More often than not, a person who comes to you weeping her emotions out only wants one thing—someone who will listen to their woes.
If you really think about it, the same can be said for a customer who calls up your customer support call center. All that client wants is for you to listen to their woes about a defective product or service that has gone bad.
Consider the gentleman who bought a set of golf clubs from your sports and hobby shop. He’s calling your customer call center’s complaints hotline to raise an issue about a chip in one of the clubs he bought last week. While it may sound trivial (and probably won’t affect his swing too much), the fact is that he paid good money for it and only wants the best.
The same can be said of Mrs. Smith who availed of your school shuttle service for her nursery school-going toddler. Unfortunately, she claims, your bus is always late—and so is her three-year old. What’s more, she wants action.
And that’s where you come in. More than just taking in their gripes, those complaints are a wake up call to get your team into high gear and do something about their plight. This means you need to listen intently to what they’re saying in order for you to act accordingly.
But before anything else, shut up and listen.
