Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#4

Be Personable

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.

Take advantage of the following strategy to build stronger relationships with your internal and external customers by being personable.

Service providers who tend to be “all business” or robotic in their service delivery often fail to get high marks from customers. Even if you are knowledgeable, are efficient, and follow all the rules in delivering service, you could end up with a customer who is dissatisfied if you do not demonstrate some degree of humanness. This means connecting on a personal level and showing compassion and concern for your customers and their emotional needs. For example, if someone tells you during an interaction that he or she is celebrating a special event, take the time to ask, explore the topic briefly, or relate a personal example. If it is the customer’s child’s birthday, you might wish the child an enthusiastic “Happy Birthday” and ask the child how old he or she is or what the child hopes to get for his or her birthday. Depending on the type of business you are in, you might even offer a small present (e.g., a free dessert, a piece of candy, a toy, a coupon for a discount on his or her next visit, or whatever might be appropriate). At the least, upon concluding the transaction, with the child well or congratulate him or her one more time.

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.

In my book Customer Service Skills for Success, I define customer service as “the ability of knowledgeable, capable, and enthusiastic employees to deliver products and services to their internal and external customers in a manner that satisfies identified and unidentified needs and ultimately results in positive word-of-mouth publicity and return business.”

The Role of Facial Expressions in Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

The Role of Facial Expressions in Customer Service

A major component of delivering stellar customer service to your customers is to continually hone your customer service skills in the area of communication so that you are able to deliver the best customer service possible. For example, there are so many different messages that can be sent to your customers through various nonverbal communication cues, that learning their meaning and significance can take years. This is especially true when you factor in the fact that different people and cultures assign varying meanings to what they see.

By moving the muscles in your face, you can convey feelings and messages to others that let them know whether you are experiencing happiness, sadness, frustration anger or many other moods. As with other nonverbal cues, the interpretation of facial expressions can vary between cultures and individuals. Since the time of Charles Darwin, researchers have studied facial expressions and have identified that most common facial expressions are interpreted in similar ways by cultures around the world. It is the beliefs of individual cultures related to the appropriateness of expressing emotions like surprise, happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust that change how people use and interpret such facial signals.

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 when with a smirk or other facial gesture or you might unintentionally stare when a customer matching that description walks up to you.

To learn more customer service tips related to non-verbal communication and how to effectively use it as a tool for delivering excellent customer service and gaining better customer satisfaction, get copies of Please Every Customer: Delivering Stellar Customer Service Across Cultures and Customer Service Skills for Success.

About Robert W. Lucas

Improving Customer Service With Active Listening Skills

by Robert W. Lucas

Improving 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.

Customer Relations is Directly Tied to Keeping Your Word

by Robert W. Lucas

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

Positive Impressions Builds Strong Customer Relationships

by Robert W. Lucas

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 Communication with Customers – Tip#2

by Robert W. Lucas

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.

Active Listening – Your Key to Customer Service Success

by Robert W. Lucas

Active Listening – Your Key to Customer Service Success

Customer service success should be a primary goal for everyone in an organization. Since there is no organization without satisfied customers, making sure that they are understood and served effectively should be a strategic initiative. That means taking service down to a basic level with each encounter when someone comes into or contacts the organization. An easy way to help accomplish this is by training all employees to use of active listening during face-to-face and telephone interactions with customers.

Like other customer service skills, active listening is a learned process. Many people think that because they receive a message through hearing, that they are listening. This is far from true. Hearing is a simple physiological process of gathering sounds through the ear and transmitting them to the brain for analysis. Receiving sounds or messages is just the first step in active listening. Following the receipt of sounds or messages, the brain decides what they mean and what type of response (or inaction) is required.

Active listening is actually one of the most important skills that customer service representatives have for delivering stellar customer service. Even so, it is a topic on which many organizations fail to train employees. Many managers and employees assume that they know how to effectively listen. In reality, only through understanding the active listening process and practicing the skill can customer service representatives improve.

The following are three simple active listening steps that you take to help achieve customer service success.

1. Focus attention on the customer. Stop whatever you are doing that does not relate to serving the customer with you or on the other end of the phone call. This means putting down any technology you are using, stop typing on your computer, putting aside reading material, and really focusing on the customer and what he or she is saying.

2. Display a congenial demeanor. Simply put, this means smiling (even on the phone, since the smile comes through in your tone), looking at the customer as you speak to one another, nodding appropriately, using open physical posture and gestures appropriately and letting them know that you are really listening to what they are saying.

3. Repeat back what you understood them to say. This simple active listening technique involves restating what your customer said in your own words. For example, if a customer said, “I am really upset because I’ve called twice before about this problem and I still have not received the information I was promised.” In response, you should apologize and emphasize, then repeat what you believe the issue to be before proceeding. For example, “I apologize that you have to keep following up on this issue. I know that must be very frustrating and is a waste of your time. If I understand correctly, you called two of our representatives in the past and were promised ____, but have yet to receive it? Is that correct?” Once they verify, state that you are going to take action to help resolve the issue for them. By taking this approach, you acknowledge and empathize with your customers. You also take responsibility for the situation and promise to correct it.

Active listening is not difficult, but it does take an effort to learn and practice in order to perfect. While you may not get it right every time, you should work to incorporate it as a basic skill in order to achieve customer service success.

For additional ideas on how to improve your active listening skills and better serve your customers, search the topic on this blog. Also, check out Customer Service Skills for Success and How to Be a Great Call Center Representative.

Strengthening Communication with Customers – Tip#1

by Robert W. Lucas

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.

About Robert W. Lucas

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

Handling Angry Customers

by Robert W. Lucas

Handling Angry Customers

There seem to be a number of issues that are driving the anger that many customers display when dealing with customer service representatives these days. Contributing factors might include the economy, displeasure with government, unemployment, perceived poor service in general and many other challenges facing society. The reality is that, as a customer service representative, you cannot solve these problems or resolve all of your customer’s concerns. However, what you can do is to control the approach that you take when handling angry customers.

Dealing with disgruntled people requires a certain amount of caution, especially in a time when so many people are becoming violent in response to what they perceive as issues beyond their control. For effectively handling angry customers, you must first help the customer move beyond the emotions of the moment. You can then potentially discover the reason for their anger or frustration.

Before dealing with customers in general, check with your supervisor to find out what your organization’s policies are. Also, determine your level of authority for making decisions related to problem resolution. Having this information before a customer encounter provides the tools and knowledge you need to better handle your customers effectively and professionally.

The following are customer service skills and strategies that you can use when handling angry customers during service breakdowns.

Be positive. Tell the customer what you can do rather than what you cannot do.
Remain objective. Remember, angry customers, are usually frustrated with the organization, product, or service that you represent, not at you.
Acknowledge the customer’s feelings of anger. By taking this approach, you’ve acknowledged the customer’s feelings, demonstrated a willingness to assist, and asked the customer to participate in solving the problem.
Reassure the customer. Indicate that you understand why he or she is angry and that you will work with them to resolve the issues.
Listen actively to determine the cause of their anger. Who is “right” or “wrong” makes no difference when handling angry customers. Actively listening and trying to discover the true issue will assure the customer that you are trying to take care of it for him or her.
Avoid language that might inflame the situation. Negative words such as problem, no, can’t and you (directed at the person and indicating that they did or did not do something they should have) can be like throwing gasoline on the fire when dealing with an emotionally charged person.
Negotiate an acceptable solution. Elicit ideas or negotiate an alternative with your customer. Ask open-ended questions that make the customer feel that they are in charge of the situation and have some power. For example, “What do you feel would be an acceptable solution to this matter?” Remember that, with some exceptions, most people are typically reasonable and not out to take advantage of the situation when they feel that you are truly acting in their best interest. They just want to be “made whole” again. In other words, they want what they were promised or paid for and to be compensated for their inconvenience.
Conduct a follow-up. If possible, follow-up as soon as you can with the customer. Don’t assume that the organization’s system will work as designed or that the customer was completely satisfied. By taking this extra step, you are recognizing the customer as an important person to you and the organization and letting them know that you really are working with them to resolve their issue(s). This can go a long way towards getting the customer to generate positive word-of-mouth publicity.

There is no guarantee that these strategies will always work when handling angry customers. However, they provide some basic communication skills and service strategies for helping customer service representatives create a positive outcome in a negative situation. This can ultimately contribute to enhanced customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Nonverbal Communication Skills in Customer Service

by Robert W. Lucas

Nonverbal Communication Skills in Customer Service

Effective nonverbal communication skills in customer service are the bedrock of understanding and customer satisfaction. This is especially true when dealing with people from different cultures. If you do not realize the power of the unspoken messages that you continually send with your body, you are likely destined for relationship breakdowns. This is because many research studies have identified nonverbal cues (body language) as being more powerful than spoken words.

To compound the opportunity for misunderstandings, many cultures assign different meanings to similar gestures, postures, and facial expressions. Being conscious of these nuances when dealing with someone from a culture other than your own can help in reducing the chance for communication failures.

What advice can you offer others related to developing positive nonverbal communication skills in customer service?

The following are areas of nonverbal communication to consider whenever you are in the presence of either your internal or external customers.

Smiling. Researchers have known for years that smiling is one of the few gestures that universally send a positive message of friendship and indicate that you are approachable. As a service provider, you should go out of your way to consciously offer a genuine smile, along with an appropriate greeting when interacting with customers.

Active posture. Think about your reaction to someone’s posture and actions when you are interacting with him or her. Most people notice the nonverbal messages that they receive. Things such as professional appearance, posture, and demeanor typically project a “can do” in a given situation. Anything less can say, “I’m just doing my job.”

People form first impressions about you and your organization within seconds of coming into contact face-to-face or over the phone. Ask yourself, “What image do I project in dealing with my customers?” For example, do you sit or stand behind a desk or counter and wait for the customer to approach and open dialogue. Or, do you get up or move toward your customer with a smile, handshake or other proactive gesture while verbally welcoming them. Whenever possible, do the latter since this projects an image of equality and willingness to do your part to assist the customer. Similarly, on the telephone, sit or stand up straight and ensure there is nothing in your mouth (e.g. food, drink or gum) when speaking. Otherwise, your words can sound muffled or unclear. Also, make sure that you smile regularly because the tone of your voice can project an upbeat attitude.

Related to active posture, failing to stand up from behind a desk when approached by a customer might be viewed as a closed or rude behavior. Some might even view you as acting in a superior manner. This is certainly not a path to positive customer service and customer satisfaction. If you reflect back to your own past experiences, you have likely encountered this behavior at government or utility offices (i.e. tax office, vehicle registration/licensing agency, law enforcement agencies, or water/electric company) or reception desks in organizations (i.e. banks, gyms, auto repair facilities, or medical/dental offices) where there is typically a large volume of customer traffic. Did you feel welcomed and served, or simply “processed” similar to how cattle moving into a slaughterhouse might feel?

Positive gestures. Studies have found that people react differently to various types of gestures. To prevent potential misunderstandings or incorrect interpretations of your intended meaning, consciously think before you act. For example, some people prefer not to be touched or use different greeting gestures (i.e. traditional palm-to-palm handshake, hug, kiss on the cheek[s]) based on their gender, culture, background or personality. Similarly, the manner in which one crosses his or her legs when seated can differ.

The easiest way to help ensure that you exhibit positive nonverbal communication skills in customer service is to study the topic. Once you have the knowledge of appropriate gestures to use in various situations and with people of different backgrounds, you will be on your way to enhancing customer satisfaction. Just remember that you should never stereotype your customers. All members of a given group may not share the same values, beliefs, and preferences based on their individual backgrounds. Pay attention to customer reactions when you interact and modify your behavior as required.

For additional ideas on the topic of using effective nonverbal communication skills in customer service, search that topic on this blog. Also, check out 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.