Customer Service Skills | 5 Tips to Improve Your Customer Service Skills with Verbal Communication

5 Tips to Improve Your Customer Service Skills with Verbal Communication

Filed Under Customer Service Tips and Tricks | Leave a Comment


To be successful in the customer service industry it is important to understand that customer service is all about perception. The customer needs to feel that the server knows what they are doing, is happy to be doing what they are doing, and most importantly glad that the customer is there.

One of the biggest problems out there in the market today is verbal communication. Everyone knows how to speak but only a few do it skillfully. Here are a few quick tips to improve your verbal communication that will make you sound better and more professional for your next customer interaction.

1.    Choose Words Wisely:

Half of customer interaction is about speaking to the customer. We must choose our words carefully so as not to offend or dismiss our customers. Remember, we always want to give the impression that we care about the customer and that they are important to us.

The basic rule is to speak naturally but properly. Avoid using contractions if you can. Don’t say things like “Yeah, whattya want?” and try not to use any idiomatic expressions or regional words. Not everyone will be from the region you’re working in so words like bubbler, grinder, clicker, and others might not make sense. You want to try and avoid having to explain yourself because confusing the customer is the last thing we want to do.

2.    Have a Script in Your Head:

It is a good idea to prepare a script or outline for frequently asked questions or information you know you will have to give out on a daily basis. For example: while working at the front desk of a hotel I would constantly have to give directions and suggest restaurants. We also had a shuttle service that needed some pretty lengthy explanation that I had to tell every guest when they checked in.

What I would do is think of about four sentences worth of well packed information and I would say the same thing over and over. With the script in my head I wasn’t stumbling over my words and I had tailored it so that I knew the guests were getting all the information I wanted to give them. Scripts help you to keep consistent and once you get used to them it makes it easier to focus on other aspects of communication.

3.    Avoid the use of Slang:

This one ties in to choosing your words wisely. Slang terms vary across culture and geography and some people might have no idea what you’re talking about. The best thing to do is try and be as formal as possible whenever you can. Don’t greet customers with phrases like: “What’s up?” or “Yo, dog.” And sometimes even a “How’s it going?” or “You’re all set.” can be problematic. Stick to the basics of the English language and you should be fine. “Hello,” “Good Bye,” and “Have a nice day” are your fail safes. You can never go wrong when using words or phrases like that.

4.    Watch Your Tone, Mister.

Tone is one of the most important factors to verbal communication. The wrong tone can completely throw off the meaning you are trying to convey with your words. An angry tone can turn “Have a nice day” into an insult and that is the opposite of what we want to do.

Always try to keep an upbeat and joyful tone. Raise the tone of your voice just a little bit and try not to sound displeased. A happy service agent makes for a happy customer. Even if the customer is irate and screaming your head off, keeping a calm soothing or happy tone will throw them off and in turn calm them down.

5.    Speak Steady and Project

No mumbling! Never mumble, ever. If people can’t hear what you’re saying to them they aren’t going to get the information you need to give them. It is best to try and speak at a steady pace, not rapid fire, and project your words. Don’t yell at the customer, just make sure to speak so that they can hear and understand you properly. This becomes especially important if you have to say some strange slogan all the time that your businesses marketing team came up with.

Put these tips into practice and you should soon find that your customer interactions will become more pleasant and worth while. When people can understand you they aren’t going to get frustrated and chew your head off, they’ll also be on their way faster and finish the business they came to do.

Comments

Leave a Reply