Customer Service Concepts That Apply to Online Tutoring

These days, simply having a great product is not enough. Any business that wants to attract and keep customers also needs to have excellent customer service. And since modern technology has made people both more knowledgeable and less patient, customer service is becoming even more important for companies that want to stand out from competitors.

Customer service can take many forms, including things like making it easy for users to get in contact with questions or complaints, using feedback to make improvements, and of course, providing a high-quality product or service efficiently. 

All of these ideas apply to companies in general, including Engoo, but many also work on a smaller scale for tutors in one-on-one lessons. This article will focus on a handful that can help improve the experience you give your students before, during and after a lesson.

Customer service concepts that apply to online tutoring

Knowledge of your product or service

Whether online or in person, talking with an employee who really knows what they are selling makes you feel you are in good hands — and that makes you more confident when buying something. Naturally, our students come to us for our knowledge of English, but this concept goes deeper than that.

Being knowledgeable also extends to the service itself, which means being confident and comfortable using all of the available tools and being prepared with solutions when there are technical issues or other disruptions.

Empathy

The ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand how they might be feeling is an extremely important skill for successful customer service. It is more of a natural ability than something you can learn, but it is something to be aware of regardless.

Remember that learning a foreign language is not an easy thing to do for most people. There will be times when students are frustrated or will frustrate you with slow (or no) responses and repeated mistakes.

But picture yourself in their situation — how would you want your tutor to act toward you? That simple idea of switching places can make you much more empathetic, which students will likely notice and appreciate.

A positive attitude

Sometimes the simplest things can be the most difficult to get right. Even if you've mastered everything else on this list, perfect customer service coming from someone frowning or unfriendly won't leave the student with a great impression.

A positive, can-do attitude won't magically solve every problem, but it can instantly make a lesson more pleasant and change the overall feeling of a conversation for the better. 

Active listening

No matter the business, before you can help a customer, you first need to hear them. What are they looking for? What is their unique situation? How can you meet or exceed their expectations? If there is a problem, what's the best way to solve it?

And for tutors, there's an extra point to keep in mind. We all know that students often do not say exactly what they are thinking. So listening carefully is even more important since we need to hear what they say and also figure out what they don't say. It's a bit like mind reading! But being able to anticipate things your student may need help with will make you a much better tutor.

Patience

Customers need to be heard, and their issues or complaints must be dealt with calmly and professionally. This often requires a lot of patience, which is important not only for business but for life in general.

Specifically for tutors, this can mean not getting frustrated while a student searches for the right words to say, or hearing them make the same mistakes multiple times before they finally understand a grammar point.

However, the real test of patience is keeping calm when they are rude or when they've said something that you strongly disagree with. It's not always easy to stay professional in these situations, but that's what separates regular companies (and tutors) from outstanding ones.

Communication skills

Our entire business is communication! But even so, it's not only about the spoken language we use — it's about sending and receiving messages in all types of ways. This includes things like body language, facial expressions and tone of voice.

Do you seem engaged and focused on the student and the lesson? Are the lesson notes you write afterwards meaningful and helpful? What messages does your profile — which your student sees before they even meet you — send about you and your tutoring style? 

We're all communicating even when we're not thinking about it, so forming good habits in these areas will help you get used to sending the right kinds of signals automatically.

Accepting feedback

Sites like Yelp and Trip Advisor have made it easier than ever to quickly learn about a business' reputation, whether it's a restaurant, a bank or an airline. People who've had a great experience someplace like to tell others about it. But the opposite is also true, and unhappy customers can just as easily let everyone know how upset they are with a business.

It can be difficult to hear, but constructive criticism is a good thing if you use it well. If a student leaves a low rating or has negative things to say about your lesson, the professional thing to do is learn what you can from it in order to improve and provide a better experience next time. This means being willing to try things in a different way. In the end, it can make you better at your job and more likely to achieve success.

Wrap-up

When you hear the term "customer service representative," you may think of a person whose only job is to solve problems or troubleshoot after someone has purchased something. In reality, customer service should be a part of the entire experience, not only at the end or when something has gone wrong.

Instead of only responding to issues later, keeping these concepts in mind can help you to stay one step ahead by setting the right expectations, keeping the interaction pleasant, anticipating questions, and being ready with solutions when problems do appear. Every little bit helps to make a smoother, nicer experience for your students — and to get you better ratings.