On the phone or in person, listening is the single most important service skill. And while people assume they know how to listen, the truth is that listening is a technique, which most people will practice and refine throughout their careers. In the training guide, Effective Listening, the authors provide eight techniques for "Service Listening." One…Continue reading
Customer service reps should have the same goal on difficult calls as they have on every other call — to provide the best possible service. And that includes conversations with angry or abusive callers. In the November issue of Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, communications consultant Charlotte Purvis suggests how to…Continue reading
The quality of a service professional’s voice sets the tone for each customer conversation. The well trained voice will sound confident, trustworthy, interested, and likable, and will smooth the way to a positive interaction. In the training guide, Sounding Great on the Phone, the authors provide six techniques to become a more polished and professional speaker.…Continue reading
Some reps are just naturals. Even without training, they seem to know how to work well with customers — How to humanize conversations, build rapport, and leave customers feeling valued and cared for. These people share four important traits says Don R. Crawley, author of The Compassionate Geek. Fortunately, they are traits which can be learned.…Continue reading
Ever wonder why customers sometimes seem to lose control? They snap at imagined slights. They argue, but they don’t make sense. They don’t seem to listen. And they can’t follow simple directions. The problem, says Andra Medea, a conflict resolution specialist, is that these customers are victims of adrenaline flooding — a rush of adrenaline…Continue reading
Most companies have some policies that are less than customer friendly. How reps handle them can make all the difference to customers. In the May issue of Customer Communicator, the newsletter for frontline reps, the editors encourage reps to consider the following five points when customers question a policy: 1. Avoid saying, "That isn’t our company…Continue reading
