Excelling in Customer Service Part 1 of 3
I’m sure you’ve been told “It’s not what you said; it’s how you said it†more than once in your life and I guarantee you’re going to hear it again. It’s no fun getting yelled at or told you’re wrong by anyone, let alone a customer. However, arguing back or ignoring their concerns will only escalate the issue and make your customer more enraged and frustrated (see last week’s blog, “Top 4 Customer Service Mistakesâ€). Working in the customer service industry means you need to excel at actively listening.
Get Rid of the Script
Like I said last week, no one wants a generic, insincere apology; it needs to be genuine and backed up with action. If you get rid of the scripts used to interact with customers, it forces the customer service team to actively listen and understand the root of the issue.
Let the Customer Have Some Say
Ask your customers “What would you like to see happen to resolve this issue?†This will help you understand what will make your customer feel better about the issue at hand. It will also increase efficiency because you won’t have to run in circles trying to figure out what exactly should be done to resolve the issue.
In a customer service study it was found that women like to give and receive more information and men liked being empowered. In order to accomplish this, you need to dig to discover what the issue is and figure out a way to fix it. Let them tell you exactly what happened, even if it’s long-winded; let them feel like they have a say in what is going to happen.
This is a simple, but powerful first step to get you on your way to excel in the customer service industry. Without great customer service, you won’t have repeat customers and your business will diminish!
What are your thoughts and ideas on actively listening to the customer? What tips do you have?
Step 2 for great customer service will be coming on Wednesday October 19th. Stay tuned.