Learning the art of customer engagement
I wonder sometimes whether with the advent of mobiles and email and other electronics that we forget we're actually talking to other people.
If you want someone to feel listened to, you need to give them your full attention.
How annoying is it when the person you are communicating with is fiddling with their ipod, or looking out the window?
Very.
Asking questions, making eye contact, nodding, responding – they're all things that help to create rapport.
If you're dealing with a customer or client, the more rapport you can establish, the better your interaction. And the more quickly it can be established, the more rapidly business can be done.
When you're dealing with internal customers or ongoing clients, you have a real opportunity to establish a relationship.
To be effective, communication has to be consistent, both verbally and non-verbally. It's what you don't say, rather than what you say that has the most impact, as when someone is speaking with you but looking somewhere else.
Your goal as a business is to find the right tone of voice, behaviour and approach that fits for you – then establish that at every level. So that when someone makes contact with a real live person, or your telephone answering service – they still feel like they are cared about, that their needs are genuinely important and that you are interested in finding the right solution for them.
To talk to me about your organisation's customer service, motivation or listening skills, email maggie@parexcellence.net.au or phone 0402 301 402. I offer consulting, audits, training, facilitation and video programs to transform your organisation's customer service.
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