Section 3: Service Gaps

Communication is vital to achieving customer satisfaction. But it is a two-way process—you can’t learn about your customers’ needs if you do all the talking. Talk too much and you risk alienating the very customers you hope to please.

My doctor exhibited this syndrome when I asked whether Condition A was related to Condition B.

As if I’d just pressed the “Chatterbox On” button, she proceeded to describe all medical research conducted on both conditions since Hippocrates was a lad. I was impressed with her knowledge, but not once did she ask the reason for my question. The upshot, when she finally reached modern times, was that there was no known connection between the two conditions. And given that fact, I didn’t really care about all the rest.

When my refrigerator broke, I found that the repairman I called was afflicted with the same condition. This guy gushed with enthusiasm, eager for me to know as much as he knew. However, developing refrigerator expertise has never been one of my life’s goals. All I wanted to know was, Will this refrigerator keep my ice cream cold again? The answer turned out to be no. Case closed.

When I had a fellow help me configure some new computer equipment, he talked nonstop. This fellow knew all (judging from the word count, at least) and was eager for me to know just as much. He didn’t even seem to need to breathe; he simply spewed forth. Squeezing in a question was no trivial matter.

These people, like many others who are eager to share their knowledge, fail to consider their customer’s preferences, and as a result, create unacceptable communication gaps. Asking pertinent questions—and then listening carefully to the responses—can help doctors, repair staff, you, and me determine the best way to communicate with a customer. In fact, showing an interest by asking questions is an amazingly simple way to win customers over.

In the situations described above, I was overwhelmed with information I did not want or need. The following approaches would have worked better for me and they may work well for you:

• Before educating me in medical history, my doctor might have asked why I was curious about the connection between Conditions A and B. By understanding what I wanted to find out, she could have tailored her response accordingly. Or she might have simply said, “There’s no known relationship. Why do you ask?” Then, if I wanted more information I could have asked for it.

• As he dissected our ailing refrigerator, the repairman might have asked if I wanted to know what he was doing. That would have given me the option to encourage or suppress his chattiness. Determining a customer’s communication preference can be crucial in generating repeat business. But this guy, well-meaning though he was, got on my nerves. Hopefully, our new refrigerator will provide twenty years of ice-cream-friendly performance.

• And the computer techie might have periodically asked any of several questions, such as, “Is there anything you want me to explain?” Or, “Am I giving you the amount of detail you want?” Or (my favorite), “Do you have any questions?”

Ideas and techniques to help you question, listen to, and interact more effectively with your own customers are provided in the three chapters that make up Section 3.

• Chapter 9 focuses on prevalent customer grievances and suggests steps that will help you achieve a higher level of customer satisfaction.

• Chapter 10 offers strategies and guidelines for gathering feedback from customers, so you know how well they think you are doing.

• Chapter 11 explains why and how to establish a service level agreement, a communication process that helps providers and customers build win-win relationships.

As this section emphasizes, success in working with customers requires more than competence at doing the job. It also requires an understanding of how your customers want to be treated. Sometimes, it’s as simple as doing less talking and more listening.