Client Experience Management

 

What's your company brand and how do you represent it?

Take 5 minutes to think about your company's branding and how you reflect it - here's what I thought about the people I work with and how they best reflect our brand:

Professional, Experienced, Friendly, Can-do Attitude, Proactive, Responsible, Trusted, Skilled, Knowledgeable, Adaptable, Clear communicator, Patient, Observant, Honest, Positive & Helpful.

What would you say about yours?

Building Rapport

First impressions count: 

• Say hello
• Be helpful and friendly

Active listening techniques

• Reflective Listening – paraphrasing or summarising what the speaker has said to demonstrate understanding and encourage further communication
• Clarifying questions – check you understand their issue by asking for more information
• Take notes so they don’t feel they have to repeat themselves
• Don’t interrupt, wait until they have finished speaking

Solution finding

• Always start friendly – they are asking for help.
• Remember when customers reach out to us or express their feedback, they want to feel understood and valued. 
• Reassurance that you will be able to help is what they are looking for. 
• A lot of the time they will have tried to fix things themselves, sometimes they won’t. Don’t assume, start asking open questions. i.e. Tell me what happened…
• Listen to the key issues, repeat them back and tell them what you will action on

Avoid Doubt or Negativity….

Here are some common ways to help a client and how to take it further...

Meeting Expectations

• Show empathy - understanding their frustrations doesn't mean you have to comply with them but will help them feel like they are being heard and that you see their point of view.
• Demonstrate confidence and capability - being enthusiastic is great, however too much can make them think you're being too jokey, not enough and they don't think you have engaged enough.
• Set realistic expectations – don’t overpromise, don’t set deadlines you won’t be able to deliver
• Professional and prompt

Speaking with confidence

Speaking in meetings is usually the first time you'll talk in a crowd about your work.  It's the first time to show professionalism, but for some it's a fear inducing panic filled festival. Here's some suggestions how to get past those fears.

• Banish pre-meeting jitters - Know your symptoms and reframe them as a sign you are ready for action and ready to bring your best. Superhero pose, box breathing exercises and mindfulness can help reduce them to a level they are not overwhelming
• Ease into it - Don't be late, but also don't rush yourself being there first and having the pressure of that. Join when the crowd joins and say hi to a few familiar faces. Make small talk if you don't know anyone or listen into theirs. Put your camera on if this is an online meeting.
• Commit to speaking early - This can help if you've had a chance to say hi as you've already done it but try and get in within the first 10-15mins. Ask a question, give an opinion, present an argument. But commit to talking within that time.
• Use your strengths when speaking - Back up your colleagues with a 'great idea' or 'yes that could work because...'. It shows you're not just their to observe, but have noticed your colleagues. Be careful not to just repeat their idea, seeking recognition for it. You won't be respected by the speaker or peers.
• Show initiative - when there's a next steps or actions to follow up - take one of them on, or come up with one yourself to take. 
• Challenge your beliefs - don't fall to imposter syndrome. You have every right to be there and make yourself heard. You're part of the organisation with the position you have because you're qualified, effective and you matter!