Customer Service: Tech Skills Not Enough

"One misspelled word and customers begin to doubt the validity of the information they are getting," warned Mary Jo Lichtenberg, former director of training, quality, and career development at CompUSA, in Plano, Texas. One of her big problems was training service agents with weak language skills. "Just because agents understand technically how to troubleshoot computers or pieces of software and can walk custom- ers through solutions extremely well over the telephone doesn't mean they can do the same in writing," she complained. "The skill set for phone does not necessarily translate to the skill set needed for writing e-mail."57 As more customers choose e-mail and Web chat sessions to obtain service and support, numerous service reps are finding it neces- sary to brush up their writing skills.

Your Task. In teams, discuss what communication skills are necessary for customer service agents troubleshooting computer and software problems as well as other companies offering chat and e-mail support. How are the skill sets different for answering phones and for writing e-mail responses? What suggestions could you make to a trainer preparing customer service reps for chat and e-mail responses?