Customer Service

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Customer Service Missy Tolbert Institute of Continuing Judicial Education of Georgia

What is customer service? • The assistance and advice provided by an agency to those people who use its products or services.

How do you provide customer service now? • Answering questions • Filing forms and requests • Others?

What should you be doing?

ATTITUDE • The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. • Smile even when you are having a bad day because it is likely that the person you are helping is have a worse day. • http://www.newlineideas.com/customer-service-quiz.html

INTEREST • Active Listening vs. Passive Listening

• Active Listening = listening to understand the situation • Passive Listening = listening to answer the question

INTEREST (cont.) How to Actively Listen: 1. Pay attention 2. Show that you are listening 3. Provide feedback 4. Defer judgment 5. Respond appropriately

ACTION • It’s the little things that mean the most • Keep on-hold time on the phone to a minimum and limit the number of rings of the phone before answering • Use the positive-negative-positive method • (Example: I am sorry that I cannot reduce your fine for your ticket. However, you can meet with the solicitor or set a court date for you to talk to the judge. At that time, the judge can discuss with you the amount and options for payment. I am sorry that I cannot help you but I am sure a solution can be found.)

VERBAL LANGUAGE • Make sure what you say is clear, concise and answers their questions. • Make sure you do not give legal advice (unless you are a lawyer) • Explain the process in a uniform way. Have a procedure.

TONE OF VOICE Tone refers to the characteristic style of your voice. You can convey a lot of information by the tone of voice you choose to use. For example: • A conversational tone • A business tone • A sarcastic tone • A condescending tone • A hushed tone • A jubilant tone • A soothing tone • A harsh tone Think of it like this: a baby cannot understand the words you speak, but will react to the tone of voice you use when you speak, just as a person who does not speak the same language you do will react to the tone of voice you use. It is not true, however, that if you speak louder, a foreigner (or baby) will understand what you are saying better than they did before.

So how do you use all this info? • Smile • Listen and do not interrupt • Keep responses simple and clear • Be careful how you say things • Know that people always walk into your office with a problem and most of the time you cannot solve their problem.

Remember…

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