Most folks in the customer service field have relatively good knowledge on working with others. The question to ask yourself is: are you truly making decisions desirable for not only your clients, but your team as well?
There are four main types of behavior of which you should be aware.
Passive
Let’s start with passive. Being passive in the workplace not only compromises your own ideas, but your team as well. Passive behavior tends to lead in any direction besides up. Not being able to recognize the efforts of yourself and your co-workers can lead clients to believe the notion that demanding behavior is okay. As the window to a company, the CSR is the face- the welcome committee; when holding that role, you are to please your clients and keep your team strong. Not allowing clients to misuse those that put forth effort draws a very fine line. Passiveness, when involved with extensive customer relation, will ultimately compromise your team.
Aggressive
Along with passive behavior, aggressive behavior is also detrimental to your team. Not only will clients be hit hard with rude, unexpected comebacks, but your co-workers may be less apt to confide in you as a team member. When presenting aggressive behavior, you are only standing for your rights as an individual at the expense of others. While direct, this behavior method is dishonest; not in the sense of passive behavior, which is dishonest in the way that one doesn’t stand up for themselves. However, aggressiveness portrays the true communicated point coming from emotion. An action on emotion is not the purest form of communication. Much like passive behavior, aggressiveness leads to loss of respect for yourself, your team, and your clients.
Passive-Aggressive
Passive-aggressiveness is on the same spectrum as above, being a path leading to an indirect way of expressing thoughts or solutions. The purpose of passive-aggressiveness is to manipulate others or to avoid situations that you are unable to handle. This directly effects your communication with clients because complying with every demand adds a higher sense of expectation that your co-workers may not be fully aware or in agreeance to.
Assertive
Finding the happy medium would be to practice an assertive behavior. This thought process allows for a non-judgmental mindset for all parties. Yourself, team, and clients deserve an assertive behavior when handling problems. It naturally includes a respectfulness for your client’s needs as well as your team’s abilities at that given time. Sometimes, assertive behavior embodies empathy or understanding towards others which can be very beneficial in a client-pleasing field. Be sure to consciously remember to pose assertive behavior the next time you converse with clients and relay information to your team.
As a customer service representative, you are thrown in the middle where picking sides is never an option. There’s always compromise and understanding involved to keep both ends at bay. Are you keeping adequate follow up with your clients? Good, but how about additional props to those who make it happen – aka, your co-workers. Are you an exceptional team member that always has the company’s best interest at heart? Good, but how about additional praise to those clients that make it easy. As stated, customer service is a give and take of client satisfaction and respect for those on your team.
In Conclusion
Regardless of your position, we're all in sales. That statement rings true at home and in the office. Our outwardly displayed attitudes can greatly impact our relationships.