Improve your Customer Service with Active Listening Skills

Recently while traveling I encountered a airport ticket agent who seemed very rude. It was obvious that she did not have my best interests in mind. She didn’t seem to have any people skills whatsoever! When I tried to inform her of my situation she made a number of customer service no-no’s. I felt like she wasn’t even comprehending what I was saying, mainly because she had her own agenda.

If you deal in any way with internal or external customers below are a few tips that can go a long way.

ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS

>Paraphrase:
In your own words, restate what the customer just said. Be sure to also ask if what you paraphrased is correct. Phrases like, "Is that right?" are very effective. This technique confirms for the customer that you are listening and do understand what they are saying.

>Encouragers:
This technique is intended to help your customer to keep talking. Depending on the format of the conversation, this technique can be used in two ways.

ON PHONE: Verbal cues like "Uh Huh", "Really?", or just repeating a key word can help.

IN PERSON: In addition to the verbal skills already mentioned, this conversation provides the opportunity for non-verbal communication like a head nod, leaning in to show interest, or even a smile to help the speaker continue.

>Reflect Feelings:
This technique is used to defuse emotion, so you can focus on the situation. The format for this statement is, "It seems you are (descriptive feeling)". Let the customer reply. They will tell you if you are right. If not, they will explain how they are feeling.

>Probe:
This technique is used to get additional information. Sometimes customers speak in very general terms, and you need more information to clarify the situation. You can ask by saying, "Could you tell me more about...?" or "What do you mean by...?"

Article Source: http://www.wahm-articles.com

Monique has over 15 years of business experience in areas such as healthcare, corporate training, teaching, management, and IT project management. She has been a certified personal trainer for fourteen years, an executive and business coach for seven years, and has vast experience in the areas of wellness, fitness and nutrition, life coaching services, transition coaching and other professional services. You can find information about her Seven Dimensions of Wellness at her website, bodylifedynamics.com/.

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