Five transferable customer service skills to have

Holding transferable customer service skills will enable you to work in almost any industry that takes your interest, across many different roles. 

Why? Every company needs employees with strong customer service skills to fill people-facing roles, manage people and projects, and work effectively with colleagues. Indeed, there are a wide variety of roles in lucrative sectors perfect for those with a background in customer services, including travel, hospitality, retail, banking, insurance, and more.

This means if you’re not currently working in your dream role or industry, but you are acquiring transferable customer service skills, it’s very possible to get your foot in the door of companies you’re keen to work for.

What are transferable customer service skills?

In most customer service jobs, employees will typically pick up a mixture of hard skills – such as using specific software or subject matter expertise – and soft skills like communication, active listening, and conflict management. Many of these skills are transferable to other roles, meaning even if you want to take a sideways step out of a customer service role, you may be very attractive to hiring managers.

1. Emotional intelligence

In many customer service roles, you’ll be tasked with dealing with customers who may be disgruntled, upset, or even outraged. Within limits, it’s the role of a customer service professional to come up with a solution that works for the company but also makes the customer feel satisfied, valued, and ultimately end the conversation not only with a resolution to their concern but also a better view of the company. 

It requires a high level of emotional intelligence to be able to understand and empathise with individuals to drive solutions, and is seen as a huge asset and extremely desirable skill in a myriad of roles and industries to hiring managers. While the foundation of emotional intelligence is largely the same across a range of roles, the expectation across individual roles does differ.

For managers and mentors, emotional intelligence is a prerequisite to getting the most out of their teams, solving disputes, and developing individuals to succeed. 

HR professionals need to be able to conduct difficult conversations with empathy, and handle confidential information with sensitivity. 

In customer-facing roles such as sales and account management, the ability to build rapport with valuable clients and potential customers, and identify and overcome their pain points, ultimately leads to sales and satisfied customers.

2. Interpersonal communication skills

Interpersonal communication skills are vital in almost any role, and as a customer service professional you’ll spend most of your day using them. For jobs including sales, marketing, account management, people management, project management, HR, and customer-facing roles, they are even more sought after.

Customer service professionals must be able to adopt the brand’s tone of voice and remain polite and calm while also clearly communicating their message in simple terms. Knowing what to say is only half of effective communication. Knowing when to listen, and how to respond in kind, is an even more valuable skill in many situations.

Professionals are also likely to have undergone training on active listening, which means deliberately preparing to listen, taking in both verbal and non-verbal messages, and providing appropriate feedback. It includes techniques such as offering verbal support to the customer through the use of phrases like “I understand” or “I see”, and repeating and paraphrasing the problem to make it clear you understand the customer’s issue.

3. Conflict management

Conflict management refers to the way in which disputes are resolved, and is one of your most valuable transferable customer service skills. Your emotional intelligence and interpersonal communication skills come into play here, alongside stress management and negotiation.

As any customer service professional is aware, it’s very rare that a customer calls you up to tell you how delighted they are with your company’s product or service. This means the vast majority of your time is likely going to be spent problem solving and using conflict management skills.

This is a rare skill to find and even some seasoned professionals are nervous when encountering conflict and will freeze up or become emotional when dealing with an angry customer. There are plenty of roles where conflict management is a huge asset, from sales and account management, to general management, people management, HR, and project management. Be sure to brush up on your skills!

4. Time management and prioritisation

In a fast-paced customer service environment, where multiple customers are vying for your time and attention, and your phone is ringing off the hook, time management and prioritisation, in particular, will be high on the recruiter’s list of skills to look for when filling a role.

Why? Professionals with good time management skills often impress their bosses by being both punctual and productive. Productivity is a major goal for most businesses in the customer services sector – if employees are failing to hit productivity targets, the company is losing money. Likewise, punctuality is key to address concerns in a timely manner. 

Customer service professionals must ensure their customers aren’t left waiting too long, and where possible prioritise customers on the severity of the problem using their time management and prioritisation skills.

5. Technical skills and subject matter expertise

Technical skills and subject matter expertise are crucial skills in customer service. Most companies use specific software to operate – and if you already know how to work the specific tools they use, you’ll be ahead of the competition. Likewise, customers rely on agents for their expertise in times of crisis, and so being a subject matter expert individuals will be able to help the custom solve their issue and build long-term reliance with the company.

Having the technical and subject matter skills within a customer service role may seem like an obvious skill to have, but this isn’t always the case.

So it’s worth making a list of any software you’re confident operating – from commonly-used tools like Microsoft Word and Excel, to more specialised platforms like Salesforce or HubSpot. 

Do you feel ready to move into a different role or industry? Start your job search with Michael Page here, or alternatively find more advice on growing your career here.