Communication is everything. That counts for both your personal and professional life. It’s not the first time we’ve pointed it out and it’s not likely to be the last. At MeloTel, we take the concept of strong communication very seriously. It’s the reason why we offer Commercial Phone Services, Website Maintenance Services and Domain, Email & Web Hosting among many other services that promote good communication between companies and their customers.
Of course, making use of our fantastic services will certainly help you to become a more effective communicator. However, there are a number of customer service practices that you’ll need to implement in order to ensure that your communication skills are truly top-notch. In today’s blog, we’ll focus on some of the best ways to improve the way you communicate with your customers.
Here are three:
1. Don’t interrupt. Many business owners fall into the trap of assuming they know exactly what their customers are looking for. After working within an industry long enough, you tend to field the same questions over and over again. So it’s natural to have your responses prepared in advance of even getting asked any questions. Don’t make this mistake. Every customer is unique. Listen to what each has to say without interrupting so that you know you are delivering the correct responses.
2. Avoid negative questions. This isn’t always easy because there are particular ways in which we speak in our personal lives that aren’t disrespectful, but may seem so in the professional world. “You haven’t heard of VoIP before?” may sound like harmless banter between friends but could put a client off if he/she assumes that your question is a comment on his/her lack of knowledge about modern technology.
Using the same example, if a customer explains that he/she is unfamiliar with VoIP, try saying something along the lines of “That’s no problem, it’s a new concept to many people. Allow me to fill you in.” This response is effective in that it assures the customer that his/her lack of knowledge is nothing to be concerned about. You become a trusted source of information without any sarcastic or unintentionally demeaning verbiage.
3. Try using analogies to explain technology. Analogies are great ways to explain new concepts. When we first began introducing our VoIP-based telephone services to our customer base, we received a lot of questions about how we were able to save business owners money on long distance charges. We used the analogy of email. Considering that both our email and phone services require the internet, we were able to make better sense of how we charge for our telephone services.
“As you know, you can send an email anywhere in the world and it won’t cost you anything more than the standard cost for your monthly internet services. There’s no such thing as a long distance charge for an email. Whether you send a message to your next door neighbour or a friend in Australia, it’s the exact same thing. When you use our VoIP-based telephone services, you receive unlimited calling to over 22 countries. You’re using the internet, not a traditional phone line.”
For more information about all of MeloTel’s services that can help you to improve the way you communicate with your customers, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1-888-MELOTEL or use the “Live Chat Support” feature on our website!
