Great service means great listening.
We know that great service goes hand in hand with great listening. But how many of us do this in practice?
In fact, âthe gift of the gabâ is often seen as a positive trait in a sales and service environment. Whereas in reality itâs a bit like fast food; it gives immediate gratification but rarely lasting satisfaction.
At Service Animals⢠we like to remind people of the 6 steps to better service listening:
1. Invite feedback.
Not everyone is comfortable about giving feedback. If we really want to listen to whatâs going well (or less well), we need to invite customers to tell us. A simple âhow are things going so farâ; or âTell me what we can do to improve our serviceâ can lead to really rich interactions.
2. Show intent to listen.
Ever been asked whether youâre enjoying your meal whilst the
server is walking away from you â yeah, us too. Demonstrate youâre listening. Lean in, donât allow distractions and keep focussed on your customer.
3. Listen to the what and the how.
Service Animals demonstrates that it is important to understand what types of things people talk about (for example, facts vs feelings) as well as how they are talking (fast, slow etc). Listen for as many clues as you can. This helps you understand them better and pace them.
4. Donât interrupt.
As service providers, we often hear the same questions, feedback, and complaints over and over. No matter
how well-intentioned, donât interrupt or jump to action.
5. Play back what youâve heard.
That really builds trust and reassurance. For Dolphin
and Peacock customers, play back how you heard they feel as well.
6. Commit to act.
What are you going to do with this information or feedback? Let your customer know. The more customers think
we value what they tell us, they more theyâll tell us.
Specific tips depending on your style
But even with these 6 steps, we all have our blind spots, driven by our natural, instinctive traits. Depending upon your own primary Service Animals style, here are some other top tips:
Listen better as a Panther by:
Showing patience and not interrupting.
Donât let action trump empathy
Listen better as a Peacock by:
Allowing customers to give us the full picture so we donât jump
to conclusions.
Listen better as a Dolphin by:
Using your natural empathy whilst ensuring you probe for the right solution.
Listen better as a Owl by:
Allowing your human side to be seen by not focusing just on facts and tasks.
To find out your Service Animals style, just get in touch!
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Service Animals⢠is brought to you by SignalCX, a consultancy focusing on customer experience. For nearly 4 decades, we have worked with some of the worldâs best brands to design and enable great customer experiences. The SignalCX customer experience journey will help you develop a culture that has the customer at its heart, with employees who are energised and excited and a growing body of customers who love the way that your organisation makes them feel. Apart from this lovely warm glow, you will achieve tangible, measurable and bottom-line driven results.
Service Animals has been developed and refined for the past 30 years, and has been used by almost a million people around the world. Its roots lie in the psychological theories of Carl Jung, but this model has been honed through years of work with psychologists, clients and our own team members. Service Animals is the only tool that focuses on how we all use our individual communication styles to form the service experience we deliver to customers and colleagues.
To find out more, just get in touch!