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Chapter 9 Customer-Focused Listening Skills

Chapter 9 Customer-Focused Listening Skills. Objectives Distinguish among the three levels of listening. Explain the importance of active listening. Develop techniques for becoming an effective listener. Describe barriers of effectively communicating and listening.

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Chapter 9 Customer-Focused Listening Skills

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  1. Chapter 9Customer-Focused Listening Skills Objectives • Distinguish among the three levels of listening. • Explain the importance of active listening. • Develop techniques for becoming an effective listener. • Describe barriers of effectively communicating and listening. • Identify techniques for communicating with ESL speakers. The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  2. Three Levels of Listening • Level 1 Listening • Characterizes a good listener who suspends judgment, is empathetic, and who listens with a high degree of understanding and respect • Level 2 Listening • Describes a listener who mainly listens to words, but does not fully understand what the words mean • Level 3 Listening • Describes a listener who may be daydreaming, forming a premature reply or faking attention The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  3. Active Listening • Means listening with your whole mind and body—not just your ears • Five strategies that help improve active listening skills • Be ready to listen • Be ready to take notes • Demonstrate that you are listening • Ask questions • Restate the customer’s points The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  4. Strategies forEffective Listening • Realize that listening is hard work • Make good use of the thought-speech ratio • Seek to listen in more than one way • Give the speaker space • Don’t begin speaking the moment the person stops talking • Develop an open posture that encourages the other person to talk The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  5. Pay attention Be courteous Nod your head Repeat the statement Don’t be judgmental Ask follow-up questions Listen with your entire body Respect the other person Listening Techniques The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  6. Three Types of Feedback • Reflective feedback mirrors content and intent • “If I understand you correctly, what you are saying is…” • Responsive feedback characterizes the listener’s feelings • “When you [action], I feel [reaction].” • Reactive feedback reaffirms the speaker’s message • “I had a similar experience. It was…” The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  7. Passive listening is characterized by hearing without sending any feedback It offers no indication of acceptance or rejection of the message. Selective Listening is hearing only what you want to hear, filtering out what is not important or of no interest to you. Passive Listening and Selective Listening The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  8. Empathy is seeking to understand the other person’s position without getting emotionally involved yourself. Putting yourself in the customer’s place can help you analyze the message from his her perspective. Guiding principles Be attentive Be interested in the speaker’s needs Listen with a caring attitude Act as a mirror Don’t get personally involved Use verbal cues Empathetic Listening The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  9. Roadblocks to Communicating and Listening • Judging or criticizing • Naming or labeling • Commanding or ordering • Moralizing • Diverting • Advising The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

  10. ESL (English as a second language) customers have studied English and generally comprehend it, but may have difficulty speaking it for several reasons. To help these speakers Avoid making judgments about incorrectly accented speech Be a patient listener Don’t finish the speaker’s sentences Don’t correct grammar and pronunciation errors Don’t pretend to understand Effective Communication with Non-Native Speakers The World of Customer Service, 2e Odgers

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