A recent study stated that US businesses lose about $62 billion yearly due to inadequate customer service skills. With that being said, working towards being a more emotionally intelligent CSM might be exactly what your customers need to form those deeper connections and stick around. So, in this guide, we’ll walk you through the ins and outs of emotional intelligence.
EQ Skills a Customer Success Manager Should Have
According to the MHS Research Report, 41% of organizational leaders believe that Emotional Intelligence is a must-have topic of training and development courses. But only27% of leadership assessments evaluate an individual’s emotional intelligence level. Here are four of the most important EI skills that a CSM should have:
Source: Tricities
Self-Regulation
In simpler terms, self-regulation is your ability to react to your thought process and emotions and regulate them in a timely manner. Also, how well you influence or control your feelings speaks about your adaptability, trustworthiness and self-control. As a Customer Success Manager, having self-regulation is essential since it can help you deal with conflicts, focus on goals, and manage stress.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is about how alert you are about your desires, feelings, and emotions. But not only that, but self-awareness helps you understand how your emotions, beliefs, etc., impacts other people. So, when your customer is expressing a problem they have during a QBR, don’t be quick to respond. Your first step is to determine if your feelings on the situation is based on your thoughts and belief. If they are, take a step back and listen to your customer and look at the situation from their perspective.
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Social Skills
One of the biggest traits that a manager must possess is being sociable. How well you interact with others and how you influence them is what matters. This entails the interpersonal skills that permit you to communicate, create trust, manage issues and collaborate with each contact on an account. The more you understand them, the easier it becomes for you to connect and empathize with them. Customers love to stick around with a manager who understands their needs and reciprocates with the requisite compassion and empathy.
Empathy
Empathy is said to be one of the core skills of emotional intelligence. Motivation and empathy are two extra facets that are central to emotional intelligence. A successful CSM should have the ability to recognize the emotions and feelings of other people. The easier it becomes for you to understand their needs, it will help you to serve them in a rather rational manner. Empathy in work place goes a long way.
How to Boost your Emotional Intelligence Quotient?
Here are four ways you can boost your emotional intelligence quotient in no time.
Ask For Opinions
One of the first ways to increase your emotional intelligence is to ask the people you interact with frequently. Consider sending out a survey asking your customers if they feel you empathetically listen to and understand their problems.
Or if you prefer, you can ask your leader or co-workers to review one of your calls to rate your emotional intelligence skills. Regardless of the method, the only way you can improve is to know where’s your starting point.
Utilize Active Listening Skills
Emotionally intelligent people tend to listen to their customers for umpteen clarity and wait for them to finish. Nothing puts off a customer more than talking to a manager who is not as involved in their issue as they are. Note that they also zero in on the non-verbal details of a conversation. Hearing them out actively ensures less room for misunderstanding and shows the other person that you care about them.
Carry a Positive Attitude, Always
A positive attitude can take you a long way. An emotionally intelligent person has the awareness of emotions around them and mirrors their attitude accordingly. So, creating a healthy rapport with and having an optimistic outlook is vital to better serve your customers.
Be Approachable
The best way to boost your EQ is by being as approachable as you can. A smile and a positive outlook can do wonders. A customer will feel more connected to communicate better with someone who is easy to approach and talk to.
That’s a Wrap
It goes without saying that one of the much-needed Customer Success requirements is having a higher level of EQ. When you are open-minded and driven, with a strong emotional intelligence quotient, you will find it much easier to thrive in any environment and connect with your customers. And as a CSM, who doesn’t want that?
An implementation engineer with six years of experience is a seasoned professional specialising in implementing and integrating complex systems and technologies for businesses. Possessing a diverse skill set that combines technical expertise, and project management capabilities.
Published March 03, 2021, Updated June 07, 2023
