Customer service skills are the set of behaviors you rely on when interacting with a customer. They can also be useful when following up after an initial conversation. For example, if you work as a virtual assistant for a technology company, you may need to help customers troubleshoot problems with their devices. To accomplish this, you will likely use several different skills:

• Communication. You will need to be responsive in a timely manner. You will need to communicate with them in a clear, easy-to-understand way to solve the problem.
  
  
• Empathy. Your interactions may begin with someone who is frustrated or unhappy. It is important that you understand and identify with the feelings of others and communicate accordingly.
  
  
• Patience. Clients and customers might ask several questions, be unhappy or ask you to repeat instructions several times. Patience is important to keep the conversation on track, remain personable and provide a positive experience.
  
  
• Technical knowledge. To effectively solve problems, you will likely need to know a bit of technical or industry knowledge to help them resolve the issue at hand.