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Have incoming phone calls forwarded automatically to your voice mail system.
Ask others not to interrupt you when you are with a customer.
If you are talking with a customer on the phone, don't take incoming calls on another
line.
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While all distractions and interruptions cannot be avoided, most can and should be. Failure
to control distractions is unprofessional and rude, and leaves customers feeling like a
"second-class citizen." Failure to control distractions can be especially volatile in emotionally
charged situations.
Unit 3 Listening Techniques
Section 3.1 Overview
Listening is possibly the single-most important communication skill that contributes to good
customer service in oral settings. Effective listening is at the root of determining customers'
needs and concerns in order to meet them.
Good listening implies three things:
An individual has a realistic attitude about the impact of listening. More specifically, the
individual understands the positive effects of effective listening and the negative effects of
poor listening on customer service as well as on her or his organization and career.
An individual is familiar with effective listening techniques and common listening
barriers. The individual does not merely view listening as an effortless, biological function
(hearing) that he or she has been performing well since birth. Instead, the individual
understands effective listening is a process that requires specific skills and techniques.
An individual is willing to work continuously at refining her/his listening skills. The
individual understands that effective listening will always involve effort combined with the
right attitude.
The remainder of this unit contains suggested listening techniques as well as a list of poor
listener types.
Section 3.2 Suggested Listening Techniques
Give your full attention to the customer who is talking. First, maintain an attitude that
the customer deserves your full attention. Then, avoid those actions that divert your
attention. Examples include daydreaming, faking attention, answering your telephone or
pager, making judgments about the customer's appearance, etc.
Be especially careful to avoid forming your response(s) to what a customer is saying while
he or she is speaking. Hear the customer out before developing and sharing your response.
This way you will be able to focus on all of the facts and details and nonverbal and
emotional cues the customer shares. In addition, you will be able to put the customer at
ease which includes, among other techniques, sharing reassuring nods and verbal
utterances (i.e., uh-huh, certainly, etc.) at appropriate intervals.
Listen for nonverbal and emotional cues as well as for facts and details. Facts and details
are certainly important components of any oral conversation; however, they alone do not
comprise the total message. Good listeners understand that nonverbal and emotional cues
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Arguing and/or debating with the customer. Fight the urge to debate and/or argue
with customers. The times when you are most susceptible to these counterproductive
behaviors are when customers say something that is inconsistent with your way of
thinking. We are all challenged to think before we speak in such situations. Good
listeners know when and how to exercise self-control.
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Believing that there is little you can learn. Some poor listeners tune out customers if
they believe they are being told something that is either too elementary or that they
already know. While this may be true of some of what customers say, it is rarely true
of all that they are saying. Needless-to-say, tuning out customers for this reason is
very inappropriate.
Believing that you have too little knowledge and/or experience to understand. Some
poor listeners tune out customers if they believe what the customer is saying is
beyond their ability to comprehend. In such situations, rather than tune out the
customer, challenge yourself to apply your best focusing techniques. In addition, ask
the customer for clarification as needed. Finally, don't hesitate to restate some of the
customer's main points so you can determine if your perceptions and interpretations
are accurate.
Believing that what is being said is not interesting and/or entertaining. Most people
understand and accept the fact that all that is said in customer service situations is
not interesting and/or entertaining. It would be nice if most was because it is
naturally easier to pay attention when what is being said is interesting and/or
entertaining. When the talk is not, though, challenge yourself to apply your best
focusing techniques.
Avoid speaker-related barriers. Good listeners avoid falling victim to common, speakerrelated, listening barriers. Examples include being distracted by customers' appearance,
mannerisms, voice, gestures, facial expressions, and so forth. For example, overcome the
urge to focus even a small portion of your attention on a male customer's unusually high
voice or a female customer's excessive makeup at the expense of hearing and
understanding their message.
Good listeners focus their attention on the customer's total message; the facts and details
as well as the nonverbal and emotional cues. While they may be tempted to be distracted by
some of the above-mentioned, speaker-related barriers, they have learned to focus their
attention on the message not the speaker.
Section 3.3 Poor Listener Types
The following list provides an interesting way of reviewing some poor listening techniques. It
is almost impossible to read through such a list without seeing some of your own or others'
negative listening habits. Hopefully you won't see yourself in the list too often. The list
provides yet another means of analyzing your own listening abilities.
The Faker. This person pretends to be listening intently, but his or her verbal and
nonverbal responses signal the opposite. Fakers' body language is usually a give away. They
usually maintain poor eye contact, shuffle their feet, and slouch.
The Continual Talker. This person interrupts constantly, debates every issue, and
generally loves to hear herself talk.
The Critic. This person is quick to call the speaker's subject matter uninteresting, argue
about every little detail, and/or demean the speaker's delivery style.
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Sharing the information or approval of the requested adjustment at the beginning of the
first paragraph.
Opening. Tell the customer what he or she wants to hear in the first seven or eight
words of the first sentence of the first paragraph. By doing so, the customer is
immediately placed in a positive, receptive frame of mind and will typically read the
remainder of your letter. Avoid using a clich in the opening (i.e., As per your letter
of ...). They contribute to an inappropriate, formal, non-conversational tone.
Middle. Present supporting details and/or explanations necessary for message clarity. If
the message involves granting an adjustment for a product that did not work properly,
don't sound begrudging. In addition, place emphasis on the adjustment not on the
problem.
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Remaining friendly and neutral, concerning the unfavorable news, in the first paragraph.
Providing reasons supporting the unfavorable news, stating the unfavorable news, and
offering alternatives if possible in the middle paragraphs.
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Replace long words with short words as long as meaning is not changed in the process.
Eliminate words and phrases that can be removed without affecting the meaning of the
message. (I.e., "At the present time we are using your equipment." Remove the words
"At the present time" and capitalize the letter "w" of the word "we.")
Avoid a writing style in which the dominant sentence structure is compound and/or
compound-complex. Look for ways to say the same thing in a simple sentence.
Look for opportunities to integrate visual aids into written messages, letters and memos
as well as business reports. Points that would take several sentences and/or paragraphs
to communicate in words can often be communicated more concisely and effectively
through well-developed visual aids.
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Avoid using vague words that can result in misinterpretations and misunderstandings
(i.e., soon, several, etc.)
Weave the words so as to create in the receiver's mind a visual picture of your
message.
Use a positive, courteous, professional tone. Avoid a tone that communicates anger,
frustration, or resentment and/or is patronizing or condescending.
Develop concise messages, but not at the exclusion of details needed for message
clarity.
Use an active voice most of the time, but remember that the passive voice provides
an excellent de-emphasis technique.
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Analyze and understand your own culture, subcultures, and communication behaviors
and desires before studying others'. (You can understand and appreciate others' needs
better if you first understand your own.)
Understand how people of other cultures perceive your culture, subculture, and
communication behaviors and desires. (For example, it is typical in Latin cultures for
businesspeople to want to visit with a foreign business partner about non-business
matters, as a means of getting to know her as a person, before discussing business.
From such visits they attempt to determine if the other party is a person with whom
they would like to develop a long-term business relationship. U.S. businesspeople,
however, typically like to get right down to business, because they operate on tight
schedules and equate time with money. If the U.S. businessperson attempts to force
business talk from the start with a Latin businessperson, she may damage the potential
business relationship and may be viewed as "pushy".)
Learn all you can about your cross-cultural customers' communication behaviors and
desires. Also learn as much as possible about your business partner's country and
culture. (For example, learn about the country's political system, beliefs/religion(s),
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Learn about your cross-cultural customers' attitudes about the use of electronic
communication technology. (For example, some cultures prefer face-to-face
communication, while others are receptive to e-mail messages and faxes. Then there are
others who expect initial contact to be face-to-face and once a relationship is established
are receptive to e-mail communication, teleconferences, etc.)
As a general rule, when writing to or conversing with business partners from another
country, keep messages as short and simple as possible. Uses short simple sentences
and avoid slang. In addition, since the chance of the confusion is increased, make
feedback an active part of the communication activity.
Learning about others' cultures and communication behaviors and desires requires quite a
bit of effort, but the results are typically very interesting and fruitful.
Section 5.5 Constrain Emotions
Unrestrained negative emotions typically threaten communication effectiveness. When
negative emotions go unchecked, communicators often write or make damaging statements
and/or respond emotionally and defensively to others' messages. This is typically not a
problem with routine, positive, non-controversial messages. But, messages that contain
negative news and/or very controversial content are extremely susceptible to emotional
interference.
When upset, message developers may be tempted to create messages that express
emotions such as anger, resentment, and/or frustration. Their words may even be viewed as
being mean spirited, spiteful, petty, patronizing, and/or condescending. Most people have
the creative ability to develop messages like those described above and some might even
take pleasure in doing so. However, we all know on a logical level that they should not
develop and transmit such potentially damaging messages.
The challenge is to keep negative, emotions-based statements out of messages. First
postpone developing messages susceptible to emotional interference until you have "cooled
off" and can develop them objectively and professionally. Next, look for damaging emotional
statements when planning and developing messages. Then, set aside appropriate time to
revise messages with the intention of eliminating such statements before the messages are
transmitted. In addition, have another person read or listen to your messages before
transmitting them with the purpose of catching problems that have gone unnoticed.
Receivers of upsetting messages may also be tempted to create responses that express
emotions such as anger, resentment, and/or frustration. If not controlled, their messages
may also be viewed as being mean spirited, spiteful, petty, patronizing, and/or
condescending. These people, like all communicators in such situations, must strongly
consider pushing the "delete" button on their keyboard before pushing the "send" button.
Receivers of upsetting, emotionally-charged messages are also challenged to leave
negative, emotions-based statements out of their messages. As mentioned above, they
should also postpone responding to upsetting messages until they have "cooled off" and can
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Make sure your voice, facial expressions, and all other nonverbal cues project sincerity and
don't contradict your words.
Learn how to deal with difficult people (difficult personalities) effectively. First, we might
ask, "What constitutes a difficult personality?" Unfortunately, some people believe a difficult
personality is one that is not a clone of their personality. This is a very unrealistic attitude.
We all differ, and every one of us has at least one personality quirk that is likely to upset
somebody else.
Instead of writing off people whose personalities vary significantly from yours, learn to deal
with them effectively and positively. This is especially true when dealing with complaining
customers. Anticipate that they will be aggressive or overly-detail oriented or dominating or
one of many other challenging personalities. Then, learn how to work with each of these
personalities both effectively and positively. There are numerous books, journal articles,
audiocassettes, and videos on the topic that you can access. A good place to start is with
the three-videotape series entitled "How to Handle Difficult People" distributed through
National Press Publications, (1-800-258-7248).
Section 5.8 Communicating with Customers on the Telephone
While telephone conversations with customers do not provide the communication richness of
face-to-face meetings, they are certainly commonplace. Possibly the biggest drawbacks of
telephone conversations for all communication partners are (1) the absence of visual
nonverbal and emotional cues and (2) the temptation to do other things while engaged in
the conversation (i.e., open mail, sort papers, doodle, write memos, etc.).
Furthermore, we're not talking here about basic telephone usage alone. We must also
concern ourselves with appropriate usage of answering machines, voice mail systems,
speakerphones, computer-generated calls, telephone menus, placing callers on hold, and
cell phones. Alexander Graham Bell might be surprised if he knew how much people have
complicated his simple invention. None-the-less, it is important to know how to use the
telephone and all its features and variations properly.
What follows are several suggestions regarding telephone usage that will enhance customer
service. These suggestions do not repeat several of the effective oral communication tips
that were presented previously in this course (especially Unit 2), although they apply to
both settings. For example, speaking rate, use of pauses, and initiating feedback are not
discussed below but are also important in this oral communication setting.
General Telephone Usage
Be an excellent listener. You will need to listen very carefully for oral-related nonverbal and
emotional cues (i.e., vocal inflections, pauses, sighs, etc.) since visual nonverbal and
emotional cues are not available.
During telephone conversations, avoid distractions such as tapping your pen or pencil,
eating, drinking, chewing gum, smoking, reading e-mail, writing memos, doodling, opening
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