No:1 Phrase in Customer Service

" It takes three months to gain one new customer and thirty seconds to lose them " Various

Last weekend whilst clearing out, I came across a notebook from a seminar I attended in 2007. Looking through it, this phrase caught my eye " I am sorry to hear that . . . could you please tell me more "

The majority of us like to believe we provide the best product or service and people would be foolish not to buy from us. However we and the people who work with us are human and from time to time blips occur.

A lot of the time when someone claims our product or service was not up to scratch, we go on the defensive. A natural reaction, but tends to cause more friction and adds fuel to the fire of an already irate customer.

The secret of the above phrase is that it allows empathy and the under utilised skill of listening to come to the fore. In my experience, most people when they complain want someone to listen to them. They get angry when management goes on the defensive and quotes rules and regulations and clause C subsection 77. By saying " I am sorry to hear that " you empathise. Followed up by " could you please tell me more ", this shows you are willing to listen to their story.

Now this is the big secret. When they start to tell you their story . . . Shut Up and Listen. Most of the time the solution is simple and going to cost less than you imagined. Because you listened without interrupting and ask as gently as  possible " what would you like me to do ", their position has softened.

Why ? Because you showed empathy and listened. Don't be afraid of a customer complaint. Handled with the No:1 Phrase, you will learn how to improve your product or service. All without having to spend a fortune on focus groups. Imagine that !

I'm listening

Colin Myles 
Author

P.S.
" The only thing worse than training employees and losing them, is not training them and keeping them " Unknown

P.P.S
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