“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.”
– Bryant H. McGill
Customers talk a lot, don’t they? They ask questions, they comment, they complain. They’ll tell us all about their experiences with our company – and sometimes everything else that’s going on in their lives. Occasionally we get the impression that they just called to chat with somebody.
As customer service representatives, a very large part of our job is simply to listen to what the customer has to say. We may tend to think of ourselves as problem-solvers or information providers, but a substantial amount of what we do for our customers is actually just helping them to feel understood, and acknowledging their feelings and their message.
That’s important to our mission of helping our customers and keeping them loyal. If the customer doesn’t feel that anyone is listening to them, they will never be fully satisfied with their experience.
10 Things We Get Wrong About Listening
Listening is a skill. It’s actually one of the most important skills we can develop as customer service representatives. Most of us don’t really think of it that way, though; it’s something we may not think about at all. If we do think about it, listening seems like a passive state – it’s not really doing anything, right?
Wrong! Effective listening is actually an active process. It requires our attention, our participation, and our involvement. We’ll talk about that more in a moment.
What else do we think we know about listening that isn’t true, though? Here are none more common, but faulty, assumptions about listening, contrasted with the reality.
We learn to listen instinctively; training is unnecessary.
Effective listening is a skill that is difficult for most of us. Awareness, practice, and training can improve our ability to listen well.
Listening ability depends on intelligence.
There is no relationship between intelligence and listening skill. Being smart or highly educated does not make someone a better listener.
Listening ability is closely related to hearing acuity.
The ability to hear is a physical phenomenon. It has very little to do with our ability to listen. (In fact, people with hearing loss often make extremely effective listeners, because they tend to pay much closer attention when people are speaking!)
Most of us can listen and read at the same time.
This is a skill very few, if any, people actually have. If we’re trying to scan account information at the same time we’re conversing with a customer, we’re probably missing a lot of what they’re trying to tell us.
Most people listen well most of the time.
Unfortunately, most of us need to work on improving our listening skills. The good news is that like most skills, it’s one that we can develop with practice. Whether we are good listeners or not, we can all improve.
What we hear is usually what was said.
As human beings, we have a natural tendency to filter information we hear. We all have preconceived ideas that we may or may not be consciously aware of. We use words in different ways, which leads to misunderstandings. We also make assumptions to fill in missing information, and we leap to conclusions. What this means is that all too often, what we think we hear is not what was actually said.
Personality has little effect on listening ability.
Our personality plays an important role in how well we listen. Some individuals are naturally more attuned to others, more patient, or more attentive to detail. Depending on our personality, listening may be a more or less challenging skill to develop.
Listening is done only with the ears.
Effective listening is done with the whole body. Proper eye contact and body posture can facilitate effective listening, and also communicate to the customer that we’re really paying attention to what they’re saying.
Listening should be concerned with the content first, and feelings second.
The feelings being communicated through nonverbal means are often more important to handle than the words themselves. Many customers contact us because they are frustrated, confused, or angry. We can’t deal effectively with the issue without first letting them know we understand their feelings.
Active Listening
So if effective listening is a skill and an active process, how do we do it?
To actively listen, we should:
If we practice these guidelines for active listening, we will improve both our listening skills and our ability to process and resolve customer issues effectively. This will lead to happier and more satisfied customers, stronger customer loyalty, and a more successful business.
Baker Communications offers leading edge customer service training solutions that will help you address the goals and achieve the outcomes addressed in this article. For more information about how your organization can achieve immediate and lasting behavior change that will uncover new opportunities, drive revenue, and boost your bottom line, click here.
