“You have to listen to your customers, your prospects, to any and all voices across the landscape of your industry.”
Great companies are made by effective and great leaders. Leaders become so due to their willingness and ability to listen and absorb all the best ideas and implement them. It starts with listening. In the realm of customer service too, first listening to customers enhances every experience they have with your company. When companies actually listen to customers, they are able to create an environment and culture that is focused on what the customer wants and make deeper and more meaningful connections with them. True listening enhances customer experience since this manner of listening goes beyond what the customer is saying. True listening will let the listener hear – even what is not being said, the tone of voice, changes in pitch, facial and bodily expressions and other differences between actual words and mannerism. How often have you as a customer been listened to in such a way? I for one cannot recall even one instance.
Considering that studies reveal that customer service is amongst the top ranked and active jobs in the US alone, it is shocking to note that listening is such a neglected skill. The main job of customer service is to first listen if they hope to bridge the gap between customer expectations and what the company currently provides. How can customer service hope to do justice to this critical job if listening has not been made one of the top and essential skills? Customers do not often use the ‘normal customer service parlance’ and unless your company is attuned to listening, it would be impossible to even think of serving the customers to a satisfactory level. Effective listening skills will immediately allow the customer service staff to understand what the customer wishes to convey, beyond words, and the staff would be able to provide them with what they need quickly and in the most efficient manner.
Even when not said, anyone in business knows that without customers there would be no business and therefore customer service is and should be amongst the top priorities for a company. The ‘smart’ companies have understood that this one of key elements that will serve to make them successful and sustainable. However, just spending large amounts of money and other vital resources on customer service will not suffice if the representatives are not adequately equipped with the right skills. Companies focus on product knowledge, telephone handling and other skills but often miss out on skills that may not immediately seem important but are crucial and listening is one of those ignored skills. Most people are trained and accustomed to listening with the objective of responding. The moment someone starts speaking, the first normal human reaction is processing information in the head related to the response we must give. Therefore when companies recruit staff for customer service they must provide training for this seemingly basic skill – listening. Customers are a set of people who deserve and demand to be listened to – even when they are being unreasonable. Listening for them means hearing and understanding what they want to convey even if they don’t actually say the words.
It is really quite surprising that this needs to be emphasized so often. It should be common sense and make for good business sense – how can a company hope to get anywhere close to what customers expect if they are not listening. In everyday life too – unless we are listening it would be impossible to move on to the next task. The breakdown of communication between two people very often happens because neither side is really listening to what the other has to say. Listening can come naturally to people if they are genuinely interested in what the other person has to say – the same is true for customer service. Only when the company is customer focused will they be willing to truly listen to their customers. When the customer service representatives are dedicated to respond swiftly, provide appropriate answers and maintain the highest levels of customer satisfaction, they will naturally be focused on listening to the customer first. This becomes a cyclic process – listening to customers will give them the trust that they can approach your company for anything at any time and your company will listen and provide the kind of service the customer wants.
Have you thought of what ‘listening’ quintessentially entails? How can your company and its representatives claim that they are actually listening?
- It starts with wanting to listen. If you are not interested in listening, then customer service is not the job for you. In our opinion, listening is a mind-set – you must want to listen, the urge to focus on the person speaking and what is being conveyed must be present. Listening to the customer (or anyone) entails clearing your mind of any other thoughts, preconceived notions and thinking that you have heard this before. Your customer could actually be saying something completely different and providing vital clues on maybe their impending decision to leave your company. Listening will help resolve the problems and retain the customer.
- Stop interrupting when the customer is speaking. However many times you may have heard the same suggestion or complaint, never ever talk before the customer stops. Give the customer your complete and undivided attention and let them completely finish what they need to say. Clarify your understanding of what they said and then proceed to putting your views or suggestions across. Customers then know that you are listening.
- When you listen actively your own tone of voice and words are calm, controlled and come out right. This puts the person being spoken to at ease and this is an extremely vital aspect of customer service. The customer must feel comfortable and be able to trust the company they are dealing with. When the customer service representative has truly been listening, they will remember what the customer may have said in the last conversation. Remembering their concerns and what they like, serves to please the customers beyond the realm of the business association.
- Listening means focusing and you cannot expect the customer to believe that you are focused on them if you are doing twenty different things while speaking with them. Imagine a situation where you are speaking to a customer service person and the person is looking around, or doing something else apart from speaking with you. Would you believe that the person has been listening?
- If a customer is complaining and seems ‘unduly’ upset, your job as a customer service representative is to display unfeigned empathy. Obviously it is something that your company has done that has caused a serious inconvenience to the customer and hence it is your job to listen to their grievance and do whatever is required to alleviate their problem.
- Customer service is a tough job – there is no doubt. However, whatever the situation it demands that the customer be listened to and dealt with patiently. It is detrimental to be rude or display impatience while listening or speaking to a customer. Be patient – the customer will stop speaking eventually and if you have listened carefully they would be amenable to listening to you and the solutions you have to offer.
- A customer could appear calm even when they are really annoyed. Listening carefully would allow you to note the tone, words used and body language of the customer. These will convey exactly how the customer feels about your company and will be good indicators of how your customer service is performing with regard to their expectations.
The reality of customer service is that customers are the foundation of any successful company and unless they know that you are listening to them, they will exercise their right of exploring other options and leave you for competition. Customers notice – when you are listening and when you are not. What are your customers saying about you?
