Benefits of Active Listening in Customer Service

In the present day, customers are not accepting the bare minimum from businesses because the modern customer is more empowered than ever before.

The customer today has access to multiple sources of information and they are now not willing to just be “sold to” but rather, they want to be heard, understood and served. To achieve this, it is therefore important that companies actively listen to their customers.

The customer care team needs to understand that behind every call, email, text or message is a real person who is just seeking a solution or guidance to an issue.

But is the customer service representative on the other end of a call or even in- store actively listening to customers? Well, it turns out, even in everyday life most of us are actually not actively listening but rather, passively listening.

The reality is…

The customer today is able to resolve the straightforward issues they have on their own due to availability of information and services online. This then means the customer service agent today is majorly dealing with complex issues which can make their work quite daunting.

Therefore, in this era of the super empowered customer, it is important for business owners and managers to ensure that their customer service teams are well trained on active listening.

 

So What Exactly Is Active Listening in Customer Service?

Active listening means being totally focused on the words that the customer is saying, understanding what those words mean, picking up what they are not saying and responding in a manner that affirms them. It’s all about being attentive, reflective and not being judgmental.

 

Why Is Active Listening Important for Businesses in Kenya?

1. Increases Customer Retention:

   
   

When your customer feels that they are not listened to or heard, they are more likely to take their business to your competitors. We have established that customers today have more options because there are many other companies offering similar products or services.

It is therefore important that your customer service representative is empathetic towards the needs of the customer. The more they feel listened to, the more they will value their relationship with you and the product and services you offer. This in turn helps retain your customer and also creates brand loyalty.

Taking time to actively listen to your customer and being emotionally present, allows you as a business to find out what the customer needs are and the value they expect to get from the product or service you are offering.

By addressing their needs, customers are much more likely to be loyal to your business because your product or services are impactful to them. Customers will always appreciate participating in conversations where they feel heard and this paves the way to building great relationships and increases their loyalty to your brand.

 

2. Reduces Miscommunication:

When a customer service is not actively listening to the customer, some of the things said will be lost as the conversation unfolds. Miscommunication can be the final straw that persuades a customer to leave especially if the customer had reached out to report a complaint or give feedback.

 

3. Solves Issues

Sometimes, customer service agents may be caught up in a rush to get through one call, quickly fix an issue and onto the next call. Undoubtedly, solving customer issues is their responsibility but hurrying to solve a problem without taking time to listen to the whole story can be viewed as uncaring.

Sometimes the customers themselves don’t even know what they want but by actively listening and showing empathy is the best way to identify how to assist a customer. All you have to do is listen then offer the best solution that caters to their needs.

 

4. Enhances Cross-selling and Upselling Opportunities

Actively listening does not only assist in solving customers’ problems but as a customer service agent, you are able to pick up gaps in the needs of a customer that are not yet addressed or foreseeable needs that might come up in future.

By getting to understand the current need of the customer and seeing how a certain product is able to meet their needs, you may propose an additional product or service that goes well with what the customer is using or even suggest an upgrade.

Consider a customer who is always buying an air ticket with you and is happy with your service. It is much easier to suggest that you additionally book them the hotel where they are going to visit or book an airport transfer for their trip.

 

5. Receive valuable feedback

Your customers are your best source of information about how they perceive your product or service. Having your customer service team actively listen and take note of what your customers are saying when they call, text email or comment on the social media pages, will help you as a business owner to identify what is working and what’s not.

Taking note of the complaints that keep coming up as well will help your business in analyzing and establishing where break down in meeting customer needs is emanating from and allows you to formulate corrective measures.

 

Important Tips for Better Active Listening in Customer Service

• Focus on what the customer is saying, rather than what you’re going to say in response.
• Focus on what the customer isn’t saying – their tone of voice, body language and facial expressions (if you can see them).
• Be patient and don’t interrupt – nobody likes to be cut off in the middle of a sentence. Wait until the customer has finished talking before you prepare a response. If they’re trying to collect their thoughts, give them that time, don’t try to fill in the silence.
• Give the customer your full attention and if the customer is physically present, maintain eye contact and tune out distractions; definitely don’t multitask while talking to a customer.
• Take quick notes, but don’t let them distract you from what the customer is saying.
• Occasionally repeat what the customer has said back to them, to confirm you have the correct information, and to demonstrate your attentiveness.
• Don’t take it personally when a customer is upset.  Often, they just want you to validate their frustration before you can move on to a solution.
• Pay close attention to the customer’s body language. Facial expressions, tone of voice, and physical movements can tell you a lot.
• Be patient, open, and neutral. Treat them like people first and try not to be judgmental.
• This might seem obvious but ensure to do something about it later. You can do all the listening in the world and it won’t matter if the issue isn’t fixed.

Remember…

Every customer is different and what works for one person might not work for another. However, having your customer service teams get into these listening habits, you’ll be well on your way to better customer service.

Active listening is all about paying attention and being attentive. To get ahead of the competition, you’ll need to understand and connect with your customers to help them reach their desired outcome. And ultimately, you’ll need empathy and definitely, active listening skills to achieve that.

Active listening is a key part of any quality Customer Service training.