While asking customers a lot of questions may feel intrusive and time consuming, failing to ask those questions can lead to miscommunication, repeat contacts, and frustration for both the rep and the customer.
In the November issue of Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, the authors recommend four techniques for expert questioning. This includes asking “confirming questions.”
Confirming questions ensure that the rep and the customer are in agreement about the reason for the call. Confirming has the added benefit of jogging the customer’s memory for something they may not have mentioned. And by understanding the full scope of the problem, reps can address everything all at once. Confirming questions sound like this:
- “Let me see if I understand. You placed an order, but reversed your bill-to and ship-to addresses, now you’d like to split the delivery between the two addresses. Is that right?”
- “If I understand correctly, you ordered 800 packs of 10 pieces. You meant to order 800 pieces. So the order should be for 8 packs of 10. Is that correct?”
Confirming will lead to more accurate understanding and more efficient problem solving.
Advice and examples for communicating with customers appears regularly in Customer Communicator newsletter.