Communication Techniques

The four communication basic communication skills reading, writing, speaking, and listening I find listening the ultimate tool in gaining a client trust. The second tool that I use is speaking. Clients need to feel that they have your undivided attention when they are explaining their issues. Wavering from trying to juggle other clients or interruptions tend to diminish trust. In the last couple of decades supporting clients either over the phone or in person. Listening has played a major role. This particular question asked when dealing with clients if I were successful in building trust. The answer to this question is usually yes. There is always a client that you will never please. I can honestly answer this question with, “I can count one hand, and those I could not reach”.

I will give an example on one of the hardest clients I handled several years ago. I cannot remember the specifics of why the customer was upset, but I can remember what led up to the problem, and why this customer reached the degree he did. He traveled through two of our support staff, and one of our sales agents over an issue he was having. Like most customers when you are supporting some sort of service, they never want to believe the issue is on their end. This of course was the first mistake some staff made when talking with the customer. Fueling the rage. The second was not giving him the opportunity to vent, and explain what the problem was, and leading up to the issue. All along they topped this off by not apologizing for his problems.

When the client reached my level of support, he was boiling mad. I mean wanting to kill someone mad. I handled this caller by letting him first vent his anger, and I apologizing for everything he had to deal with. When he finished, I calmly explained that I was here to help him resolve this issue. Long story short, allowing him to go over his settings, I had him retype them in, even though they appeared correct. Hidden issues are resolved many times...