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The Importance of Customer Service
The Importance of Customer Service
By Sharon Housley
The phrase, "the customer is always right,"
is an age old adage. When you work with others all day
that concept can be a bit frustrating. Customers come
with a host of concerns, questions, and expectations.
They often also come with bad attitudes, frustrations
and complaints, which the customer service representative
gets to work out. Because people call when they need
something or do not like something rather than when
they want to compliment and praise, the process of helping
them can be difficult. Feelings of frustration after
a string of difficult people are common and understandable.
On the other hand it is the customer service representative
who is responsible for diffusing problems and answering
questions with a smile (yes you can smile on the phone
and it will make a difference). Because the customer
service representative is the only, or one of the few
contacts that an individual may have with a company,
it is important that that person has a positive experience.
A positive experience will keep them happy and coming
back. By identifying challenges for the customer service
representative, solutions are given to help them increase
skills in helping others, which will increase customer
satisfaction.
One of the challenges with working with
people on the phone is that there in not face to face
communication. A lot of understanding others comes from
seeing their facial expressions, tightening or relaxing
of muscles and body language. Because this is not possible
on the phone, listening skills are important to be able
to understand others without seeing them. People seek
to be understood. What is said and how it is said gives
feedback , whether good or bad. Positive feedback allows
for the customer to feel understood. One way this is
done is by giving non-verbal communication. Such things
as nodding the head, smiling and giving eye-contact
all communicate that you are listening. When the conversation
is on the phone, giving positive feedback is still possible,
but it is done a little differently. Making such comments
as, "I see", "um-hum", "OK" all let the person know
you are listening as well as the tone of your voice
being comfortable and positive. Another important technique
is restating what you understood them to say. "So, what
you are saying is..." and fill in what the concern is,
problem with a product, etc. In order to help them you
need to fully understand their problem.
Another challenge with helping and working
with others is that respect may not be mutual. Their
tone may be harsh and they may attack and accuse. One
helpful reminder is to recognize that they may be going
through a difficult situation. A death, loss of job
or relationship problem all can shorten a person's patience
and temperament when a problem comes up. All though
these are not your problems, if you will be understanding
to the effect that stress plays on a person's emotions
and strength to control themselves, you will be more
ready to be patient. As you restate their concerns and
help them know that they are understood, tension will
ease in most cases. These skills can be practiced, learned
and mastered. It will make your job better for you,
and you will be better for the job.
An old proverb states, "Never judge a
man until you have walked a mile in his shoes." The
time with an individual on the phone is brief, but it
is still possible to apply this concept. Ask yourself
questions regarding the other person's position. How
would I feel? What is the real concern? What do they
need? By trying to think as if you were them and understand
their position, it might be easier to think of what
you would want or need. Treating others as if they were
you or a friend, will allow you to look for the solutions
that will solve the problem and ease tension.
The skill of understanding is one that
can be learned. Communicating understanding will help
the customer be satisfied and their experience will
be a positive one that keeps them coming back.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds
and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for
RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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publications and websites, provided that the resource
box is included and the links are active. A courtesy
copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would
be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
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at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
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