How Field Services Leverage Soft and Hard Skills to Support Delta’s Customer Service and Delivers on Projects

Field service refers to any services that are related to customers and organizational service in the field such as dispatching technicians to a location outside to assess the customer’s needs in field work like installing, repairing and other on-site assistance.

As such, it’s one of Delta’s key departments for collaborating with internal and external stakeholders. Today, we meet Ms. Jasmine Chew, an administrative executive who shares her working experiences in the Field Service Department of Delta Electronics (Singapore).

Can you please introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Jasmine Chew. My previous experience included five years as an Administrative Officer, and I am now working in the Field Service Department, which is now known as Customer Services, at Delta Electronics (Singapore). I joined in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

My accountability as an Administrative Executive involves handling overseas sales orders, delivery notes, data entry/tracking to ensure all goods are up-to-date with full traceability. I also assist in compiling minutes, preparing acceptance certifications and supporting overseas engineers on business trips.

What does your work mean to you? (Customer service / Field service)

In my definition, customer service or field service is the efficient performance of responsibilities and the prompt delivery of assistance to ensure customer satisfaction.

Tasks and time management are two important aspects of goal achievement. Being an administrative executive is a critical component of a department's operation, including coordination with internal and external organizations.
For example, I am responsible for assisting the service managers in executing client sales orders, assisting with data entry tasks, and preparing billing for work completed and deadlines.

What does great customer service look like?
Even if the organization has fantastic products, if a key factor in department success, such as Customer Service is unhelpful, unreliable, or difficult to reach, the company may lose customers. There are four characteristics of good customer service:

1. Positive attitude – professionals in this field frequently encounter negative feedback or moody interactions with customers. Attitude insights can positively impact the person with whom you communicate. Staying optimistic can make clients feel comfortable and demonstrate that you care about them.
2. Quick response - putting people first goes a long way toward offering outstanding customer experiences. Customers think that you value their time by providing them with exceptional experiences when you respond promptly.

3. Supporting and resolving problems – valuing customers' time with the ability to solve problems involves understanding customers' pain points and resolving problems quickly. You can provide knowledgeable and accessible resources to improve customer satisfaction.
4. Building connections – means building relationships, especially with our customers. The strategies for cultivating strong relationships, include making eye contact and talking to consumers, being well-informed and having sufficient resources to answer questions from clients.

Can you share the most impressive story in terms of your work scope in customer service/field service?
Working as a team with the Sales and Finance Departments is an impressive situation in my story. There was one occasion when we needed to sort out some entries in an SAP order so that Finance could proceed with the Invoice, and we needed to complete it by the end of the month.

However, we only found out about this after working hours and it was a Friday night. At that time, we had teamwork in my own department and from other departments which made me feel the willingness of different people to work together for our task to be completed at the most crucial time even when things do not go as planned.

Can you give an example of a challenging situation with customer services and how can you handle it?
The most challenging situation that I have ever encountered was from demanding clients who sent an email and expected a response within the next two minutes. They used Skype to emphasize that the support email was too delayed, and they have already overloaded our chatbot workflows with too many questions.

To deal with this challenging issue, we were patient with the clients, spoke respectfully, listened to their concerns and recorded feedback and then we rapidly rectified their difficulties. In this tough situation, we set response time expectations and kept customers updated on what was going on.

What would you like suggest for employees who are interested in doing customer service work?
The core values that the employees should focus on if they are interested in a customer service position has to do with personal characteristics of both soft skills and technical skills. Firstly, you need to have a passionate/optimistic personality to assist people, ensure that everyone is pleased and comfortable, and the capacity to stay calm under pressure situations.

Furthermore, being proactive with knowledgeable and extensive resources in customer service is necessary for suggesting clients. Secondly, soft skills may appear to be personal characteristics, but they are skills that a customer service representative should have for managing in roles, such as organizational management skills with time management, and collaboration skills. As an administrative assistant, you will work with your boss or managers as well as individuals from other departments to keep things running smoothly and deliver on projects.

In terms of technical skills, a customer service professional should learn fundamental computer skills such as sending emails, using Microsoft Office programs and others that are related to your roles or internal programs in the office.

In any case, customer care representatives should be open to learning new skills and keeping up with current developments.

About the Author (Guest Contributor)

Jasmine Chew

I am an Administrative Executive that provides clerical support to Customer Service at Delta Electronics Singapore. I would characterize my personality as approachable, optimistic, and enthusiastic. You won't hear much from me unless I really need some of your help but rest assured that I am working devotedly.

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