There is communication involved in nearly all service encounters.
The customer may reach out to your business to inquire, buy something, seek help, lodge a complaint, or request information on a service.
No matter which scenario you’re in, the way you communicate can shape the perception of your entire company.
Why is Communication Important in Service?
Many services are provided by humans to other humans.
It’s sometimes impossible to separate the service delivery from the service itself. For example, a solution might be the right one technically, but the customer might have a bad impression of it if he felt ignored, bewildered, or offended.
Communicating well allows customers to feel more at ease with a process, see it as more transparent, and understand it better.
Listening as a Key Service Skill
Listening carefully to your customer comes first. Instead of jumping into a solution, listen to what your customer is telling you.
When a customer has an issue, let him tell you his story. Ask questions that relate directly to his inquiry. Make sure you understand what’s going on and identify the root cause of his problem. Don’t interrupt when he is explaining the situation.
Careful listening will avoid misunderstandings and help you serve better.
Explain It Clearly and Simply
All information should be accessible to the person you’re trying to communicate with. If the customer doesn’t understand your explanations or is given complicated instructions, it could confuse him, especially if he’s not familiar with the service you offer.
This doesn’t mean a professional must explain things using simple language only. Sometimes, simple language is best, especially if it conveys the right message clearly and simply.
Manage Customer Expectations
Communication allows you to set the right expectations for your customer. Your customer needs to know what to expect from a service, how long it will take, and what information you need from him.
If there is an issue and you won’t be able to resolve it right away, it’s better to explain when you’ll resolve it than to leave the customer hanging.
Setting the right expectation prevents unnecessary frustration and boosts your customer’s confidence.
Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication
The way you deliver a message matters too. Tone of voice, facial expressions, body language, eye contact, and overall demeanor play a big role in shaping a customer’s perception of your service.
Even if you say the right thing, you’ll deliver the wrong message if your tone sounds bored or rude. That’s why you should be mindful of both verbal and non-verbal communication in your service interactions.
Digital Communication
In this day and age, most service encounters happen online.
Customers now use email, chat, social media, websites, and automated tools to interact with businesses. Digital communication is another challenge for good communication, as the customer does not always see your facial expressions or hear your tone of voice, and messages must therefore be very clear, clear, and clear.
Dealing with difficult situations
Every customer conversation isn’t the easiest one. Sometimes customers complain because they have waited too long, there has been a mistake, something is out of order, or they did not get what they expected. In such situations, the goal of professional communication is not to argue with the customer but to understand the situation, figure out what is going wrong, and steer the conversation in the direction of a suitable solution.
One way to deal with such a situation is to:
- Don’t immediately become defensive, just listen.
- Figure out what the issue is.
- Let the customer know you understand their concern.
- Describe what you can do to address their issue.
- Come to an agreement about what happens next.
Communication and service recovery
Communication becomes even more important in these types of situations. If something goes wrong, a customer will often tolerate the problem if the company responds quickly and honestly. A company’s attempt to ignore the problem or give vague answers will usually worsen the situation. Explaining the problem and taking the right action can go a long way to helping a customer remain satisfied with the company.
Consistency across communication channels
Companies often have different ways of communicating with customers. Ideally, the customer will receive the same information from an employee face-to-face, by e-mail, and through an online chat. When different employees give different information, it can confuse the customer and make the company look untrustworthy. Clear guidelines and good information sharing within the company allow employees to give more accurate and consistent answers.
Training employees for better communication
Communication skills can be improved through training and practice. People can learn to ask better questions, describe things more clearly, manage challenging conversations, and adjust the way they speak depending on the situation. Training is most effective when it involves real-world examples and practice using typical customer service scenarios.
Evaluating the quality of communication
Companies can evaluate their communication by looking at customer feedback, patterns in complaints, response times, and other customer service metrics. A high frequency of customer complaints about lack of clear information or slow responses suggests the company needs to improve its communication. The aim is not to simply count how often people communicate, but to understand how communication impacts the customer.
Final thoughts
Communication is one of the cornerstones of professional service. By listening carefully, describing things clearly, setting proper expectations, and responding properly when things go wrong, employees can positively affect how customers experience a company. Exceptional service is not just about what you do, but also how you treat the customer throughout the experience.
ServiceAtlas School allows students to study communication in serviceology and gain insight into customer relations, service quality, and professional service delivery.