The Importance of listening in business communication can not be overstated. In fact, one of the five principles of customer service success is to be a good listener. Good listeners don’t assume they know what a customer is going to say. They’re always respectful of a customer, even when the customer is saying something the […]
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Client insights and service tips: We don’t normally associate humor with a danger zone. In fact, I think lots of humor is key to living a fulfilling life. When my family gets together, we laugh, giggle, chortle, and guffaw like crazy people and we love it! So, are there times when humor is dangerous? Absolutely.
Call Center Articles: Humor in the Danger Zone: When Jokes Interfere with Our Job Read More »
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I recently spoke with a client who is concerned about how some of his staff members speak to CEOs. He owns an IT consulting firm with a variety of clients and is worried about his consultants’ communication skills. His consultants are required to interact with various individuals both on the phone and at client locations. He is concerned that some of the consultants’ language choices are inappropriate for dealing with clients, especially when the client in question is a C-level executive.
How to Talk to a CEO; Professional Communication Skills for the Helpdesk Read More »
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Ernest Tubb is a well-known name to anyone familiar with country music stars of the 1930s through the 1980s. During his recording and performing career, he achieved many milestones including headlining the first Grand Ole Opry performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall along with a long string of hit records including Waltz Across Texas, Thanks a Lot, and Walking the Floor Over You.
What Can IT Customer Care Learn from a Country Music Hall of Famer? Read More »
I recently had a conversation with a client who told me he sometimes hears complaints from his end-users that he’s being rude. He told me that he didn’t feel like he was being rude at all.
I doubt he was being rude, but I suspect he maintains a “strictly-business” demeanor around the office. I’ve noticed in our email exchanges and phone calls that his responses to me are terse and strictly-business with no trace of humanness. He’s really beyond formal, in that his emails don’t even include a greeting (“Hi Don” or “Dear Don”), a complimentary close (“Kind regards” or “Sincerely”), or even an email signature. I noticed in our phone conversations that he didn’t initiate any sort of attempt to connect with me as one person to another. Of course, I’m seen as a vendor and sometimes treated differently from, say, co-workers. Still, I wonder if a clue to his problem with end-users might be found in the way he interacted with me.
When our work involves serving others, it’s important for us to be good listeners. Being a good listener can be difficult at times. I’ve created a video to accompany this blog post with the ten tips to help us all become better listeners, whether at work with our customers, end-users, and colleagues or at home with our spouse, children, and friends.
How to be a Better Listener: Active Listening Read More »