CallSource^® Aim Higher

"CUSTOMER SERVICE 101"

by Douglas D. Chasick, CPM®, CAPS, CAS, Adv. RAM, CLP, SLE , September 17 2008

"Hey Doug, now that I've cultivated all those customer complaints, what the heck do I do with them?" Glad you asked!

Chasick's First Law of Effective Customer Service is "They TALK (and talk and talk and talk), and we LISTEN." We can't know what the problem is if WE talk and THEY listen. The most important skill we can develop is ACTIVE LISTENING, hearing what the customer is actually saying instead of hearing what we think the customer is saying.

Chasick's Second Law of Customer Service is "The customer is always right, ESPECIALLY when they are wrong." Why? Because the customer's complaint is VERY REAL TO THEM! It doesn't matter what we think of their problem, it's a VERY REAL PROBLEM for your customer. The biggest reason we fail to effectively solve problems is our tendency to deal with OUR PERCEPTION of the problem instead of the CUSTOMER'S PERCEPTION of the problem.

Being a good listener is very difficult, because everyone likes to talk. It's also difficult because we "translate" what the customer is saying into something we can deal with. This process of translation is called "being judgmental." In other words, we are always judging what we hear: In order to solve any problem so our customer is satisfied, we must solve THEIR problem, regardless of what WE think of it. And since they are convinced THEY have a problem, they can NEVER BE WRONG!

Here's a great way to sharpen your listening skills: 

• Practice listening to a tape of your favorite songs
• Turn it off at 5 or 10 minute intervals
• Write down the words to the songs
• Replay the tape, see how many you were able to write down EXACTLY as they were sung.

Once you learn how to listen, you have to learn how to listen without reacting. Remember this is business, not personal, and act accordingly. It's easy to get drawn into an argument or shouting match. The professional remains detached, handling problems in a calm, business-like manner. The key to remaining detached is to STOP JUDGING what our customer is saying. If we don't have a judgment or opinion about the problem, we can deal with "the facts."

Unfortunately, some customers keep talking after they've said everything! Once we know what the problem is, we can start talking, which (hopefully) means they have to stop talking. One effective way to do this is to express surprise: "Wow! No kidding! I had no idea. Listen, here's how we . . ." Another way is to set a time limit: "Excuse me but I've GOT TO GO to a meeting in 10 minutes. Let me see if I understand what your problem is . . ."

Here are 10 tips that will make your customer service interactions more effective:

1. Always be polite and treat people with respect. Remember, we are professionals. When we allow our emotions to affect a business decision, we usually make the wrong decision.

2. Be empathetic, not sympathetic. People want to feel cared about, not felt sorry for. Empathy places ourselves in the customer's shoes, seeing the problem from their point of view.

3. Accept people for who they are and don't try to change them. The only person YOU can change is YOU. People will behave they way THEY want to, regardless of how we feel about it!

4. All problems should be treated as special problems because they are special to the customer. Even if it's a routine problem that you solve 10 times a day, give the customer your special interest and attention.

5. Always keep an open mind when dealing with customers. Too many people approach any conversation with an "already-always listening" for the other person. That means that we ALREADY know what the other person is going to say because they ALWAYS say it, so we LISTEN to what's going on in our head instead of what the other person is REALLY SAYING. (This is a good idea for any people we deal with!)

6. When promises are made, they must be kept. If you aren't going to do something you've promised, let the customer know before the time they are expecting it to be done, and give them a full explanation as well as new completion date.

7. Always thank customers for their complaints, even if you have to bite your tongue!

8. Always restate the problem back to the customer. Start by saying, "Let me make sure I understand what you're saying" or "Let me see if I've got this correctly." It shows the person you're REALLY listening and eliminates errors.

9. Ask the customer what THEY think you should do to solve the problem. They may have an easy, cheap solution. Most people want a lot less than we think they do, so get their idea before you offer yours.

10. Use their name A LOT! People love to hear their name.

Watch for next month's issue for Part 2 of CUSTOMER SERVICE 101.
dchasick@callsource.com