Category: Customer Experience Design

5 Things You Most Likely Didn’t Know About Listening Effectively In Retail Sales

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Poor listening often leads to customer frustration. When a retail employee merely hears a customer—instead of actively listening to them—they’re less able to determine precisely what that person needs.

I designed my Listening class for LinkedIn Learning to help you avoid these kinds of miscommunications. Join me as I go over how important listening is in retail sales, and I share 5 things you most likely didn’t know about listening in retail sales.

Help your customers feel heard and understood by learning practical steps for better listening. Discover the elements of effective listening—including how to listen with the intent to understand instead of the intent to reply—as well as how to find upsell opportunities and create calm with an angry customer.

Duration:
18m 47s

Take a look at the course introduction here.

Take The Importance of Listening in Retails Sales on LinkedIn Learning and Lynda.com 

Most People Don’t Get That They Have Internal Customers

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I don’t think that most people get that there are only two functions in a company. You’re either serving customers, or you’re serving someone who serves customers. There aren’t any other roles in business, as far as I’m concerned. I want to talk to you about how to fulfill your responsibility of serving, particularly when it comes to your co-workers – your internal customers.

The Importance of Follow-up

I love me some basketball. (#Thunderup) Follow-up is like an alley-oop on the court. An alley-oop in basketball is an offensive play in which one player throws the ball near the basket to a teammate who jumps, catches the ball in mid-air and puts it in the hoop before touching the ground.

If a co-worker reaches out to you for research or response (that is, throws you the ball near the customer’s point of need), you need to run with the task (with a sense of urgency) and put the ball in the bucket. Meaning, you make that call, do the research, or whatever, and you close the loop by letting your colleague know you’ve followed through.

It’s Bigger Than You

Continue reading “Most People Don’t Get That They Have Internal Customers”

The 2 Most Important Things Small Businesses Need to Focus On with the Customer Experience

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Two months ago I switched my company’s wireless carrier from AT&T, a relationship we’d had for nineteen problem-free years, to a low-cost competitor. We made the switch for one reason: To cut costs.

Seventy-two hours into the new vendor’s relationship, I knew we had a problem. Clients were all the time saying, “You’re breaking up,” or “I didn’t catch that.” The LTE service was laughable.

The new carrier was cheaper, yes. And the salespeople we worked with were delightful. However, the service was unacceptable. I had to breach the contract, paying out the big bucks to switch back to AT&T.

My brief stint with a low-cost competitor reminded me of two profound lessons small businesses must never forget.

1. Friendly Employees Aren’t Enough

Continue reading “The 2 Most Important Things Small Businesses Need to Focus On with the Customer Experience”

2 Things I Learned About Personal Connection From a Nurse Technician

When Eli, a twenty-something lively man from New York with Walnut-colored skin and tinted glasses entered my dad’s hospital room, he changed the atmosphere.

Eli responded to my dad’s many requests and needs with patience, a sense of enthusiastic urgency, and something that I can only describe as love. Eli serves my dad like he’s a son, not a nurse technician. I caught myself staring at the interaction between my dad and Eli with my mouth hung open.

Over the last fortnight, I’ve watched Eli and Kodjovi from Togo, Africa, and Kimberly from Texas, all nurse technicians, serve my dad with personal connection and enthusiasm. This team is surprising and delighting me with one of the best customer experiences I’ve ever had.

My two biggest takeaways from this team of fantastic nurse technicians are Be Intentional and Put Customers Over Tasks.

Here’s what they taught me. Continue reading “2 Things I Learned About Personal Connection From a Nurse Technician”

5 Things You Never Knew About Building Rapport with Customers

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Want to set yourself up for success each time you interact with a customer?

In my newest training course for LinkedIn Learning, I help customer service reps establish a genuine, human connection. I share simple techniques that can help you kick off a conversation in a way that makes your customers feel respected, listened to, and at ease.

Join me and learn how to keep the conversation flowing by yielding to customers and pacing their words and expressions. Plus, discover techniques that can help you build rapport in specific situations, including chat interactions, emails, and circumstances in which you need to deliver bad news.

Duration:
27m 4s

Sample the introduction to this course below, and then take the full course on LinkedIn Learning

Take my newest training on LinkedIn Learning or Lynda.com now.

Behind the Scenes with Our Customer Service eLearning

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This week has been dedicated to customized customer service eLearning for some of my favorite clients. Well, all of my clients are my “favorite.”

People often ask me how we put together our tailored online training for clients. So, I decided to take you behind the scenes. Read on to see how we create custom video training. Continue reading “Behind the Scenes with Our Customer Service eLearning”