from your clients to understand their satisfaction levels and areas for improvement. |
| 10. Always strive to exceed customer expectations and go the extra mile to provide exceptional customer care. |
Provide Ongoing Training And Education
Make training part of your regular routine. As a team leader, you should be regularly providing training and education to your team members on a variety of topics related to the business’s products and services, customer service skills, and software systems.
If you’re not sure how to do this, I’m here to help! In addition to creating detailed manuals that provide learning tools and resources for my customers’ teams, I also offer online workshops where I teach freelancers the most effective methods for training their clients’ teams. This means that if you sign up for my mailing list today, you’ll have access to all of these helpful tips plus some fun surprises!
Being a freelance customer service rep has its perks. From flexible schedules to diverse job opportunities, it’s a rewarding career choice. Check out our article on 11 Good Reasons to Be a Freelance Customer Service Rep to discover why this role might be perfect for you.
Have A Script
The first thing you should do is write a script. A script is the fundamental skeleton of communication. It’s a set of words that lets you say what you need to say by speaking in a way that helps your audience get at their own thoughts and feelings. It’s not meant to be perfect; in fact, a script is probably only going to be as good as the people who are reading it.
Once your script exists, make sure everyone knows how it works and how they can use it. For many freelancers, this means having everyone in their office practice using the script until they instinctively know when to use certain turns of phrase or pause before answering certain questions and then also practice with clients so they can feel confident using your language during their calls and chats with you.
Once you’re confident with your script, don’t stop there; keep refining it until it’s truly second nature for both yourself and those around you (and especially the clients who are working with you).
Greet Customers In A Friendly Way
It’s important that when customers call your business or reach out via email or social media platforms such as Facebook Messenger or Skype that they receive a friendly greeting from someone who can help them right away. If possible, greet them by name especially if they’ve had previous interactions with your company.
Even if they don’t remember who you are (and why should they?), greeting them by name will make them feel more comfortable and engaged in the conversation
Listen And Repeat What The Customer Says
Rephrasing what a customer has said is great for two reasons: First of all, it allows you to confirm that you’ve fully understood the customer’s issue. If they tell you they need help with their WordPress login credentials, and then you say back to them “Okay, so it looks like your WordPress login credentials aren’t working, correct?” That gives the customer a chance to say “Wait, no! I already know my password; It’s actually my website theme that isn’t working. I just wanted to ask if…” Or something along those lines.
Second of all, repeating what the customer has just said validates their feelings in a way. Letting them know that you really are listening and care enough about their issue to repeat it back lets them feel heard which is especially important if the person on the other end of the line is very upset or frustrated. In fact, this technique can be one of your best go-to options when confronted with an angry or irate caller – which we discuss more in detail in our next tip below!
Interested in virtual telemarketing? Freelance customer service jobs offer a unique opportunity to work remotely and engage with customers over the phone. Learn how to become a virtual telemarketer with our comprehensive guide at Freelance Customer Service Jobs: How to Become a Virtual Telemarketer.
Don’t Interrupt When They Are Talking
Listen to what they are saying and don’t interrupt them when they are talking.
Your client is the one who should be in charge of the entire conversation, and you should be there only to help them with any concerns they might have. A freelancing agent that interrupts his or her clients will only make them feel like they are not important and that you don’t care about their needs.
Never interrupt someone who is talking, no matter how much you disagree with what he is saying.
If your client has a problem and wants to share it with you, then it is your responsibility to listen without interjecting or correcting him. You can always correct him later on when he has finished expressing himself fully. Letting go of control over the conversation for a few minutes might seem like an eternity, but being respectful towards your clients will ensure that they have a better experience with you in general.’
Smile While You Talk To Them On The Phone
Smile while you talk to your clients on the phone. It will make the conversation easier, and it will show them that you’re a friendly, professional person who they would like to help.
Give them a preview of what they can expect if they sign up with us. If people have never experienced what it’s like to work with our freelancer before, they might not know what to expect. Tell them exactly what their experience will be like, and tell them how working with our freelancer is different than working with other freelancers.
Use Their Name When You Talk To Them
One of the best ways you can show your clients that you value them is by using their names when speaking to them. When they call or email if possible get their name. If you don’t know their name, it’s OK to ask for it.
“Hi there, this is Susan with ABC company. How can I help you?”
Or: “Oh hi John! How are things going? What can I do for you today?”
You want to make sure the spelling of the name is correct, so ask if necessary. You could say something like: “Just so I have this right, how do you spell your last name?” The customer may have already said his/her name previously in the call or email, but he/she may not have had a chance to spell it out for you in case there was a miscommunication about a particular letter(s).
Burnout is a common challenge in freelance customer service work, but with the right strategies, you can avoid it. Discover 10 simple steps to maintain your well-being and prevent burnout while doing freelance customer service work. Visit 10 Simple Steps to Avoid Burning Out on Freelance Customer Service Work for valuable insights and tips.
Be Patient
When providing customer care, it’s not just important that you remain patient with clients. It’s also important to be patient while they are asking you questions. When clients call in and have questions, there is a good chance that they are doing so because they are stressed or in a hurry so don’t take it personally if the call takes longer than expected. It might feel like the person on the other end of the phone is going over everything you’ve already told them ten times. Just remember: when you’re stressed and under pressure, it can be hard to focus on anything but your immediate needs.
Not only will patience help keep things running smoothly from a professional standpoint; research shows that being impatient actually makes us less happy as well. So, next time someone calls up asking about their bill for the tenth time or demanding to know why the package hasn’t arrived yet (and it’s only been two days), try to keep your cool and remind yourself that this person probably isn’t trying to waste your time out of malice they’re just experiencing frustration themselves!
Take Notes During The Call And Enter Them Into Your System Immediately After You Hang Up
This is one of the most important things you can do to be more efficient and provide the best customer care possible. Taking notes during a call means you are able to remember all of the important details in conversations with customers. Be sure to keep your notes clear, easy to read, and organized so they’re easy to refer back to.
It’s recommended you use a CRM or other piece of software that allows you to quickly access information about customers and have all of their history available. This ensures that when you go back into the system, it will be simple for you to find what you need for that particular customer.
Be Positive And Friendly, Even If The Customer Isn’t… Yet
It is important to be positive and friendly, even if the customer isn’t… yet. If you’re rude or negative, they’ll pick up on it and they might not stick around.
When a customer contacts your company with an issue, they’ve probably already been frustrated by something else (such as a shipping issue). Your job is to stay positive and friendly, even if the customer isn’t. If you do it right, the customer will become more positive and friendly but if you don’t do it right, the customer won’t be positive and friendly.
Ready to start your own freelance customer service business? Our article on How to Start a Freelance Customer Service Business: 11 Tips provides practical advice and essential steps to kickstart your entrepreneurial journey. Don’t miss out on this valuable resource if you’re considering starting your own business in customer service.
Use Simple, Clear Language (No Jargon!) To Help Customers Understand What You’re Saying
Let’s talk about the customer’s question, which is: If a freelancer puts in a full-time day job and also runs a side business (like writing content for a blog), how do I make sure he or she is working toward my goals?
First off, it’s important to note that the “in-between” zone where someone is balancing work with an additional source of income is often called “Flex Time,” “Block Time,” “Part-Time,” or even just simply “part-time.” Some people even prefer to keep their distance from this term and instead call it something like “multitasking.”
However, whatever you feel comfortable calling it, these are common questions. The best response is to make sure you understand what your freelancer really needs to know. For instance:
Be Honest With Your Customers
Honesty is always the best policy when dealing with customers. If something goes wrong during your interaction with them, it can be tempting to make excuses for why it happened, but this can lead to distrust between both parties involved. Instead of trying to cover up mistakes and issues, take responsibility for them and try to find solutions that will make things better for everyone involved.
Be Friendly And Helpful
Your clients are paying for your services, but that doesn’t mean they should feel like they aren’t important enough to deserve personal attention from someone who cares about them as individuals rather than just as customers who pay bills on time every month.
Go out of your way sometimes to offer help or advice even if it isn’t part of what they’ve paid for yet! It makes all the difference in creating long-term relationships.
Are you interested in working as a freelance chat live support agent? Find out what it takes to get hired in this dynamic role by checking out our guide at Want to Get Hired as a Freelance Chat Live Support Agent?. Discover the skills, qualifications, and tips to increase your chances of landing this exciting freelancing opportunity.
Know Your Client’s Goals
This might seem like an obvious one, but it’s important to remember that the main goal for both parties is creating something amazing. You want your client to get what they need from you so that they’ll come back and work with you again in the future; similarly, if they’re happy with their experience, they may refer other people who need similar services to you!
By knowing what makes each side happy and how those things benefit everyone involved you’ll be able to provide better service overall because there will be fewer misunderstandings or disagreements down the road (which could cause problems like late payments or bad reviews).
Conclusion
You’re now ready to provide amazing customer care for your clients. Remember that technology should never be a barrier between you and your customers. Get to know them, and you’ll be able to anticipate their needs so that you can go above and beyond what is expected of you.
As Ramon Ray writes in SmartHustle., “Be sure that every single time a customer reaches out, they are not only delighted they are wowed!”
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources for further reading on improving customer service skills and tips:
6 Keys to Improving Your Team’s Customer Service Skills: Discover six essential keys to enhancing your team’s customer service skills, including effective communication, active listening, and problem-solving techniques.
Customer Service Tips: Help Scout’s HelpU: Help Scout’s HelpU offers a comprehensive collection of customer service tips. Explore their articles and guides to gain insights into providing exceptional customer support.
6 Keys to Improving Your Team’s Customer Service Skills: Delve into this resource that explores six critical areas for improving your team’s customer service skills. Learn practical strategies to elevate customer satisfaction and loyalty.
People Also Ask
What Are The Qualities Of A Good Customer Service Representative?
A great customer service rep should be able to listen and empathize with customers who call in. Other essential traits for this job include being responsive, positive, and patient.
What Are The Top 3 Ways To Provide Customer Service?
The most important ways to provide excellent customer service are by listening carefully to your customers, showing them empathy, responding quickly and appropriately when issues arise, and always remaining positive throughout interactions.
What Are The 3 Most Important Qualities Of Customer Service?
The three most important aspects of good customer care are listening carefully (see above), being empathetic (see above), and being responsive when an issue arises.
How Do You Provide Excellent Customer Service?
Excellent customer support is communicated through attentive listening, empathy for customers’ feelings or problems, quick response times when an issue occurs, and positivity throughout every interaction.
What Are The 4 Types Of Customers?
There are four different kinds of people you will encounter as a freelancer: dream clients who want ongoing work with no complaints; nightmare clients who complain about everything; one-and-done clients who give you one project and then leave; and referral sources who can help attract more dream clients.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.