In those
few moments that make up a first impression, your customers will come to a
conclusion about what kind of person is serving them, what they may expect in
the way of service and whether or not you intend to pay attention to their
needs.
In order to read your customers properly and
assess their needs, you need a blend of observational skills. These skills are
important in the day to day interactions you will have with the public and also
play an important role in dealing with complaints that might arise. Golden rule
when it comes to complaints: It is better to get a complaint and have the
ability to rectify the situation than it is to have a customer just leave
without sharing the reason or reasons they were not satisfied and potentially never
come back. When you have the opportunity to give your customer that feeling of
being listened to, you have a chance to create a loyal customer.
Effective
Listening Skills.
Use
your body language.
When
engaging with your customers, lean forward, face your customer & make eye
contact. Your actions speak louder than words so not being bothered engaging
with your customers will show you would prefer they did not spend their money
and time in your establishment.
Be
an observer. Let
them talk and just listen. It is
impossible to speak and listen at the same time.
Learn
to use your thinking time constructively.
Try
not to be distracted by thinking your own thoughts and jumping to
conclusions. Avoid judging the customer,
finishing sentences for them or interrupting them.
Listen
with an open mind and avoid prejudice.
Avoid
the tendency to resist complaints that are not directly related to you and try
not to blank out ideas that you would rather not hear.
Let
the speaker know that you hear and understand. Give
encouraging responses when possible, summarise that you understand what was
said to you and reflect the feelings of the customer, not just the words.
Empathetic
Listening Skills.
Empathetic
listening basically means putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, and trying
to understand the situation from their point of view. In some situations, basic
listening skills are not sufficient. When someone is angry, upset or
frustrated, you need to acknowledge their emotions before you can begin to
solve the problem. This is accomplished through an additional set of listening
skills called empathetic listening.
REMAIN CALM.
When
faced with an upset or angry customer, keep your own emotions in check. Do not
become defensive. Instead, be prepared to listen.
Give encouraging responses.
Let
the customer know you want to help. This can be done both verbally and
non-verbally. Let’s start with the non-verbal aspect.
Mirror feelings.
Let
the customer know that you want to try to understand how he or she feels about
the situation. ‘’I am sorry you feel
so..’’ ‘’I can see that you are upset about..’’ ‘’I understand you waited a
long time before the food arrived…’’
Clarify Facts. Double
check to make sure you have the correct facts.
Work together towards a
solution. Summarise what you understand the customer to
have said, so that you can proceed. Remember, when you listen to understand a
customer you do not have to agree with them too!
WHEN TO DRAW THE LINE
There
are some things a service professional does not have to take from an upset or
angry customer. One of these is profanity and the other is physical abuse. Be
firm and yet polite in ending the encounter and report it to your supervisor.
Empathetic
listening is a skill that assists you to handle problems and defuse difficult
situations. Practice this skill at every opportunity!
When
dealing with the problem you can APOLOGISE:
•
Apologise – It shows you care enough
to put things right.
•
Praise – thank them for taking the
time for making the complaint.
•
Observe – their body language, keep
a neutral stance and tone of voice.
•
Listen – be sympathetic and
empathise with the customer.
•
Offer - a solution wherever possible
•
Go through the steps with the guests
on how you’re going to help them.
•
Instigate the solution; call the manager-on-duty
if you need authorisation.
•
Stay calm throughout, never defend
what happened nor blame anyone - EVER.
•
Ensure the guest is happy with the
outcome.
