Five key messages in every customer conversation

Whatever the problem you’re dealing with, or the product or service you’re helping someone with, there are five key messages to get across if you want a customer to trust you.

‘I’m here for you’

Greet your customer warmly. Warmth is the real distinguisher between who we trust and are loyal to. Projecting warmth helps build a connection with others, showing that you are interested in them, that you hear them, want to understand them and can be trusted by them.

‘I will help you’

Recognise what your customer really needs from you. Look for the said and the unsaid. There is often more to your customer’s query than just a question – what’s behind the question? What’s impact of the issue on them? What is the customer feeling right now?

‘I understand you’

Empathy is understanding how someone is feeling and seeing the world through their perspective. It’s recognising how your customer is different from you and responding in a way that is right for them. It’s easy to say, “Hmm-hmm” and “Okay” when the customer is speaking, but stock responses often indicate that our curiosity has fallen, we’re working on auto-pilot and we’ve started to solutionise. Trust is about relation-ship, not solution-ship. Recognise and attune to the customer’s communication preference. Respond appropriately to your customer and demonstrate genuine empathy.

‘This is what I’ll do…’

Action speaks louder than words. Warmth plus competence equals trust. Demonstrate your competence and expertise. Own the customer’s question or issue and act with accountability and reassure your customer that they are in safe hands. Use confidence- and trust-inspiring language to control the conversation, then do what you promised you would do.

‘I’m happy I could help you today’

Thank the customer. End the interaction on a high with a personal, trust-building goodbye and ensure the customer leaves the interaction feeling confident that their question or issue has been resolved. Ensure that your customer understands what will happen next and is confident in the solution you provided. Take steps to avoid the customer having to contact the organisation again about the same issue. Thank the customer and end the interaction in a personal and memorable way.

This learning tip comes from our Great customer service programme. Check it out here. If you’d like to explore this topic or any other aspect of customer service training then please do give us a call on 01582 463464. We’re always here to help.