Introduction
Providing excellent customer service is crucial for businesses to not only retain existing customers but also gain new ones through positive word of mouth. Customer service representatives are often the face of the company and play a key role in shaping customer experience and perception of brand. Therefore, it is important for companies to hire individuals who demonstrate strong customer service skills through their resume and cover letter. A customer service writing sample can help hiring managers gauge an applicant’s ability to handle customer queries professionally and resolve issues effectively. This article provides tips to create a high-quality customer service writing sample that highlights relevant skills and experience.
Focus on Impactful Interactions
When including examples from past customer service roles in the writing sample, focus on interactions that had a meaningful impact or resolution. Don’t just list routine tasks but zoom in on specific instances where your actions satisfied difficult customers or turned around negative situations. For instance, you could describe a scenario where an angry customer was threatening to cancel their service due to long wait times but you were able to understand their frustrations, offer an appropriate resolution and retain their business. Quantifying the impact like dollar value of an upsell or number of saved accounts adds more credibility. Maintain customer confidentiality and don’t disclose any private details.
Demonstrate Strong Communication Skills
Excellent communication abilities are vital in any customer facing role. Use the writing sample as an opportunity to showcase your communication competencies through the language and examples provided. Choose descriptions that establish you as a polite, empathetic yet firm communicator who can de-escalate situations. Use simple words and avoid jargon that a non-technical reader may not understand. Start with a brief introduction of the customer’s issue or query and then quote any relevant dialogue that took place verbatim. This brings the interaction to life for the hiring manager. Highlight how you applied active listening to understand the customer’s perspective before presenting a solution. End with a conclusion that ties back to the positive resolution and satisfied customer.
Follow Proper Business Writing Format
The writing sample is still a professional document and should follow standard business formatting guidelines. Use a readable font like Times New Roman or Arial in 11-12 size. Leave one inch margins on all sides and double space between paragraphs. Include your name, page number and date on the header and title of the document center-aligned at the top. Use bullet points, numbers or sub-headings sparingly to break up long form content for easier scanning. Proofread carefully for any grammatical, spelling or factual errors before submitting. Get it validated by a third party as an extra layer of review. Familiarize yourself with the company and tailor examples relevant to their industry to appear knowledgeable.
Focus on Problem Solving Skills
Demonstrating your ability to think on your feet and solve issues creatively is very valuable in customer service. The writing sample gives a platform to highlight scenarios that required out of the box solutions. For example, describe a time when faced with an unusual request and you had to come up with an innovative workaround within company guidelines or policies. Showcase how you leveraged your product expertise, knowledge of workarounds or resourcefulness to address the problem. Mention any research conducted to find resolution. Don’t just state the problem but also walk through the logical thought process behind the solution in detail. This exhibits your analytical problem solving potential to employers.
Emphasize Positive Outcomes
It’s easy for customer service encounters to take a negative turn. Focus the examples in your writing sample only on interactions that had favorable conclusions. Briefly set the context of the initial problem but then zoom in on the steps taken and words said to turn the situation around. Quantify the tangible results like reversing a billing error, resolving a technical glitch or talking a customer out of cancelling a contract. Highlight how you exceeded expectations through excellent follow up, ensuring full satisfaction was achieved and brand loyalty increased. The hiring manager wants to visualize you as the kind of frontline resource that consistently delivers stellar outcomes through proactive service recovery skills. End with a thank you note to the hypothetical customer for their continued patronage and business.
Customize for the Company
The most effective customer service writing samples are tailored to the specific employer and role you are applying for. Research the company’s products/services, mission, target customers and pain points faced. Then curate the examples and anecdotes included to mirror real life scenarios they may typically handle. For a medical call center, focus on assisting patients with insurance claims or transfer requests. When applying at a retail chain, discuss resolving issues with online or in-store purchases. For a cable provider, describe troubleshooting outages or rescheduling installation dates. Presenting contextual situations they can relate to establishes you as someone who understands their business well. This customization makes the writing pop more for the reader.
Highlight Transferable Skills
During the hiring process, emphasize elements in your writing sample that are universally applicable to any customer service position, not just past specific roles. Draw attention to skills like active listening, problem solving, multi-tasking, attention to detail, teamwork and ability to remain calm under pressure. Quantify achievements and metrics when possible such as reduced average handle times, increased first call resolutions or performance awards received to validate your proficiencies. Mention understanding of relevant technologies, platforms or systems that are widely used across industries too. Recruiters like to identify core transferable abilities that indicate quick ramp up times regardless of exact job duties. This makes you a lower risk candidate suitable for various customer facing roles within the company.
Get It Reviewed
Ask 2-3 professional colleagues or professors unrelated to the target role to evaluate the writing sample before final submission. Have them check for any possible feedback on narrative flow, adequacy of details provided, quality of communication style and overall impression created. Incorporate their recommendations to further polish the content. For example, they may suggest reorganizing paragraphs for better cohesion or eliminating redundant information. Their outside perspective helps spot any blind spots. You could also have career center staff at your alma mater validate it adheres to standard formatting guidelines and highlights capabilities effectively. Involving multiple eyes catches unintended errors or ways to optimize impressions beyond just your own review. This multi-step validation lends more credibility.
Conclusion
A polished customer service writing sample sets applicants apart from the competition when applying for frontline roles. It provides a platform to directly showcase pertinent qualifications through engaging interactions, dialogue and outcomes achieved. With strategic examples that resonate contextually and highlight transferable skills, recruiters can visualize you handling complex scenarios successfully. Request reviews from others to ensure it effectively spotlights capabilities and leaves the best possible impression. With compelling content demonstrating exemplary communication skills and customer focus, this type of supplementary document can be a difference maker when competing for jobs.
Andrew Stroud