4
Enhancing Your Listening Skills

Learning Objectives

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

• Explain the importance that effective listening has on customer relationships.

• Describe the listening process.

• Demonstrate effective listening characteristics when communicating with others.

• Avoid common pitfalls when listening.

• Implement strategies to let your customers know you listened and received their messages.

Listen and learn.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
Thirty-Second President of the United States

WHY IS LISTENING IMPORTANT?

On the telephone, listening is your primary tool for accurately gathering information so that you can appropriately and expediently handle customer questions, issues, and complaints. Listening to your customers lets them know that you are a professional who cares about and respects them as people and business partners. Failure to listen can lead to service breakdown, upset customers, escalated personal stress levels, negative word-of-mouth publicity, and ultimately lost customers. Of course, there is another, more basic reason listening is important—it is simply common courtesy to focus on what someone is saying to you.

Effective listening is a learned behavior. Unfortunately, most people do not learn to do it well. The fact is that adults are just kids with big bodies! What that means is that as children we learn behaviors and skills that we later use and repeat as adults. If we were taught to listen incorrectly or poorly, we will not be able to perform well in that area as adults. Think of some of the things that adults say to children when trying to get them to listen. Statements such as the following, often said in a harsh tone and sometimes accompanied by a pointed index finger, slap, or grabbing, are common:

• Look at me when I’m talking to you!

• Are you listening to me?

• Pay attention when I’m talking.

• Listen to me!

Is it any wonder that children often subtly rebel and do not listen when these approaches are used? Even though the concepts that adults are trying to convey are important (e.g., making eye contact often indicates attention and courtesy), the delivery method overshadows the lesson. The result of such learning breakdowns for you is that if you do not take the time to relearn new listening skills and practice those positive behaviors with your customers, you will likely have many negative customer interactions and dissatisfied customers.

The negative listening behaviors explained above regularly cause many problems in today’s workplace. According to a classic listening study conducted by Dr. Ralph Nichols, and validated by other researchers, the average adult worker in the United States listens at about a 25 percent efficiency rate (Nichols 1957, 56). That means that, on average, more than 75 percent of any message you (or your customer) send is missed or ignored! This fact likely accounts for the number of significant breakdowns during customer interactions when service providers hear statements like:

• Did you hear what I said?

• Are you listening to me?

• Do you understand why I am upset?

Such statements potentially spark negative childhood memories and can cause listening breakdowns due to emotional reactions on the part of the service provider.

THE LISTENING PROCESS

Many people make the mistake of confusing hearing with listening. In fact, even though the two are connected, they are different types of processes. Hearing is a passive physiological process (no conscious action required) in which someone with no hearing/auditory impairments receives sounds that are all around him or her through the ear. The sounds are then transported to the brain as the first phase of the listening process. Listening, as a process, is an active learned skill (must consciously be done) that begins as hearing takes place. The sounds transported to the brain are consciously decoded when listening occurs (see Exhibit 4-1).

CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LISTENERS

Anytime that you are on the telephone or communicating with a customer face-to-face, you are representing yourself AND your organization. Failing to do so in a positive manner can have serious long-term effects. Effective listeners recognize this fact and strive to listen actively. They are also prepared to deal with various situations that a customer might present. Some of the characteristics that identify an effective listener follow:

Empathy

Being empathetic when handling an error or sensitive issue for a customer can sometimes put you on the same emotional level with him or her. To effectively empathize with someone, you have to consciously withhold evaluation of what is being said. Do this by being sensitive to the overall message content, not getting hung up on individual words or concepts. Empathizing helps you understand the customer’s point of reference. When you use this technique, you try to put yourself in the customer’s position and then respond appropriately. By treating the customer respectfully and working with her or him to resolve an issue as effectively as possible, you psychologically bond. Depending on the customer’s level of emotion, you may want to use an empathetic statement such as:

• I can understand why you are upset ...

• I can appreciate your concern ...

• I recognize that this is frustrating ...

• I can see that you are not happy ...

• I can appreciate how frustrating this is for you ...

Caring

Showing concern or compassion for customers is an important customer service skill, especially when service breaks down or expectations are not met. Customers often need to hear in your words and voice tone that you are concerned about their needs and them as an individual. Various research studies have shown that customers typically return to service providers who demonstrate that they care about customers. Here are some ways in which this caring can be demonstrated.

• Use the customer’s name. It has been said that there is no sweeter sound than that of your own name. Assuming that is true, once you know a customer’s name, use it throughout the conversation. Just be careful not to overuse it to a point where you sound insincere.

• Take the time to listen on a personal level. Depending on your call center environment and policies, you may want to add a bit of personal attention to customers. For example, if a customer says that he or she forgot a friend’s anniversary and really need a particular item quickly, you could empathize with him or her. Then, spend a few moments asking about their friendship. Taking a little time to handle the human side of the transaction can let the customer know that you are concerned for him or her as a person.

• Send a personal note or other form of recognition. If you maintain a tickler file showing the birth dates of special customers, you could call or send a card or e-mail wishing them a happy birthday. Or, if they happen to mention during a conversation that they are celebrating a special event, you could congratulate them and just before closing the call, remark about the event again (this reinforces that you were listening and care about them as a person).

Sincerity

One of the quickest ways to destroy customer trust is to appear to be insincere in your efforts to assist her or him. If customers perceive that you are not concerned for them and their needs or that you are not being truthful in dealing with them, you can permanently damage the customer-provider relationship. Some simple ways to convey sincerity to customers include:

• taking the time to listen to them

• being truthful by providing accurate, current information

• taking a straightforward approach in dealing with customers (tell them what you can honesty do to assist them without masking potential problem areas)

• following up when you tell them that you will do so

• offering additional guidance or assistance beyond what they request or need to resolve their situation

Patience

The old adage of “patience is a virtue” certainly holds true when dealing with customers. As a service provider, you interact with people from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, and age groups. Each person is unique and will need to be treated as such. Some people, especially those who speak English as a second language, some elderly customers, and those with certain disabilities, may require more time to gather and assimilate information than lead to effective resolution. Spending the necessary time with the customer will often determine the level of success you achieve in serving him or her. Some strategies for demonstrating a willingness to be patient include:

• letting the customer talk without interrupting or finishing his or her sentences

• avoiding sounding impatient or frustrated as you respond to customer questions or statements

• waiting for the customer as he or she locates information or explains a situation or issue

• calmly answering questions that the customer has, even though you may feel that the questions are unnecessary

• explaining and/or demonstrating things clearly—and possibly multiple times

• providing information in multiple formats, when necessary (e.g., verbally and in writing)

Responsiveness

Customers want and expect that a service provider will be ready, willing, and able to answer questions and provide service. When this does not happen, customers often become frustrated and irritated and sometimes even go to competitors. Your challenge as a service provider is to be prepared to handle a variety of customer situations and requests in a timely manner. After listening carefully for customer needs, you can accomplish this in the following ways:

• return calls in a timely manner

• stay current on your organization’s philosophy, policies, products, and services

• have customer services and materials readily available where you can access them quickly (e.g., forms, materials, product and warranty information, etc.)

Open-Mindedness

Being objective and open-minded can show a customer that you are willing to listen as he or she explains an issue or situation. This is especially helpful and important when something has gone wrong with service. Some suggestions for demonstrating that you are open-minded are:

• asking open-ended questions that allow the customer to talk while you listen to his or her response

• not quoting policy (e.g. “Our policy says ...”)

• working with the customer to find a mutually agreeable solution, when possible

• showing a willingness to consult others that can assist, when necessary

COMMON LISTENING PITFALLS

There are many things that can lead to listening breakdown over the telephone. If you can identify and reduce or eliminate these factors, you can potentially better serve your customers. Some of the more common pitfalls that you should avoid are in the following sections.

Pseudo-Listening

This is a bad habit that many service providers have when interacting with a customer. Often, they only pretend to be listening to the customer while actually focusing on other things (e.g., entering information into a computer, looking at something else, reading or otherwise being distracted). Two strategies for preventing the perception that you are pseudo-listening are to ask questions that force you to focus on the customer’s responses and take notes on what they are saying.

Interruptions

Interrupting a customer sends a very negative message to him or her and can escalate negative emotions. In effect, when you interrupt someone, you are saying, “What I have to say is more important than what you have to say.” The reality is that in a service environment NOTHING is more important than your customer when he or she is speaking. If it were not for the customer you would not have a reason for employment. One way that you can reduce the tendency to interrupt is to consciously focus on listening to the customer’s entire message, pause and reflect on what he or she just said, then respond.

Preconceived Ideas

Making up your mind about a customer or his or her issue before you have gathered and objectively analyzed all the necessary information can be a formula for service disaster. Just because a previous customer or situation was similar to what a customer is describing does not mean you should jump to the conclusion that the current issue can be handled the same way. For example, assume that you deal with a lot of customers who have late payment notations in their files and a customer who has never been delinquent calls to explain what happened to her payment. If you close your mind and think, “Here we go again,” you may be making a big mistake and being unfair to the customer and your organization. In this latter case, you could offend the customer and ultimately lose her as well as have her begin a negative word-of-mouth campaign against your organization. It is sometimes difficult to remain objective, but it can pay big dividends in the long run.

To reduce the tendency to develop preconceived ideas, take the time to gather all the facts, check the customer’s history with the organization on your computer, and then make a decision.

Information Overload

Too much information from a customer can cause you to subconsciously shut down and stop listening. For example, assume you are a customer service representative for a product company and a customer has called to complain about an increase in price for an item that she normally purchases regularly. She then goes on a tangent to describe how she believes that such increases are unfair, that she has a limited budget, and that companies seem to be universally taking advantage of consumers. Unless you take control of the situation, your time will be wasted and you will not resolve the issue effectively.

Some of the easiest ways to prevent overload is to control the conversation by asking the right type of questions (as shown later in this chapter) and keeping your own comments concise and focused. Try to avoid asking questions that will encourage the customer to ramble and provide unnecessary information.

Noisy Environments

Some workplaces seem to be noisier than others. This can not only distract you, but can also send a message of poor professionalism if the customer overhears noise, comments, or conversations. A few strategies for reducing noise are to limit side conversations with others when interacting with a customer (unless you ask the customer’s permission to get information from someone else), turn off any radios, and use a quality head or handset for the telephone.

semantics

Many words have a variety of meanings. Depending on factors such as the person to whom you are speaking, his or her background, education, and the word(s) you choose to use, misunderstanding could occur. For example, assume that you are speaking to someone from another country or someone who does not work in your industry or organization, and you use words that are complex or industry-specific. Without the same base of knowledge that you have, a communication breakdown could occur for that person. A few basic strategies to prevent this from happening are to use short words and sentences, avoid jargon (words specific to an industry or organization), and pronounce (enunciate) words clearly.

Emotions

When emotional situations evolve, it is often difficult to listen effectively. This is especially true when both you and the customer are emotional. For this reason, you should strive to identify techniques for maintaining your composure under stressful situations. Your organization and customers rely on you to remain objective. If you fail to do so when a customer is upset, you become part of the problem rather than providing solutions. One way to prevent emotional reactions that can detract from listening is to identify your “hot buttons.” These are words, phrases, or actions used by others that upset or irritate you. If you are aware of these in advance, or when they occur, you have a better chance of recognizing and ignoring them.

STRATEGIES FOR EFFECTIVE LISTENING

In addition to some of the suggestions that you have already read in this chapter for improved listening, you may want to consider the following techniques to enhance your ability to listen and send a positive service-oriented message to customers.

Paraphrase What the Customer Said

Paraphrasing involves using your own wording to feed back to your customer what you believe they said. Doing this helps ensure that you got the message intended and let’s him or her know that you were listening and understood. For example, assume you work for a call center providing customer support for a home products supply store. A customer calls to say, “I went to your local store two weeks ago and bought a gas grill and some other items. I had planned to put the grill together for a party that weekend, but it rained and we cancelled the function. When I finally got around to putting it together today, there were parts missing.” Your paraphrase might be, “I apologize for the missing parts, Mr.___. So basically you need to order some replacement parts, is that correct?”

Avoid Arguing with Customers

In situations where a disagreement develops between you and a customer, it is important that you remain calm, listen, and avoid using retaliatory statements or comments. For example, if a customer says something like, “You people are a bunch of idiots,” your immediate inclination might be to counter with some equally emotional or rude remark. Doing so will only escalate the situation, and in the end no one wins. You might get the pleasure of “showing him or her,” but in the long run the customer goes away angry, your organization loses a customer, your supervisor may counsel you for your behavior, and ultimately it can cost you your reputation. Instead, look for ways to calm the customer down and address the issue. In response to the customer statement above (“You people are a bunch of idiots.”) try to appease and redirect the customer by saying something like: “I can appreciate that you are upset. While most people occasionally make mistakes, our goal here at ______ is to provide the best service possible. Let me see what I can do to help/assist you.” With such a statement you are not argumentative or emotional. Instead, you acknowledge the customers emotion and show empathy (“I can appreciate ...”), admit that people sometimes make mistakes without directly saying people in your organization have done so (“While most people occasionally make mistakes”), have emphasized that your organization is customer focused (“our goal here ...”), and restated your desire to assist (“Let me see what I can do ...”).

Additionally, try the following approaches to remedy a situation:

• professionally listen to the customer’s complaint or views

• ask questions to clarify, if necessary

• empathize, where appropriate

• reassure him or her that you are trying to assist them

• explain what you can do, not what you cannot do to help (remain positive)

• offer a compromise, if appropriate and necessary

• verify at the end of the conversation that the solution agreed upon is acceptable

Ask Appropriate Questions

As you read in Chapter 3, asking questions is an important technique used to aid communication. This is especially true when listening to a customer over the telephone. By asking the right questions, then listening to a customer’s response, you can often gauge understanding, emotional level, and needs. Use either open- or closed-ended questions to get the information you need to appropriately serve your customers.

Take Accurate Notes

Capture key elements of what your customers tell you. Do this on either your computer or a writing tablet for future reference (as a temporary measure when computer systems are down). Such notes can prove invaluable if future issues, questions, or accusations resurface related to a customer contact. Additionally, such notes are valuable when the customer calls back and speaks to someone else. This prevents the customer from having to repeat the entire history of an issue a second time.

Use Acknowledgement Words or Statements

By using short words or statements such as, “I see,” “Uh huh,” “Oh.?,” or “Okay” you can let your customer know that you are listening as he or she speaks or that you are following his or her message.

 

Customers are your reason for being in the workplace in the first place; therefore, listening to them is a crucial part of your job. By focusing on customer needs and gathering information to resolve their issues, you show you are a caring professional and can more positively deliver quality customer service.

Listening is your primary information-gathering tool in a call center. It is an active, learned process that many people fail to master. Unlike hearing, which is a passive, physiological process, listening requires conscious effort on your part and has four distinct phases—hearing, attending, comprehending, and responding.

Effective listeners exhibit a variety of characteristics that allow them to show customers that they are cared for and important. Some of the characteristics displayed by effective listeners in the call center include, empathy, caring, sincerity, patience, responsiveness, and open-mindedness.

As a service provider it is important to be aware of and avoid some listening pitfalls. These obstacles can lead to service breakdown. Some typical pitfalls include pseudo-listening in which a service provider only pretends to be listening; interruptions that do not allow the customer to express himself or herself; preconceived ideas about a customer or situation that prevents objective listening by a service provider; information overload that keeps the service provider from being able to determine key customer issues; noisy environments that prevent effectively being able to hear the customer’s message; semantics that are improper and lead to a breakdown in communication because the customer does not know word meaning; and emotions which can lead to barriers because of loss of objectivity.

To overcome these pitfalls and others, you can employ a variety of techniques or strategies to improve listening and service. Some possible tools to help overcome pitfalls include paraphrasing what was heard, avoiding arguments with customers, and asking appropriate questions.

While these are certainly not all the possibilities, they are a sound foundation for improved listening and ultimately better quality customer service.

1. Which of the following best describes the listening process?	1. (c)
(a) An innate skill that most people possess
(b) A passive process requiring little effort
(c) An active, learned process
(d) A process that is not as important as other communication skills
2. According to Dr. Ralph Nichols, the average worker listens at what efficiency rate?	2. (d)
(a) 100 percent
(b) 75 percent
(c) 50 percent
(d) 25 percent
3. The four phases of the listening process are:	3. (c)
(a) hearing, believing, reacting, and follow-through.
(b) hearing, attending, responding, and remembering.
(c) hearing, attending, comprehending, and responding.
(d) hearing, attending, responding, and speaking.
4. Effective listeners demonstrate which one of the following characteristics?	4. (a)
(a) Empathy
(b) Curiosity
(c) Determination
(d) Self-confidence
5. Which of the following is a technique to reduce or eliminate listening pitfalls?	5. (c)
(a) Let voice mail screen incoming customer calls.
(b) Ask the customer to hold, then have someone else take the call.
(c) Ask questions that force you to focus on the customer’s response.
(d) Have the customer research options and then present them to you for a decision.