Consumer advice: From street-wise to support-wise

When walking down the street there was a time when I always used to get bumped into by passers-by walking in the opposite direction. Really tired of being the invisible woman, I wondered what it would take to simply be able to walk in a straight line, been seen and not be pushed. Finally, I decided to call upon human nature and test the ‘look and smile’ technique. And guess what? It worked! All you have to do is smile at passers-by; they will more often than not smile back, notice you and most importantly not bump into you. It’s simple but it is effective and it solved my problem.

So what does this have to do with customer service? Everything, because in order to have our problem solved to our satisfaction, we need to take matters into our own hands.
I hear customers say ‘but it is their duty to solve my problem’. Indeed it is, but just like it is rude to bump into people in the street and not say sorry, becoming service-wise doesn’t fix poor customer service. It transforms it to your advantage.

Some of the complaints we receive have been going on for so long they dethrone the 24-hour longest documentary ever made “Grandmother Martha”. Playing with human emotions is the only way p4c has found to break the circle and get a solution back on track. It is sad, but it is a fact.

Using some very simple and proven techniques as a habit can make the difference between you being referred to as ‘case # 123456788’ within the company or to as Mr. Lawrence Harper-Jones from Chelsea.

Getting noticed is the name of the game and applying wisdom will do just that.

Purpose of the support-wise toolkit

Before applying the advice, there are a few things you ought to know about Customer Service representatives:

• They handle anywhere from 30 to 100 calls per day depending on the complexity of the support they provide
• They work with multiple (between 5-10) applications simultaneously to provide you the correct information but,
• The information contained in these tools is not always up to date
• They continuously multi-task between listening, diagnosing, reading, talking, typing and have to do so within a tight timeframe
• Bottom line: it is a stressful job

Should you care? No. Does it make a difference if you do? Yes!

The Service-Wise toolkit is prescribed for:

• Lack of call back syndrome
• Low technical skills and general know-how
• Poor attitude and unfriendliness
• Getting passed from one representative to the next without added value

The Service-wise toolkit is not a fix for:

• Long wait times
• Total lack of company response to phone, email or post
• Stiff policies and procedures

Applying the toolkit

The general idea is about getting a customer service representative to constantly think about the benefits of doing what you want them to do. You may judge this approach leaning towards psychology and it is. But if you imagine that for years the sales profession has been using Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP) for successful deal winning and that businesses are learning conversation management techniques to get into the minds of their customers, why wouldn’t customers start playing their game?

I am no expert on the subject of patterns of mental and emotional behaviour but specialists do say that ‘power is never taken away from you, you hand it over‘. It is by keeping this in mind, using common sense as well as my past experience as a customer support representative that I have managed to shift my customer experience from constantly poor to in most instances great.

As previously mentioned, getting noticed is the name of the game. In other words, my case and I will be famous in support-land. When I put the phone down, I simply refuse to drown amongst the 150 to 500 calls the representative may answer in a week. I want the company working towards my solution; I want them to think about me.

Ultimately the reason why you are not getting a call back is because the customer service representative cannot remember you.

• Creating the right mindset

Thinking about your expectations before engaging with a support organisation if crucial.  If you go in to this call expecting a fight and a non-resolution then that is most likely what you will get.  Think beforehand how you would like the call to go, feel how wonderful it will be when it does go that way and then pick up the phone.  If we create it in our minds beforehand then our tone, the words we use etc will feel genuine.

• What you say

Speak positively: From the moment the person answers the phone, I speak positively about the service and that person. I am confident that the person I am speaking to can and will solve my problem.

As a support representative, I used to make fun of customers with my colleagues because ‘they’ all started the conversation in the same way:
“Hello, …I have a problem and I wonder whether you can help me?”
This sentence translated into:
“Hello, …I have a rare problem which I doubt you can fix!”
Not only was it boring to hear the same thing call in and call out, it was also questioning our ability to do our jobs. It was definitely not a good way to get noticed.

Now in the customer’s shoes, I start the conversation as follows:
“Hello, I have an issue I cannot resolve / question I cannot find answer to and I require your expertise/help”. 
It depends what kind of service you require. The main point is that you are calling an expert and he/she needs to feel like the expert. The answer lies within this company and there is no point in doubting that.

The agent will ask you to explain the problem. Most customers then leave the course of action up to the agent to determine from this point on. Do not hand over that responsibility but rather establish a rapport. “How can we fix my issue together?” Talk about your expectations and alternatives if an immediate solution cannot be found. “If you were willing to/could do that…that would really satisfy me”. Appeal to their kind nature.
An important element to remember is that you are not the only customer with the same question/issue. Asking about the agent’s knowledge and expertise on solving similar cases will show interest in the person.

• How you say it

Effectively communicating over the phone has everything to do with your voice unlike face-to-face where your body language is said to be the most influential part of communication. The tone of voice on the phone is sometimes far more important than the content of the message.

In the spirit of conveying a positive, flattering and confident attitude, the tone, volume, pace and pitch of voice will have to be adjusted.

Most customers do not realise but the classic voice of a customer calling for support comes across as irritated, in a rush, monotonous, disinterested and condescending.
It is understandable to be angry and impatient if your product has broken down or cannot be installed, your contract cancelled or is not terminated but it is not the customer service representative’s fault and making them feel as such will work against obtaining a satisfactory resolution.

My NLP research and little experience with it lead me to understand that our power to convince is essentially through the utilisation of a good hypnotic voice. In plain English, human beings respond well to a slower than normal, articulate and deeper voice.

In practice, it is true that a person will slow down, mirror your speed of speech and relax. Being in a stressful job, this is definitely beneficial.
I never realised until recently the soothing effect one of my customers had on me.  Every time he called, I could hear classical music in the background and his voice matched the music. To me he became the ‘Debussy customer’. Whether Mr Debussy was conscious of his action’s effect and my reaction to it or not, he became memorable and it was always a pleasure to go the extra mile for him.

There is obviously a lot more to this science that I would dare to explain. I have captured a sentence that sums up what it is all about “Internal thoughts breed external behaviour”.  It is worth a try because in the end you have nothing to loose.