AI, Tech, Software, and Trends – there are countless aspects that require further training within the modern workplace, but none is quite as crucial to customer experience as Soft Skill development.
Forbes describes soft skills as
“a set of personal attributes and abilities that allow individuals to effectively interact with others in a professional setting.”
These abilities can include collaboration, time management, leadership, and critical thinking, among others, but certain soft skills are non-negotiable if you want to provide exceptional customer and client experiences. We are going to look at these soft skills shortly.
But first, why are soft skills so important?
Simply put – because we are humans dealing with humans in a world filled with humans. Are you getting it? CX is about the human experience, and if we desire to enhance the experience, we need to improve how we relate to each other as humans.
So, what are the soft skills that are essential for CX?
1. Communication
The ability to effectively communicate goes beyond stringing a sentence together, but this is an area for your team to learn active listening and how to identify non-verbal communication. There is so much that is said that is unsaid.
2. Creativity
It is no longer just something for the realm of design teams and marketing boffs. Creativity should be embraced because it is the root of imagination and experimentation to find new and better ways to make your customers smile.
3. Adaptability
Life is not made up of binary choices, so it goes without saying that adaptability is key when dealing with clients and customers. What works for one might not work for another, so developing flexibility in your decision-making as well as instilling a growth mindset (always being willing to learn that there might be a better way of doing things) is key to customer success.
4. Problem-Solving
Problems always arise, and more often than not, how you solve them increases (or decreases) your clients’ estimation of you. Critical thinking and taking initiative shift your service experience from being reactive to being proactive and afford moments of magic when a client might be expecting pain.
5. Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand both your emotions and the emotions of those around you. In the most basic sense, EI boils down to empathy, motivation, self-awareness, and social skills. Ultimately, it is understanding what it means to be a human relating to another human by putting yourself in their shoes. This is the cornerstone to a positive and constructive interaction with a client or team member.
While you now understand the importance of soft skills, you might be asking how we begin the training process for soft skills.
It is not as easy as training an employee to use Google Docs or Microsoft Excel. Unlike technical skills with training programmes and consultants, leaders, training these soft skills lies on you and the culture you create in the workplace.
Here are some ways to cultivate and train soft skills:
1. Cultivate a Learning Mindset
Leaders – lead by example in displaying the soft skills and create opportunities for your team to hone these skills during their workday.
2. Mentorship and Cross-Training
Encourage your team to learn from each other. This practice of interacting with one another already enhances the soft skills you need to create a successful CX.
3. Practice, Contemplation, and Feedback
Realise this won’t happen overnight. Practice your new skills daily. Reflect on your progress, paying attention to what works and what doesn’t. Most importantly, be open to feedback – interpersonal growth takes interpersonal input!
In the modern workplace, having character over technical ability has never been more important. In the same way that many businesses are investing in Customer and Client Experience as a differentiator in the market, developing soft skills becomes the way forward to set you apart from the pack and put you on the road
Word and Photos: Matthew Jordaan
This article was commissioned by nlightencx and first appeared on their LinkedIn page
