Let me hone in on a specific area of communication so the topic is not too broad – Customer Service. In one sense it’s easier to reach new customers today since they are all tethered by mobile devices. On the other hand it’s harder to grasp their attention amid the level of noise, let alone keep them interested. But what if we are successful in getting new potential customers interested enough to show up? Then we’ll be put to the test of actually having to talk with them. What we put in front of them is what got their interest. But the deal is far from won; how we treat them now determines that.
Customer Experience has both made and broken very successful companies. We all know the reasons why. We’ve experienced the excellent and the horrible. It’s not easy to develop a culture of consistent, sincere excellent customer service. It takes real work and dedication. But some things are innocent mistakes that become lost opportunities.
We all know the joke people make about being a loser when you don’t win the 50/50 or you picked the wrong lottery numbers. Making everyone a “winner” is a bit off the course of showing some teaching moment tough love. But common man! Wheel of Fortune sends me a downer email every day!
I hope this creates a chuckle somewhere 😊
Obvious kidding aside, how we communicate can be powerfully good, and powerfully bad. Especially when it’s a difficult situation. When it comes to IT that usually involves a discussion after the system crashes or the project deadlines are missed.
Not that you always have to fall on your own sword, but the relationship must be more important than the immediate gratification or saving your you know what. A woman with a very high EQ once told me “You can be right, or you can be in a relationship.”
So stop to think when it comes to meeting that new customer for the first time or having a difficult discussion with a customer. Smile, be respectful, keep to the facts, and set your attitude to a positive outcome – for both of you. And choose your words wisely so you don’t turn a gimmie of “You’ve got another chance Tim to be a winner tomorrow!” into you’re once again and still a loser 😊