Note: If you’re reading this in search of any helpful advice, you’re in the wrong place. You might require this article because of the “few helpful tips” approach. Let’s concentrate totally on a different viewpoint. Then, I’m sure you’ll think of a few useful suggestions for implementation.
I worked in a family firm that (short version) provided power supply and air conditioning equipment for the data centers of corporations before I became a motivational speaker and narrative specialist. Yeah. Very interesting. I was enthralled. My duties included taking calls, selling parts, assisting customers, purchasing office supplies, maintaining inventory, paying bills, issuing invoices, ordering lunch for special meetings, and performing any other tasks that the salespeople didn’t want to do. I also had to come up with imaginative justifications to share with my father when I forgot to charge sale tax that month. He found it really fascinating (I use the term loosely) that I could recall many tales and personalities in my thoughts, but that by the time I returned to his office, I would have forgotten who was on line 2.
I had worked as a receptionist for a huge insurance company, an office manager for an optometrist, a sales representative for an employment agency, and the chief cashier at a fast food restaurant, so I was an expert when it came to dealing with clients. And I frequently played the piano in a nearby restaurant bar on my nights off. (Those clients were a little unique.) For those of you who see me perform and believe I lead a lavish life, I must correct you. Yeah. It was paved with the material. Just passing along.
I thought of myself as a customer service expert in the family business of my father. But what is real? I failed. (Sorry for the foul language. It simply escaped.) The point is that, in every capacity, I was terrible at communicating with clients. This is why I approach you knowing exactly why your customer service representatives have turned robotic, why they are passing up possibilities for more sales, and why they aren’t the best brand storytellers. Because I’ve been in their position, I understand why they’re doing it incorrectly.
Prior to making any repairs, you must first comprehend the issue.
The first step to solving a problem, according to Dr. Phil (who knows because he’s a doctor AND he’s on TV), is understanding what the issue actually is. I interpret this to indicate that, when it comes to customer service, what you could mistake for issues are actually signs—symptoms of a bigger issue. robots working in customer service? That is not a concern. It is a sign. We must consider their robotic nature in order to find a solution.
The first step is always motivation.
My client experienced difficult days just as I did. It was challenging to smile while picking up the phone when I despised my employer for yelling at me. My customers suffered as a result of that person leaving me (apparently, he wasn’t even aware that we were dating). I snapped at the next customer after getting upset with the first. I’m not arrogant. Just bringing up the idea that our sentiments and emotions have an impact on how we behave at work.
Say what you want—call me biased since I’m a motivational speaker—but if someone isn’t feeling their best, they won’t be able to deliver it to you at their best. Your employee’s performance will be impacted if they are disengaged, worn out, detest their boss and team, feel underpaid and mistreated, or don’t believe in the company’s mission.
Get the correct folks on the bus, of course. Leave your private affairs at home. Here, we are not therapists. I got it. However, you should take steps to ensure that your employees feel valued and appreciated. You can encourage children to be enthusiastic about their part in this. There is no use in reading any farther if your people don’t care. The rest won’t function.
Nobody ever demonstrated the worth of what I was doing or how much they valued the work I was doing in any of the jobs I had. It would have been significant.
How you view your customer will determine how well you serve them.
Three words I used earlier were a clear indication of why I provided subpar customer service. WORKING WITH CLIENTS. That was the mentality I had while serving. If I consider it to be dealing with clients, I will never provide excellent service. I was treating the folks I worked with incorrectly. I doubt I even recognized them as people, to be honest. In reality, they were just one more like the one before, which made my job more difficult and prevented me from finishing all of this paperwork. And I am aware that I wasn’t alone. These days, I recognize that expression in just about every establishment I enter.
You have an issue when your CSRs fail to recognize these individuals as human beings. You know there’s an issue when someone views their work as something they have to do rather than something they get to. But don’t worry about it. Awareness is enormous. Your area of focus is clear. You can now solve the issue.
Relationships Come First
My responsibility when I answered the phone at the insurance firm was to connect callers with the appropriate agent. It was to schedule appointments and move them from desk to doctor in the eye doctor’s office. It was my father’s company’s responsibility to assist them in finding the appropriate part, provide a quote, order it, and send it. The song was to be played at the bar, followed by a different song. To me, every job had one thing in common—one primary responsibility—which was to follow instructions, smuggle in the occasional personal call, and count down the minutes until my real life started at five o’clock. If you were having trouble with me, I would respond by saying, “What? I’m following your instructions to the letter!” Here comes the robot.
Like many others in today’s environment, I was just going through the motions. As stated in my job description, I was performing the tasks. However, they ought to have added something more to my job description and truly made it obvious what it was—namely, that I had a larger responsibility, a more significant position, and a central goal that would decide the company’s future success.
to unite.
In EVERY SINGLE JOB I’VE HAD, they SHOULD HAVE TEACHED ME TO DO THIS. However, they didn’t. It was never even brought up in conversation. I was given a work description and evaluated on my capacity to complete it correctly. So many people ask me why their employees are missing opportunities, not closing as many sales, losing clients, or never acquiring them in the first place, which makes sense.
There isn’t a script issue with you. You’re having connectivity issues. Because you haven’t educated your CSRs how to focus on connection, they have became robotic. That hasn’t been put to the script’s front section. Your motto should be CONNECT FIRST.
Teach Them To Solve Problems Instead Of Following Instructions
I want to say, “Ditch the script,” but I’m aware of the issues that could result from that. I don’t believe that producing a better script is the solution; rather, I believe that it is necessary to teach actors how to rely less on the script and how to know when to stray from it slightly in order to connect with an audience.
Having the appropriate response on hand and providing it quickly is not the definition of good customer service. It involves acknowledging, hearing, responding, clarifying, empathizing, and establishing a temporary partnership where problems can be resolved. You develop into a fantastic storyteller for your brand when you demonstrate to people that you value their needs enough to pay attention to them and respond by being really present.
Share narratives
You must have known that I would eventually return to the story. That is after all my MO. Stories are the vehicles that elicit emotion and establish a connection between the consumer and the CSR.
I train professionals in business on how to connect and engage through strategic storytelling. And my job, man, do I love it. I’m quite skilled at it. But there is a queue of folks presenting the same issue to every major address I make. They are pressed for time to tell a tale. For a salesperson, executive, marketing team, or small business owner, stories make sense. However, how do tales relate to those who work on the front lines, those who provide tours, those who work in contact centers, and those who adhere to a script?
This motivated me to dig even farther. to learn how to use tale in its purest, most fundamental form. I continue to think that the objective is to weave together three stories: those of the client, the brand, and the employees. We interact with individuals, not brands. The bridge is the story.
I’ll sum up your situation, the predicament of the CSR, as follows (we can discuss the specifics another time):
You can give an example of someone you helped with a similar problem and/or a time when you felt the same experience or sensation when your customer shares their problem with you and you have taken on the role of the compassionate problem solver. These tales merely demonstrate to them that you understand what they are going through. The key to a connection is for them to relate to you personally.
For now, I’m going to end this here. Even though it would be easy to jump right into advice and instructions, doing so can cause you to miss the why. I’m counting on you to understand why. First, there needs to be a perspective shift.
Now let’s review:
Make Certain They’re Inspired
Check To See If They Have The Right Mentality
Teach Them To First Connect (And Always)
Teach them to Solve Issues Do Not Follow the Script
Aid them Share Some Examples
Need Support?
Workshops and Keynotes
In order to inspire people, assist in shifting mindsets, and impart the fundamental principles I have just stated, I would be more than thrilled to come in and present a keynote address and/or a workshop on the power of connection. In a nutshell, the WHY.
In need of direction on how?
Coaching/Consulting
Many businesses have requested that I teach this to their employees. Because each consumer is unique, I haven’t developed a solution that works for everyone. Let’s make a phone call instead. Let’s talk about your wants and problems, and I’ll put together a specially crafted package that matches your demands in terms of time, money, and goals. Send me an email at kelly@kellyswanson.net, and we’ll start talking.
Let’s Continue to Connect!
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