On one hand, processing customers as quickly as possible can make lines move faster and put more money in the bank in terms of sales per hour. Customers are happy because they are in and out and on their way. On the other hand, spending more time with each customer can result in higher per-customer sales, enhanced customer experience which can drive repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals. Going the extra mile, however; can slow down service overall and frustrate those waiting in line. Here lies the conundrum.
Have you ever been served by a true service professional? I mean the ones who seem to be able to manage both of these opposing forces quite effectively? I am acutely aware of a service rep’s ability to handle a customer’s needs at peak demand times in a way that personalizes service without compromising the efficiency of the service transaction. Here is what service professionals do:
Use nonverbal body language to send positive messages to waiting customers even before the service transaction starts. When customers are waiting to be served, a quick smile with some eye contact can let those waiting that you’ve got them on your radar and will be taking care of things as soon as you are available.
As customer’s approach, service professionals listen effectively and ask the right questions. What are the right questions? Usually, they are open-ended and are probing any and all information required to match the product and/or service with their needs. Service pros can gather intelligence while listening and fill in the gaps with strategic questioning.
In my experience, even the most general of questions or requests by customers can be matched with relevant recommendations within about three open-ended questions from a service professional.
E.g.
Customer: “I am looking for gift and I have no idea where to start”. This
question is very broad and leaves the service pro little to work with in terms of directing a customer to relevant products and/or services available. Without the right communication and questioning on the part of the service pro, it could take forever to match the consumer with the right items (and the customer could get frustrated).
Service Professionals will ask open-ended questions such as:
“Who are you shopping for?"
“What kinds of things/services does # usually like?”
“What kind of budget are you working with?”
“How much time do you have?”
Skilled service professionals can pull critical pieces of information from a customer within about a minute to 90 seconds which leads that customer to relevant products/services to purchase. That’s efficiency AND effectiveness.
Service Essentials® Customer Service Workshops include strategic questioning techniques and help service representatives understand how to be efficient AND effective with customers. Developing these communication skills enable employers to better manage peak times and effectively match customer needs to available products and services.