Expand on Why: having empathetic customer conversations
Each week GRIST is exploring a micro-behaviour related to empathy that can help improve customer experience during these stressful times. This week’s micro-behaviour, Expand on Why, builds on last week’s post focussed on Uncover the Why. These micro-behaviours draw on the core theme of empathy to deliver better conversations for both customers and frontline team members.
Making a customer feel human and connected is more important now than ever. With isolation both physically and socially a part of our day-to-day life, the ability to communicate with customers in a genuine and empathetic way creates stronger emotional bonds that will have long lasting benefits.
Interestingly, Australian contact centre staff sometimes forget how to have these ‘real’ conversations. In a chat with your Mum on the phone, it would be natural to ask her follow-up questions based on previous comments and responses, so why does this behaviour get left by the wayside when conversing with customers?
1 in 20. That’s how many consultants are having a deeper conversation surrounding a customer’s reason for calling. According to GRIST’s yearly Top 10 survey of 62 of the largest contact centres in Australia, expanding on why a customer has phoned is often overlooked in favour of process-driven questioning. However, some specialists are on the right track. The infographic below shows the gap between the best performing contact centre and the rest.
The good news is that it’s possible to improve quickly, using a very simple micro-behavioural approach. Here’s how.
Micro-behaviour: Expand on Why
What is it?
The ability to ask follow-up questions to gain a deeper understanding of/clarify the customer's broad motivation for calling.
Why is it important?
Customers are craving genuine social interaction these days, and while a process-driven approach can yield a fast solution, the lack of connection can leave a customer feeling like just another transaction. Gaining a deeper understanding of the customer's underlying reasons for calling and demonstrating curiosity/interest will engage the customer and deliver a more unique customer experience.
When?
After uncovering an underlying reason for a customer’s enquiry, most consultants file that information away and move on. This lack of natural conversation flow can counteract the benefits of enquiring in the first place, making it feel scripted. By following up with a drill-down question, consultants create a dialogue with the customer.
How?
Drill-down questions should aim to uncover more about the broad need or what is driving the call and can be asked in an open or closed form. It’s about taking your ‘solution’ cap off for a moment and responding as an interested party.
This could be done like this:
“What was it about your previous supplier that you were unhappy with?” – open question
“Do you feel like you are not getting enough value from us?” – closed question
Mini execution plan:
Implementing this in your team is easy and can take as little as a week.
Day 1: Run a focus session to explore the What, Why and How of the Expand on Why micro-behaviour.
Set a goal: During a conversation with your peers at least once today, use this technique to drill down on why once they tell you something about their situation.
Day 2: Run a focus session to explore what customers say when they are asked why they have called today and practise the follow-up questions that could be asked to Expand on Why.
Set a goal: Ask the team to use these questions a set number of times during the day to uncover more about why the customer has called.
Day 3 to 5: Review previous day’s learning, identify and discuss the impact on the customer, and share best practise.
Set a goal: Gradually increase the frequency that the Expand on Why micro-behaviour is demonstrated.
End of the week: Review how far you have come and the impact the team is having on the customer experience (and themselves). Then celebrate because that feeling of success drives habit formation!
Check out our series of our micro-behaviour deep-dives to help your customers and teams:
Empathise and Enthuse: Improve customer experience with empathy
Benefits and Attributes: Letting the customer know how you will help them
[Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash]
