Competency outline: Customer Service

Every business has customers.  And generally speaking the cost of selling to an existing customer is far less than the cost of acquiring a new customer. Thus businesses will value highly any employees who can demonstrably assist with maintaining good customer relations. So how can you demonstrate expertise in customer service? The key thing to remember is that every interaction with a customer contributes to the overall impression that that customer has of your business. It may not be a direct selling opportunity, and indeed your job may have nothing to do with selling, but treat the customer well and you enhance the reputation of the business.

How then to demonstrate customer service as a competency in a CV? Again, if your role involves direct customer interaction it will be easier to give examples of good customer service that you have provided: anything that involves going beyond the call of duty (making comprehensive travel arrangements for a visiting customer perhaps, or ensuring that a customer has all the information he or she may need before a meeting without having to wade through a website to find it for themselves). If your role is not customer-facing (working in the back-office or on the factory floor) such opportunities will present themselves less readily. The important thing is to seize chances that do arise, keep a record of them for future reference, and be prepared to talk enthusiastically to prospective employers about your awareness of the fact that the customer is king.