Customer Service

Improving Customer Service With Active Listening Skills

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Imrpoving Customer Service With Active Listening SkillsImproving Customer Service With Active Listening Skills

Delivering excellent customer service to your internal and external customers requires strong interpersonal communication skills, especially in the area of listening.

  • Listening effectively is the primary means that many customer service representatives use during communication to determine the needs of their customers. Many times, these needs are not communicated to you directly but through inferences, indirect comments, or nonverbal signals. A skilled listener will pick up on a customer’s words and these cues or nuances and, then conduct follow-up questioning or probe deeper to determine the real need.
  • Most employees take listening skills for granted in a customer service environment. They incorrectly assume that anyone can listen effectively. Unfortunately, this is untrue. This is why many employees who deal with customers are complacent about listening and only go through the motions of listening.
  • True listening is an active learned process, as opposed to hearing, which is the physical action of gathering sound waves through the ear canal. When you listen actively, you go through a process consisting of various phases …. hearing or receiving the message, attending, comprehending or assigning meaning, and responding.
  • For information and strategies for developing and using effective listening skills and what you can do to more effectively interact with your customers, get a copy of Customer Service Skills for Success.

Quote On Communicating Through Body Language – Harvey Wolter

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Quote About Communicating Through Body Language - Harvey Wolter

Quote On Communicating Through Body Language – Harvey Wolter

Learning to read body language (nonverbal communication) is a crucial customer service skill since the majority of the sender’s meaning in a conversation comes from the non-verbal cues that they send along with their verbal communication.

Famous Harvey Wolter Quotes

  • “You can tell a lot by someone’s body language.”
  • “It really gets your blood going in the morning.”
  • “I never take anything personally. If they don’t respond, I figure it’s because of what’s going on in their own life; they’re preoccupied. I just try to help them with what I can.”
  • “You get to know them, and all about their family, their aches and pains. Sometimes you laugh with them, sometimes you cry with them.”

For additional thought and strategies on using and reading nonverbal communication when dealing with customers, get copies of Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

About Robert W. Lucas

Bob Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Customer Relations is Directly Tied to Keeping Your Word

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Customer Relations is Directly Tied to Keeping Your Word

Customer service training for employees must cover basic customer service skills (i.e. verbal and nonverbal communication, how to build and maintain customer relationships that can lead to customer and brand loyalty and overall customer satisfaction). It must also emphasize how to handle situations when something goes wrong and teach how to implement sound service recovery strategies.  This last topic is crucial since some customer situations can quickly escalate when people perceive that they have been lied to or that a service provider failed to meet a commitment to them.

An example of the importance and severity of what might happen if employees fail to meet commitments to a customer was provided in an article in USA Today newspaper on February 28, 2014. Four people were shot in a tax preparation business when a customer became disgruntled when her tax return was not ready as promised. Read more at http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/03/01/detroit-shooting-tax-refund/5919971/.

For more ideas and strategies on building better customer relationships and implementing service recovery strategies when customers are dissatisfied, get a copy of Customer Service Skills for Success.

Customer Relations is Directly Tied to Keeping Your Word

About Robert W. Lucas

Bob Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Non-Verbal Communication Tips

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Nonverbal Communication Tips - The Importance Gestures in Customer Communication

Nonverbal Communication Tips –

The Importance of Gestures in Customer Communication

Never underestimate the power of nonverbal communication when interacting with your customers or others. The issue is so important that entire books have been written on the topic. This article provides some nonverbal communication tips related to gesturing that you may want to consider before meeting your next customer.

Many studies have been done on the different ways in which people communicate and send messages to others. One classic study by Dr. Albert Mehrabian emphasized that the emotions between two people can be amplified through the use of nonverbal gestures or cues. In some instances, silent messages can override spoken words. These unspoken signals should not be underestimated if you are working with customers. An example of how you might impact a customer-provider interaction involves gesturing. To send a positive message, use open, flowing gestures (gesturing with arms, palms open and turned upward, out and away from the body). This approach can encourage listening and help explain messages more effectively to customers. If you use closed, restrained movements (tightly crossed arms, clenched fists, hands in pockets, hands or fingers intertwined and held below waist level or behind the back) you can potentially send a message of coolness, insecurity, or disinterest. This could result in a nonproductive situation and lead to customer dissatisfaction.

What nonverbal communication tips can you offer to customer service professionals?

The key is to make gestures seem natural and to be conscious that some people might perceive your movements differently based on their background or culture. If you do not normally use gestures when communicating, you may want to practice in front of a mirror until you feel relaxed in using them. Make sure that your gestures complement your verbal messages without distracting.

Effective nonverbal communication can help build stronger customer relationships while helping increase customer satisfaction and retention. For more ideas and nonverbal communication tips related to positively communicating with your customers, search the topic on this blog. Also, check out more strategies in Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

About Robert W. Lucas on Customer Communication

Bob Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Positive Impressions Builds Strong Customer Relationships

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Postitive Impressions Help Build Strong Customer Relationships

Positive Impressions Builds Strong Customer Relationships

Customers often judge an organization and the people who work for it based on the first impressions made by customer service representatives and others in the organization with whom they come into contact face-to-face or via technology. This is why it is crucial that you and others who serve customers take time to prepare for customer interactions by fine-tuning your interpersonal communication skills.

To ensure that you have the tools needed to deliver excellent customer service to current and potential customers, learn as much as you can about your organization, products, and services. Also, continually work to upgrade your knowledge of people from varies backgrounds and enhance your customer service skills. By taking these basic steps you will be better prepared to send positive messages through your appearance, voice and non-verbal cues and to provide quality customer service.

To learn more about ways to deliver the best customer service possible and make positive impressions on current and potential customers, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Strengthening Customer Relationships With Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Skills

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Strengthening Customer Relationships Through Strong Verbal and Non Verbal Communication Skills

Strengthening Customer Relationships

Strong Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Skills Can Make the Difference!

We live in an era in which people from all over the world come together in various situations throughout any given day. They bring with them individual experiences, education levels, cultural and personal backgrounds, preferences, opinions, and perspectives. Any or all of these elements can impact the way they approach and receive others or the manner in which they communicate.

An old adage goes: It is not what you say, but how you say it that counts. Nothing can be truer than when you are dealing with customers from diverse backgrounds. For this reason, customer service representatives should always take their time to “read” their customers and think of their response (verbally and non verbally) before jumping into any situation where verbal and non-verbal messages communication might be misinterpreted.

Likely, the last thing that a customer service representative, or another employee from an organization, wants to do is falter in their efforts of building customer relationships.

To help reduce the potential of a customer-provider relationship breakdown; service providers should focus on building and practicing their positive communication skills (e.g. smiling, paying compliments, using open body movements and gestures and finding things to agree with when interacting with their customers).

For ideas on how to more effectively communicate verbally and non verbally in order to improve customer loyalty and enhance customer retention, get copies of my books: Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures, Customer Service Skills for Success, and How to Be a Great Call Center Representative.

About Robert W. Lucas

Robert ‘Bob’ Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Customer Service Quote – Robert Lucas

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Customer Service Quote – Robert Lucas

Customer Service Quote - Robert W. Lucas

 

“Effective customer service is often the deciding factor in a globally competitive world” Robert W. Lucas, Author of Please Every Customer.

National Customer Service Week was established by the International Customer Service Association (ICSA) in 1988 as a way for businesses and organizations to recognize the efforts of their customer service professionals. In 1991 President George H. Bush declared National Customer Service Week. In 2013, the theme was “United through Service”.

The idea behind the week is for organizations to celebrate service by doing things to boost employee morale and motivation through recognition and rewards for their efforts in satisfying customer needs, wants and expectations. By raising customer awareness across the organization and also reminding customers how vital they are to the individual employee and organizational success, companies can potentially enhance employee morale and increase customer and brand loyalty.

For useful resources and information on how to create a positive customer-centric environment in your organization, check out the ICSA and Alexander Communications Group websites.

For additional proven ideas and strategies on how to enhance the quality of service that you build with customers and to help aid customer and brand loyalty while increasing retention, get a copy of Care Packages for Your Customers by Barbara Glanz.

About Robert W. Lucas

Bob Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

The key to successfully making money as an author and/or self-publisher is to brand yourself and your company and to make yourself and your book(s) a household name. Part of this is face-to-face interaction with people at trade shows, library events, book readings, book store signings, blogging or guest blogging on a topic related to their book(s). Another strategy involves writing articles and other materials that show up online and are found when people search for a given topic related to a topic about which the author has written.

If you need help building an author platform, branding yourself and your book(s) or generating recognition for what you do, Make Money Writing Books will help. Bob’s popular book addresses a multitude of ideas and strategies that you can use to help sell more books and create residual and passive income streams. The tips outlined in the book are focused to help authors but apply to virtually any professional trying to increase personal and product recognition and visibility.

Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#2

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Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#2

Be Consistent

Customers who feel that they have an active role in and control of a service-provider interaction often feel more important and valued. Improved interpersonal communication can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and retention and reduced stress for you and your co-workers.

Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#2: Be Consistent Take advantage of the following strategy to build stronger relationships with your internal and external customers by being consistent.

People tend to like what is familiar. If customers come to know that they can depend on you and your organization to regularly provide timely, factual information, they will likely be more loyal. Provide information and updates to customers on a regular basis, not just when it is convenient for you. This is especially true when you are working on a problem or service breakdown. Remember that they do not know what you know. For example, if you are gathering information or need more time than expected, come back to the customer with periodic updates to give him or her a status check. Do not wait until the time or date that you were expected to resolve the issue to contact the customer; Otherwise, they are likely to be very upset.

For specific strategies on more effective communication with your customers, get a copy of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#1

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Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#1

Gather Information

Customers who feel that they have an active role in and control of a service-provider interaction often feel more important and valued. Improved interpersonal communication can lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and retention and reduced stress for you and your co-workers.

Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#1: Gather Information Take advantage of the following strategy to build stronger relationships with your internal and external customers by gathering information.

Ask for customer input whenever possible. By knowing more about their needs, wants and expectations, you will be better able to provide services and products that satisfy them. Use communication strategies in publications, books and on the Internet to gather valuable information from people who you encounter on a daily basis.

For specific strategies on more effective communication with your customers, get a copy of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert W. Lucas

Bob Lucas has been a trainer, presenter, customer service expert, and adult educator for over four decades. He has written hundreds of articles on training, writing, self-publishing, and workplace learning skills and issues. He is also an award-winning author who has written thirty-seven books on topics such as, writing, relationships, customer service, brain-based learning, and creative training strategies, interpersonal communication, diversity, and supervisory skills. Additionally, he has contributed articles, chapters, and activities to eighteen compilation books. Bob retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991 after twenty-two years of active and reserve service.

Make Money Writing Books: Proven Profit Making Strategies for Authors by Robert W. Lucas at Amazon.com.

The key to successfully making money as an author and/or self-publisher is to brand yourself and your company and to make yourself and your book(s) a household name. Part of this is face-to-face interaction with people at trade shows, library events, book readings, book store signings, blogging or guest blogging on a topic related to their book(s). Another strategy involves writing articles and other materials that show up online and are found when people search for a given topic related to a topic about which the author has written.

If you need help building an author platform, branding yourself and your book(s) or generating recognition for what you do, Make Money Writing Books will help. Bob’s popular book addresses a multitude of ideas and strategies that you can use to help sell more books and create residual and passive income streams. The tips outlined in the book are focused to help authors but apply to virtually any professional trying to increase personal and product recognition and visibility.

Key Elements of a Positive Customer Service Culture

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Key Elements of a Positive Customer Service Culture

Key Elements of a Positive Customer Service Culture

Managers often talk about the importance of establishing a customer service culture. Unfortunately, employees often do not know what that means because they do not receive training to help them understand their role in the process. This article outlines four key elements of a positive customer service culture.

1. Make internal customers a priority. Internal customers or employees are crucial to the success of any organization. These people are the lifeline of an organization and provide services (e.g. human resources, accounting, security, products, and support services) to one another that allows them to provide the best possible service to external customers. If employees do not feel valued, they likely will not take ownership and responsibility for their role in making sure that external customers receive the exemplary service that they deserve. Some simple ways to help ensure employees feel valued include, ongoing customer service skills, product and service training, up-to-date service technology (e.g. computers, databases, and communication equipment), inclusion in communication, empowerment in decision-making, competitive salary and benefits, opportunities for advancement and overall respect for what they offer and contribute to the organization.

2. Treat external customers as crucial to organizational success. The reality of today’s globally competitive business environment is that your customers often lack loyalty. The differentiating factor for successful companies is the stellar customer service that they offer their customers. Pricing and product differentiation are easy to match in many instances. Competition is often only an Internet search away. For these reasons, every employee must own responsibility for making every person with whom they come into contact feel “special” and valued. This is especially true when interacting with customers via faceless technology (e.g. online chat, telephone, text or email).

3. Provide ongoing employee training. Many managers view training as a luxury or expense to be cut rather than a crucial piece of the complex customer service puzzle. Nothing could be further from the truth. Strong customer service skills training is crucial for employees at all levels of the organization. Such training should certainly include at least the following topics:

  • Operation and functioning of any service technology used.
  • Organization history.
  • Organizational product and services familiarization.
  • Interpersonal communication skills (e.g. verbal, nonverbal and listening skills).
  • How to interact with all types of customers from differing backgrounds (e.g. gender, culture, race, religion, and various abilities).

4. Establish effective organizational communication channels. Successful organizations have multiple strategies for communication up to and down the strata from executive levels to frontline employees. If everyone in the organization does not know the mission, vision, and values of the organization, they certainly cannot be expected to embrace and personify those elements. If you read about exemplary organizations, you will often find that the people at the top of the chain of command regularly solicit and listen to ideas and suggestions from employees at all levels of the organization. You will also discover that frontline employees know where the organization is headed because they are:

  • Included in communications via newsletters.
  • Accessing intranet information postings.
  • Receive regular updates and attend products, services, and skills training.
  • Participate in periodic (e.g. quarterly) group meetings with executives. In the later sessions, the executives typically update employees and elicit input, questions, and complaints, then have managers immediately act upon valid points identified.

Ultimately, successful service organizations create an environment in which providing stellar customer service is a strategic initiative. Both internal and external customers are valued for what they provide to the company. They are key elements of a positive customer service culture.

To learn more about making positive impressions on current and potential customers, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

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