When the details are as clear as mud

When a customer is upset, their emotions may make it difficult to grasp all of the details to understand and assist them fully.

Once you’ve let them vent and expressed empathy for their situation, repeat and clarify what you’ve heard. It’ll get everyone in agreement and on the same page - not to mention give your customer some time to simmer and clear their head.

“I can see how this has been stressful for you. I want to resolve this as quickly as possible, and I want to make sure I understand what happened. Here’s what I’m hearing...Did I capture that correctly?”

How do you follow up?

Can you hear me now?

To truly put yourself in the shoes of your customer, you gotta start listening. The real kind. Not “listening” to respond or zoning out completely, because “these calls are all the same, right?” Wrong.

When you show you’re actively listening, you:

• Give your customer an open invitation to be honest.

  • How can I help make your day better?

• Get a better understanding of your customer's question or concern.

  • Can you tell me what happened?

• Give the customer the confidence that you care about their issue and will get things done.

  • I’d like to hear more about your experience, so I can know how best to assist you.

Need some more ideas about how to express empathy with your customers? We’ve got a class for that! Learn more at wardcertified.com.

Scripts are guides, not straitjackets.

Customer service scripts ensure consistency and quality among large groups of reps. But when you don’t inject a little bit of personal flavor, you may come off as insincere, bored, or indifferent - and your customers can smell that from a mile away.

Here are some easy ways to make your scripts seem more human and less forced:

• Use contractions to sound more conversational and less formal. Do-not-recite-your-script-like-a-robot.

• Use natural inflections in your voice to create a more friendly and dynamic tone, and avoid the monotony of reading your script word-for-word.

• Does the language sound like something only the Queen of England would say? Without losing the meatier content or intention of the script, look for places to put language into your own words to sound more authentic.

Need suggestions on how to add a little charisma to your customer interactions? Contact us at ann@wardcertified.com!

Say oui to more “I”

When a close friend comes to you with a problem or concern, have you ever responded, “Thank you, we’ll take that under consideration”?

Unless you’re a robot, probably not. It probably sounded more like: “I understand what you’re saying; how I can help make this better?”

When you use “we” statements, rather than active “I” statements, it can seem like you're passing the buck or throwing a customer’s concerns in the wastebasket.

When you say: “Our team will review this shortly.”

Your customer thinks: Yea, sure. Whatever, buddy.

But when you say: “I’ll review this with our team and contact you by the end of the week.”

Your customer thinks: Yes! This rep is going places because they get things done. 

How can you make your responses more active this week?

Been there. Done that. Got the T-Shirt.

Empathy is when you can relate to someone else because you’ve experienced and felt what they're feeling or going through before. For instance, we can all relate to being stressed out when something doesn’t go according to plan. You know, like traffic, NBA playoffs, or the finale to ‘Game of Thrones.’

Making empathy part of your customer service helps you:

• Understand where your customer is coming from and respond in a way that lets them know you get it.

• Focus on helping your customer the way you would want to be helped.

• Show the customer their feelings are heard and valid, ‘cause you’ve been there.

Diffuse a tense situation by using short, supportive statements like: “I understand this is stressful” or “This must be inconvenient.” Talk to your team about putting themselves in the shoes of your customers.

How has it changed your customer service?

Empathy Detective

Your mission for today, should you choose to accept it, is this: Spot-the-Emotion.

Here's how it works:

1. Make a list of common emotions your callers display: Frustration, Skepticism, Worry, Impatience, Relief, Confusion, Joy, Satisfaction…

2. Step 2: During the call, spot the emotion of the caller and check it off your list.

3. Step 3: Use this to reflect back your understanding of their situation. 

   For example: "I understand your concern and would be glad to help," "I appreciate your patience," or "You sound worried, let me see what we can do."

Get on it! This email will self-destruct in five seconds...

Memorial Day

Today we honor all those who served.

Thank you,
Team Ward Certified