The “stop talking” part gets in the way of many CSR’s. It’s a key point … once you ask the questions, you need to actually listen to the answers. And you’re right, you can’t always deliver what they customer wants — but making the effort is important.

Thanks for stopping by Kaarina!

I always say: hire for the “right stuff” and train for the rest. I also encourage staff to ask the question: “how can I solve the problem for you”, or “how can I make this right?” Then stop talking and hear what the customer has to say. Quite often, what will solve the problem from the customer’s viewpoint is far less than you might have been prepared to offer.

Of course, sometimes we can’t solve a customer’s problem to their satisfaction, but by asking the question, the situation quickly lessens in intensity and potentially gets de-fused. Cheers! Kaarina

A lot of people feel the way you do Charmaine. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here!

So true Michelle. “The outcome has to be our priority.” I think that sums up the whole point — focusing on the end result and not getting stuck in the moment.

Thanks for the great comment!

And I’m not talking about using psychology to play with people’s minds, either. This is simply is about our customer knowing they’re important to us and their needs matter, even if we can’t deliver what they want (i.e. Jayme wanting the same service her neighbors have, when that service isn’t available at her address).

What could the company have done for Jayme that would’ve given her that experience, and made her feel not like another dollar in their pocket, but a delight to do business with?