Homo Sapiens survived for millennia for one key reason; they connected and communicated with others. Reaching out to combine forces ensured their survival and evolution.
Although we’ve evolved pretty far since then, science shows human interaction and connection is still prevalent to our health and success; being the fundamental element to how well we understand others and are understood. In a rapidly changing world that values efficiency and effortless experiences, how can we balance those with empathy and help our clients to make genuine connections which shows customers they care?
It’s key to understand your customer, anticipate their reason for calling and to consider what they’re going through when they call. When you view the journey through the customer’s lens you get their perspective and this is the basis for your scripting. By creating genuine relatability, you help to establish a connection which facilitates empathy and trust. More often than not, how we feel informs how we think and we know first impressions stick, so it’s imperative to get the message correct right from the get-go.
As technology becomes more efficient, so does our language style. Needless words are dropped and contractions are used so the written word is more reflective of how we actually speak. Such as saying “Thanks” “you’re through”, “we’ll help” “they’ll be with you”. We know monotony causes us to switch off so we reduce this by avoiding repetition, keeping messages succinct, cutting out needless jargon, talking plainly and adopting a conversational tone so the message is conveyed as friendly, relatable and helpful. We focus on inserting personable words like: “we”, “you”, “call us”, “our team”. This makes digital channels less superficial and more engaging which retains attention and elicits understanding, to provide a more human sounding and dynamic customer experience.
So be sure to understand your caller, consider their feelings, be succinct to keep them engaged, ensure a hassle-free journey, keep them informed, be helpful, respect them, create warmth, apologise when needed, be friendly and most of all be human! Cover this checklist and you’ll show your customers you care whilst meeting their needs.
By Kay Doble
This blog post is also available as a Podcast