Reviewing this checklist will help you continuously improve your customer service skills and keep you focused on the only think you can control - your own behavior.
Did you...? | Or did you...? |
Put yourself in your client's shoes. | Become stuck in your own point of view. |
Reserve judgment about your client and his/her problem and listen with an open mind. | Rush to judgment before hearing from your client first-hand. |
Let your client "blow off steam" before attempting to problem-solve. | Move quickly to solve the problem without allowing your clients full expression. |
Listen attentively to everything your customer had to say with genuine interest. | Become fixated on your own concerns or miss what was really being said. |
Spend as much time listening as talking, allowing your client to finish speaking before responding. | Focus on your next response instead of hearing, interrupt frequently or dominate the conversation. |
Ask questions to clarify your understanding. | Jump to conclusions. |
Seek your client's ideas or offer options to resolve the problem. | Offer only one course of action: take it or leave it. |
Tell the client what you can do and why. | Focus on what you cannot do and why. |
Admit mistakes and oversights; apologize for your client's inconvenience. | Avoid responsibility, get defensive, focus on your own inconvenience. |
Agree on the time and the manner for follow-up. | Leave follow-up to chance. |
Follow-up with client to check on their satisfaction. | Neglect to check out results and hope that no news is good news. |