Building Customer Relationships

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Building Customer Relationships to Increase Customer Retention

Building Customer Relationships to Increase Customer Retention

The only way for customer service representatives and their organizations to excel is by first building strong customer service relationships.

By exhibiting stellar product and service knowledge and employing effective customer service skills, listening and communicating verbally and non verbally they are able to properly determine customer needs, wants and expectations. Once they determine these things, they are on their way to providing customer satisfaction and helping build customer and brand loyalty.

If this makes sense to you and you would like to learn specific strategies for enhancing interpersonal relationship skills and other strategies for obtaining and retaining customers, get copies of my books, Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert C. 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.

Effective Verbal Communication Can Lead To Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention

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Effective Verbal Communication Can Lead To Customer Satisfaction and Customer Retention

You may have heard that the expression is sometimes not what you, but how you say it that makes a difference. Nothing is truer when you are dealing with a multi-cultural, diverse customer base.

Effective Verbal Communication Can Lead To Customer Satisfaction and Customer RetentionIn many situations, when customer service breaks down it can often be attributed to what a customer service representative does or does not effectively say verbally or non verbally. In some cases, the lapse may be due to an unconscious message (e.g. non-verbal gesture, body movement, signal, or eye contact) that was interpreted differently than intended. In other instances, it might be an incorrect tone, word or inflection added to a message that was received incorrectly by the customer.

Whatever the reason(s) for such failures in communication, it is crucial that anyone dealing with internal and external customers is prepared for potential interactions that might go wrong. The easiest means of doing so is to enhance customer service and communication skills and to become educated related to approaches to verbal and communication practices in various cultures.

If this topic is of interest to you and you want to get ideas and strategies related to communicating effectively with diverse customers, get copies of my books Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

About Robert C. 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.

Nonverbal Communication in Customer Service

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Non Verbal Communication Quote - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Nonverbal Communication in Customer Service

The power of the eyes in communication has been known for centuries. This is demonstrated by a simple nonverbal communication quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 19th century. Projecting what he was saying to today’s workplace… nonverbal communication in customer service can take precedent over spoken words during an interaction. This is an important lesson if you are a customer service representative. When you consciously send nonverbal cues when communicating with your customers,  you have the power to strengthen customer and brand loyalty.

A well-used adage about the eyes being the windows of the soul effectively describes the power of eye contact when dealing with others in the workplace. You must be aware of the messages sent with your eyes and other nonverbal forms of communication when dealing with customers. Otherwise, you might inadvertently send messages that can damage the customer-provider relationship. This is especially true when communicating with someone from a culture other than your own. That is because each culture assigns a variety of meanings to different nonverbal communication cues (e.g. eye contact, gestures, facial expressions, and body posture).

Want to know more about sending and receiving messages effectively with your eyes and other forms of nonverbal communication in customer service, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures. Also, search for nonverbal communication posts in this blog.

About Robert C. 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.

Nonverbal Communication for Customer Service Representatives

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Nonverbal Communication for Customer Service Representatives

Nonverbal Communication for Customer Service Representatives

One of the key skills that customer service representatives must master is the art of sending and receiving nonverbal messages effectively. The likelihood of building positive interpersonal relationships with customers increases significantly when you master the ability to accurately understand facial expressions, gestures, eye contact, and other bodily movements.

Who was Martha Graham?

Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide.

Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She was the first dancer to perform at the White House, travel abroad as a cultural ambassador, and receive the highest civilian award of the US: the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction. In her lifetime she received honors ranging from the Key to the City of Paris to Japan’s Imperial Order of the Precious Crown. She said, in the 1994 documentary The Dancer Revealed, “I have spent all my life with dance and being a dancer. It’s permitting life to use you in a very intense way. Sometimes it is not pleasant. Sometimes it is fearful. But nevertheless, it is inevitable.”

Famous Martha Graham Quotes:

  1. Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.
  2. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.
  3. The body says what words cannot.
  4. No artist is ahead of his time. He is his time; it is just that others are behind the times.
  5. Dance is a song of the body. Either of joy or pain.
  6. The body is a sacred garment.
  7. The only sin is mediocrity.
  8. ’Age’ is the acceptance of a term of years. But maturity is the glory of years.
  9. Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It’s a miracle, and the dance is a celebration of that miracle.
  10. The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted.

For more ideas on how nonverbal communication can increase your effectiveness in dealing with current and potential customers and how to build those skills explore these resources.

About Robert C. 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 Service Training Should Address Nonverbal Communication

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Customer Service Training Should Address Nonverbal Communication

Customer Service Training Should Address Nonverbal Communication

Good verbal and nonverbal communication skills are crucial for any customer service representative who wants to deliver the best customer service possible. This is why any customer service training should address nonverbal communication.

The art of sending and receiving messages through words and with facial expressions, gestures, and other body language is crucial in dealing with customers. This is especially true when dealing with people from other countries or cultures since one’s values and beliefs impact the interpretation of nonverbal cues. Failure to be aware of diverse differences can lead to an unfortunate breakdown in communication.

Because facial expressions are closely tied to human emotion, you should be careful about projecting subconscious biases that you might have toward any group because you might unintentionally send a negative message to a customer before you realize it. For example, if you disapprove of customers who have facial piercings and tattoos you might indicate your displeasure nonverbally. This might be done unconsciously with a smirk or other facial gestures. You might also unintentionally stare when a customer matching that description walks up to you or passes by.

The bottom line is that customer service is all about being in the people business. By better establishing sound relationships and communicating effectively with your customers, you can move from good customer service to the best customer service possible.

To better understand why customer service training should address nonverbal communication, search nonverbal communication on this blog. Want to explore the role of facial expressions and other nonverbal cues that impact relationships in a diverse business world? Check out Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert C. 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.

Three Positive Non-Verbal Communication Cues for Customer Service Representatives

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Three Positive Non Verbal Communication Cues for Customer Service Representatives

Three Positive Non-verbal Communication Cues

for Customer Service Representatives

Many customer service representatives struggle to gain and maintain strong relationships with their customers. Often, this is due to their inability to effectively communicate face-to-face with others. In many instances, they do not even realize that their nonverbal communication style is sending the wrong message, especially their nonverbal communication cues.

Since numerous nonverbal communication studies have found that the unspoken messages sent with the body, face, and hands often overshadow the words that people use, it is crucial for service providers to master the art of body language.

The following are three positive nonverbal communication areas on which you might focus to improve if you want to enhance communication and relationships with customers:

Direct eye contact (based on culture) – In Westernized cultures, making eye contact as an important means of communicating sincerity, interest, honesty, and other factors is taught early in life to children. When interacting with others, use intermittent (do not stare) direct eye contact in conjunction with periodic smiling and other positive non-verbal cues to show that you are friendly and have the other person’s interest in mind.

One important thing to keep in mind about eye contact is that it often varies in different cultures and sub-groups (e.g. Caucasians, African-Americans, women, and men). Do some research on other cultures and groups to see how eye contact is perceived and adjust your communication style accordingly when dealing with customers with those backgrounds. Monitor your customer’s reaction to your cues and modify as necessary and do not make assumptions. If someone reacts and you are not sure why to ask them to clarify.

Smiles – Often perceived as the universal language, smiling can communicate openness, friendliness, interest, and other aspects relevant to sound relationships. Use smiling when appropriate during conversations (e.g. upon meeting, when the conversation is going in a positive direction, or when the other person smiles) and you may see your bond with others start to form.

Facing the customer – Too often in today’s busy workplace, a customer service representative is busy multi-tasking when a customer approaches. As a result, they might have their head down or be facing in another direction while focusing on something else. To build and maintain good customer-provider relationships, stop what you are doing and give undivided attention to the person in front of you in order to help build brand and customer loyalty.

For additional ideas and strategies for effectively using non-verbal cues, get a copy of Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert C. Lucas is an expert with Non-Verbal Communication Cues

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.

 

Motivational Customer Service Quote – Robert W. Lucas

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Motivational Customer Service Quote - Robert W. Lucas

Motivational Customer Service Quote – Robert W. Lucas

Professional customer service is all about providing high-quality products and services that can meet your customer’s needs, wants and expectations. If you are a customer service representative, it is your responsibility to master as many customer service skills as possible in order to deliver excellent customer service to those with whom you come into contact in the workplace. This can ultimately lead to higher levels of customer satisfaction and customer retention.

About Robert C. 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.

The Importance of the Eyes in Non-Verbal Communication with Customers

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The Importance of the Eyes in Non Verbal Communication with Customers

The Importance of the Eyes in Non-Verbal Communication with Customers

The manner in which you communicate nonverbally with your customers is crucial in their perception of the quality of service that they received. It is also a major component of relationship-building and whether or not they are satisfied. Various research studies have shown that nonverbal components of the communication process (i.e. posture, gestures, vocal quality, and eye contact) often override the verbal messages that you send.

Eye contact, in particular, is important when interacting with others. An old adage explains why this might be true – “The eyes are the window to the soul.” In effect, people often interpret the emotional meaning behind your spoken words by looking into your eyes. That is why you must be conscious of your eye contact and the messages you are potentially sending with them. For example, if you have tentative eye contact (e.g. looking around and failing to look a customer in the eye without staring) while speaking to a customer, some people may interpret that to mean you are insincere or not committed to your message or that you are untrustworthy. Through your eyes, you can show that you are interested in a person and what they have to say. On the other hand, you can demonstrate that you are dissatisfied, frustrated, or even angry about something they said.

The bottom line is that the eyes can be a powerful tool in bonding with customers and can help send positive messages that might potentially help meet their needs, wants and expectations and lead to positive word-of-mouth advertising for you and your organization. To be more effective at what you do as a customer service representative, spend time honing your non-verbal customer service skills.

For more information on how the eyes and other nonverbal cues can help build stronger customer-provider relationships, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert C. 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.

Interpersonal Communication Skills Quote – Robert W. Lucas

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Interpersonal Communication Skills Quote – Robert W. Lucas

Excellent customer service skills are crucial if you want to deliver the best possible service to your internal and external customers. By practicing positive interpersonal skills such as verbal and nonverbal communication, eye contact, gesturing, body language, and listening skills, you can effectively send and receive messages to all types of customers.

As customer service author and performance consultant Robert W. Lucas is quoted as saying:

Interpersonal Communication Skills Quote - Robert W. Lucas

To gain insights into more effectively communicating with customers verbally and nonverbally, get copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

Non-verbal Communication With Customers

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Nonverbal Communication With Customers

Non-verbal Communication With Customers

To be successful in the service profession, you must be aware that nonverbal communication is occurring between you and your customer(s). These unspoken messages to others make it impossible for you to not communicate. That is because no matter how you position your body and use your facial expressions or body extremities, you are constantly being evaluated by your customers. Body language, eye contact, and other nonverbal cues aid or detract from communication.

Through awareness of potential nonverbal messages that you might be sending and the fact that people interpret them based on their own backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences, you can increase your effectiveness in customer encounters or anywhere you come into contact with another person. A significant fact to remember is that, according to a classic research study by Dr. Albert Mehrabian on how feelings are transmitted between two people during communication, nonverbal signals can contradict or override verbal messages.  This is especially true when emotions are high.

For more insights on nonverbal communication in a customer service environment and how to more effectively harness the power of communicating without speaking, check out copies of Customer Service Skills for Success and Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures.

About Robert C. 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.

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