Jeffrey had always been told by his manager to figure out the issue quickly and wrap up the conversation as fast as possible.
So, Jeffrey was hyper-focused at finding that one key word that could identify the issue and help him to transition quickly to what might be some possible solutions.
He was especially happy to engage a fast-talking customer, because he could identify that one key word more quickly.
The Issue with his Approach to Problem-Solving
In theory, a fast-talking customer may be conducive to accessing a lot of information and wrapping up the conversation quickly, but it might NOT be conducive to wrapping up the issue correctly.
Jeffrey found that finding that one word led to assumptions about other key poinsts, and he would go down the wrong path only to have to do some rework or engage the customer multiple times to rectify what was truly the problem.
So, he devised his own methodology. He took this non-stop or fast talker, and he came up with a way to slow down the customer. Jeffrey realized that – to fully help the other person – he needed to understand the situation and its uniqueness. And having a customer that was pinballing all over the place when describing what was going on wasn’t helping either of them to get to the right answer.
The Solutions He Developed
Jeffrey learned to interrupt politely and professionally: “I’m sorry to interrupt. I just want to make sure I’m understanding exactly what you’re saying. Is it OK if I ask you a couple quick questions?”
Jeffrey learned to clarify key points: “Just so I’m clear, did you say that that transaction happened in person or on the website? Was that two weeks ago or last week?”
Jeffrey learned to summarize key points: “My understanding of what you just said is that the return was made last Tuesday, you were supposed to get a notification and never did, and you haven’t received the refund on your account at this point. Did I understand those points correctly?”
In dealing with the fast talker, use these techniques when you need to slow them down.
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