As a customer service professional, what you say matters. The information you’re providing is useful. The direction you’re giving the other person is helpful. But…
As you’re speaking, you also need to be reading. Reading the other person. Watching the customer, determining whether and how they’re receiving what you’re sharing. And sometimes if you’re really watching the customer – their behaviors, their expressions – you can read their signs, and sometimes the signs say STOP. They say PAUSE. They say LET THEM TALK.
When you’re sharing something with the customer or you’re talking to them, and they are flipping through their paperwork or scrolling the phone for some information, they’re not paying attention. That’s a Stop Sign.
When they look at the clock or their watch, or their eye contact strays elsewhere, that’s a Stop Sign.
When you can tell they’re trying to talk or convey some information or physically moving in such a way that they’re about to burst unless they get their turn to speak, that’s a Stop Sign.
When the brow gets furrowed, like they’ve just been asked to lay out a blueprint for World Peace or provide the algorithm that Google uses to prioritize web searches, they may be unclear or confused. That’s a Stop Sign.
At this point, it’s not about what we’re saying, it’s about how we’re listening to their body language. It’s how we’re focused on how they’re receiving or not receiving our message, how they’re paying or not paying attention.
Sometimes the best thing to do in a conversation with a customer is to know when to stop speaking and ask them about their thoughts, or ask if they have something to share, or ask if anything is unclear.
Look for a Stop Sign.
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