Lesson 11 B Use Proper Communication Techniques Flashcards
From the point of first contact,
the support process must reassure customers that their inquiry will be handled efficiently. If the customer has already encountered a problem with a product, to find that the support process is also faulty will double their poor impression of your company.
Proper Documentation
Support contact information and hours of operation should be well advertised so that the customer knows exactly how to open a ticket. The service should have proper documentation so that the customer knows what to expect in terms of items that are supported, how long incidents may take to resolve, when they can expect an item to be replaced instead of repaired, and so on.
Set Expectations and Timeline
On receiving the request (whether it is a call, email, or face-to-face contact), acknowledge the request and set expectations. For example, repeat the request back to the customer, then state the next steps and establish a timeline; for example, “I have assigned this problem to David Martin. If you don’t hear from us by 3 p.m., please call me.” The customer may have a complaint, a problem with some equipment, or simply a request for information. It is important to clarify the nature of these factors:
- The customer’s expectations of what will be done and when to fix the problem.
- The customer’s concerns about cost or the impact on business processes.
- Your constraints—time, parts, costs, contractual obligations, and so on.
Meet Expectations and Timeline
If possible, the request should be resolved in one call. If this is not possible, the call should be dealt with as quickly as possible and escalated to a senior support team if a solution cannot be found promptly. What is important is that you drive problem acceptance and resolution, either by working on a solution yourself or ensuring that the problem is accepted by the assigned person or department. Open tickets should be monitored and re-prioritized to ensure that they do not fail to meet the agreed-upon service and performance levels.
It is imperative to manage the customer’s expectations of when the problem will be resolved. Customers should not feel the need to call you to find out what’s happening. This is irritating for them to do and means time is wasted dealing with an unnecessary call.
A common problem when dealing with customer complaints is feeling that you must defend every action of your company or department. If the customer makes a true statement about your levels of service (or that of other employees), do not try to think of a clever excuse or mitigating circumstance for the failing; you will sound as though you do not care. If you have let a customer down, be accurate and honest. Empathize with the customer, but identify a positive action to resolve the situation:
Repair and Replace Options
If there is a product issue that cannot be solved remotely, you might offer to repair or replace the product:
- Repair—The customer will need clear instructions about how to pack and return the item to a repair center along with a ticket-tracking number and returned-merchandise authorization (RMA). The customer must be kept up to date on the progress of the repair.
- Replace—Give the customer clear instructions for how the product will be delivered or how it can be re-ordered and whether the broken product must be returned.
Follow Up
If you have resolved the ticket and tested that the system is operating normally again, you should give the customer a general indication of what caused the issue and what you did to fix it along with assurance that the problem is now fixed and unlikely to reoccur. Upon leaving or ending the call, thank the customer for their time and assistance and show that you have appreciated the chance to solve the issue.
It might be appropriate to arrange a follow-up call at a later date to verify that the issue has not reoccurred and that the customer is satisfied with the assistance provided. When the solution has been tested and verified and the customer has expressed satisfaction with the resolution of the problem, log the ticket as closed. Record the solution and send verification to the customer via email or phone call.
Deal Appropriately with Confidential and Private Materials
You must also demonstrate respect for the customer’s property, including any confidential or private data they might have stored on a PC or smartphone or printed as a document:
- Do not open data files, email applications, contact managers, web pages that are signed in to an account, or any other store of confidential or private information. If any of these apps or files are open on the desktop, ask the customer to close them before you start work.
- Similarly, if there are printed copies of confidential materials (bank statements or personal letters, for instance) on or near a desk, do not look at them. Make the customer aware of them, and allow time for them to be put away.
- Do not use any equipment or services such as PCs, printers, web access, or phones for any purpose other than resolving the ticket.
- If you are making a site visit, keep the area in which you are working clean and tidy and leave it as you found it.
Cultural Sensitivity
Cultural sensitivity means being aware of customs and habits used by other people. It is easy to associate culture simply with national elements, such as the difference between the way Americans and Japanese greet one another. However, within each nation there are many different cultures created by things such as social class, business opportunities, leisure pursuits, and so on. For example, a person may expect to be addressed by a professional title, such as “doctor” or “judge.” Other people may be more comfortable speaking on a first-name basis. It is safer to start on a formal basis and use more informal terms of address if the customer signals that they are happier speaking that way.
You need to realize that though people may be influenced by several cultures, their behavior is not determined by culture. Customer service and support require consideration for other people. You cannot show this if you make stereotyped assumptions about people’s cultural background without treating them as an individual.
Accent, dialect, and language are some of the crucial elements of cultural sensitivity. These can make it hard for you to understand a customer and perhaps difficult for a customer to understand you. When dealing with a language barrier, use questions, summaries, and restatements to clarify customer statements. Consider using visual aids or demonstrations rather than trying to explain something in words.
Also, different cultures define personal space differently, so be aware of how close or far you are from the customer.
Clarifying and Questioning Techniques
There will inevitably be a need to establish some technical facts with the customer. This means directing the customer to answer your questions. There are two broad types of questioning:
- Open-ended—A question that invites the other person to compose a response. For example, “What seems to be the problem?” invites the customer to give an opinion about what they think the problem is.
- Closed—A question that can only be answered with a “Yes” or “No” or that requires some other fixed response. For example, “What error number is displayed on the panel?” can only have one answer.
The basic technique is start with open-ended questions. You may try to guide the customer toward information that is most helpful. For example, “When you say your printer is not working, what problem are you having—will it not switch on?” However, be careful about assuming what the problem is and leading the customer to simply affirming a guess. As the customer explains what they mean, you may be able to perceive what the problem is. If so, do not assume anything too early. Ask pertinent closed questions that clarify customer statements and prove or disprove your perception. The customer may give you information that is vague or ambiguous. Clarify the customer’s meaning by asking questions like, “What did the error message say?” or “When you say the printout is dark, is there a faint image or is it completely black?” or “Is the power LED on the printer lit?”
DIFFICULT SITUATIONS HANDLING
Maintain a Positive Attitude
Collaborate to Focus on Solutions
Do Not Post Experiences on Social Media
