![]() ![]() The customer is clearly unhappy but effectively relays the information in order to quickly get it fixed. Here are two examples that illustrate how critical thinking lets you assess the situation when you’re in the contact center.Įxample 1: Let’s say you answer a call and the customer is reporting a service outage of a business-critical component. Critical thinking helps you stay calm and enables you to confidently sort issues into emotional and factual buckets so you can prioritize them appropriately in your response. When you use critical thinking, you are making an objective evaluation and analysis of an issue before forming a judgement. ![]() That’s where critical thinking comes into play. One of the most common challenges that agents encounter in the contact center is knowing which aspect of the customer’s complaint to address first. Many customer service calls are a jumble of facts and emotions. The meeting is their opportunity to get the whole story out on the table.Īssess the Situation with Critical Thinking Let the customer direct the conversation whenever possible.Patience is perhaps the most important skill to have as a customer service agent. Interrupting a customer, even to agree or explain, will likely increase frustration and anger. Let the customer speak without interruption.Here are a few more pointers to help you become a pro at it. ![]() That’s active listening in the customer service setting in a nutshell. Repeat this step until you are in sync and potential solutions can be identified. Allow them to repeat, rephrase, or elaborate then reflect your revised understanding back to them. When you ask the customer to verify your summary, it’s fine if they disagree. Start by saying something like, “If I’m understanding you correctly…” Then paraphrase what the customer said, and end by asking, “Do I understand that correctly?” After listening carefully and completely, restate what you have heard in calm, objective wording. ![]() Acknowledge their concerns directly, for example, “I hear how this problem is putting you in an awkward situation.” Equally, you need to know how it has impacted the customer or their business. It’s important to pinpoint exactly what has caused the customer to be upset in the first place so it can be addressed. Let them know you’ve heard them by acknowledging their emotional tone: “I can see how frustrating that must have been.” Unexpressed emotions tend to intensify, not dissipate. Notice if the customer is angry, disappointed, or frustrated, and let them voice it. To get the complete picture, ask open-ended questions such as, “And then what happened?” Don’t form any conclusions or beliefs before you’ve heard all the customer has to say. It’s a process with some back-and-forth that works like this. When you work in a contact center, active listening means patiently hearing what the customer says and then repeating what they’ve said back to them. When you listen actively you listen to understand, rather than listen to reply. In everyday conversation, we often think more about what we’re going to say next than what the other person is currently saying. In this unit, you will learn how to develop active listening skills and apply critical thinking and emotional intelligence to master the art of customer service. Listening to both aspects of a conversation-the factual and the emotional-at the same time takes a little bit of mental jiujitsu. Identify practical ways to use active listening, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence while engaging with customers.Ĭustomer service is a delicate balancing act requiring agents to simultaneously assess all the facts while addressing the customer’s emotions.Explain the value of active listening, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence in the contact center.After completing this unit, you’ll be able to: ![]()
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