Customer Service Quotes Quotes

The process of attentive listening makes the other person feel important, valued, and heard. For Nick, listening was, and still is, love. I've never forgotten that precious moment—and the lesson!

~ Susan C. Young

Think about the people in your life with whom you have the most engaging dialogue—the ones who will listen to you and consider your opinions regardless of the topic. They'll stop whatever they are doing to give you their full attention. They become completely present and hear you.

~ Susan C. Young

The Physical Language of ListeningActive listening is a physical process which transcends simply hearing. Your body language speaks on your behalf as to whether you are fully present and engaged . . . •,Make eye contact.•,Nod your head, confirm.•,Use your eyebrows and expressions of emotions to show that you're paying attention. •,Lean forward.•,Listen patiently to demonstrate respect and sensitivity.•,Open your physical presence to encourage them to continue.

~ Susan C. Young

Now let’s look at the flip side. When a diligent and caring person receives your complaint, they have the power to turn a challenge into a triumph. Through active listening, they demonstrate that your satisfaction is their top priority. They not only seek to solve your problem, but they are dedicated to re-earning your trust, your respect, and keeping your business.

~ Susan C. Young

If you have ever experienced this type of unprofessional treatment, I doubt you would even consider giving them business in the future. Interrupting, ignoring, patronizing, or antagonizing a customer is like pouring gas on a fire and creates a more explosive situation than the original complaint. Still, it continues to happen every day, costing companies millions in lost revenue.

~ Susan C. Young

Have you ever had a legitimate complaint as a customer which made you angry, upset, or frustrated? How was it “handled? If you were dealing with an inept, uncaring, or untrained employee, they may have made matters even worse by being rude, defensive, or apathetic. Simple acknowledgment and validation of your complaint is sometimes all that is needed. Without it, you're left frustrated or upset.

~ Susan C. Young

Active listening is not only a matter of making yourself available to hear someone talk, but it is showing the sender, physically, that you are receiving and understanding their message on all levels.

~ Susan C. Young

Active listening is the ultimate Golden Rule for sensational customer service. Just as the important people in your life will feel more valued and appreciated when you actively listen, so will your customers.

~ Susan C. Young

Active listening is one of the best services a company can provide.

~ Susan C. Young

ASK YOURSELF: How can you utilize active listening to provide sensational customer service? How will this help resolve complaints from unhappy customers?• Give them your full attention and listen without interruption or defensiveness.• Thank them for bringing the issue to your attention.• Take their concerns seriously and share their sense of urgency to resolve the problem quickly.• Ask questions and focus on what they are really saying. • Listen to their words, tone of voice, body language, and most importantly, how they feel. • Beware of making assumptions or rushing to conclusions before you hear their concern fully.• Explain, guide, educate, assist, and do what’s necessary to help them reach the resolution.• Treat them with respect and empathy.When you do an amazing job of resolving an unhappy customer’s problem, you may end up impressing them more than if the problem had never occurred. You may have just earned their loyalty . . . forever!

~ Susan C. Young

This method enabled me to expand my territory and create a strong network of loyal customers for referrals and repeat business. Make active listening a deliberate part of your business plan and success strategy. You will not only grow your business, but also make wonderful friends along the way.

~ Susan C. Young

My success with customers on the telephone wasn’t by using pushy sales methods, but by engaging people in meaningful conversations which could lead to friendships on the phone before I ever met them. I would ask questions, listen to their stories, respond to their needs, develop rapport, and earn their business. When we would finally meet in person, it felt less like an introduction and more like a reunion. It was not only good business, we had fun in the process!

~ Susan C. Young

For sixteen years, I had a spectacular real estate career in Tallahassee, Florida. I loved receiving telephone inquiries and making cold calls. I knew that if I could meet people on the phone, I could usually turn them into buyers.

~ Susan C. Young

14 Ways to Become an Incredible Listener1. Be present and provide your undivided attention.2. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.3. Listen attentively and respond appropriately.4. Minimize or eliminate distractions.5. Focus your attention and energy with singleness of purpose on what the other person is saying.6. Quiet your mind and suspend your thoughts to make room in your head to hear what is said—in the moment!7. Ask questions and demonstrate empathy.8. Use your body language and nonverbal cues constructively and pay attention to theirs.9. Follow the rhythm of their speech; hear their tone.10. Repeat and summarize what you have heard them say to confirm understanding.11. Be open-minded and non-defensive.12. Respond rather than react. 13. Be respectful, calm, and positive.14. Try to resolve conflicts, not win them.

~ Susan C. Young

Every time you speak, you are using your voice to connect with others, whether it is in-person, on the phone, or in a recorded message.

~ Susan C. Young

Is your voice value delivering the image you wish to convey? Is your voice coming across as smart, friendly, and positive or ignorant, rude, and negative?

~ Susan C. Young

The way you deliver the words you say becomes your “vocal image. This vocal image can make or break your first impressions, impact your communication, and determine how people respond to you.

~ Susan C. Young

What can you do to ensure that your voice value translates into impression value?

~ Susan C. Young

Every professional voice coach worth their salt will bring you back to the importance of tone, pace, and pitch. While these concepts were introduced earlier in The Art of Body Language section, we can now elaborate and take a deeper dive into how you can use your voice to improve your communications.

~ Susan C. Young

Being grounded in your lifelong culture and your personal perspective, you are comfortable with the way you see things and may believe it is the best and only way.

~ Susan C. Young

Sociologically speaking, as Americans we often lack social, cultural, and mindful awareness. We hear the stories of how our arrogance has been known to offend, confuse, and alienate people from other cultures. Arrogance is the thief of mindfulness and it happens from both directions.

~ Susan C. Young

To gain greater understanding, clarity, and awareness, you must become aware of your values and beliefs. Think of a triangle or an iceberg. Below the waterline, your beliefs and your values build the foundation for your behavior.

~ Susan C. Young

We will judge others based on their behaviors with little to no understanding or regard for their beliefs or values—standards we may not know, nor typically see. When we do this, things can be taken completely out of context because we are assessing their behavior against our expectations, which are produced from our own personal value system.

~ Susan C. Young

Navigating relationships within our own culture can be challenging enough. When diverse cultures are involved, however, a huge potential for misunderstanding, disrespect, miscommunication, and intolerance is present.

~ Susan C. Young

It is crucial to understand that there are myriad interpretations of behavior. When you subscribe only to yours, you may begin to think that everyone else is wrong and thus limit your flexibility and possibility. Developing cultural awareness will make your diverse relationships easier and more productive.

~ Susan C. Young

Prepare yourself well by learning how to be more mindful in each interaction. The effort you put forth to gain insight will empower you to make a better impression on others, while enriching your opportunities to build enlightened, trusted relationships.

~ Susan C. Young

Conversation starters. Icebreakers. Openers. However you choose to label them, that moment when the first words come out of your mouth can make or break the outcome of your entire conversation. Been there, done that, right?

~ Susan C. Young

Your first words will not only shape your first impression, they can create amazing connections, lead you to your dream job, or help you discover a new best friend—or accomplish exactly the opposite.

~ Susan C. Young

Your first words will outlive your conversations and impact how you are remembered, liked, or regarded. Wouldn’t you enjoy opening conversations with ease and mutual recognition? The challenging part is that it can be . . . awkward!

~ Susan C. Young

Meeting someone for the first time has significance, but for some people, the awkwardness can be so great that they avoid a conversation altogether. The person who may be shy, introverted, or afraid of sounding stupid may just choose to remain silent rather than take the risk of engaging in embarrassing dialogue.

~ Susan C. Young

The space between meeting a stranger and making a new friend can be a short distance or a gaping chasm. By understanding how to open a conversation well, you will be better able to bridge the gaps and build rapport more successfully.

~ Susan C. Young

You can certainly take the easy road and use the predictable and boring defaults like:• How are you doing?• How about this weather?• What do you do for a living?• Hi. My name is _________. What’s yours?• Blah, blah, blah, blah . . .Break out of the defaults you have been using for years. Shake it up. Make it fun. Make it memorable. Dive in with more engagement and interaction. Taking the initiative to be more creative will help you build a bridge to close the gap.

~ Susan C. Young

How do you minimize the awkwardness in that moment? What are some of the conversations starters you've used to open, encourage, and support enjoyable and beneficial conversations?

~ Susan C. Young

10 Conversation Bridge Builders1. Simply say hello with a smile.2. Ask them what they love about their work.3. Ask natural questions out of genuine curiosity. 4. Get a person talking about what’s important to them.5. Compliment something positive which you’ve noticed.6. Engage them with questions which are easy to answer. 7. Introduce them to someone whom you think they’ll enjoy meeting.8. Ask them if they have any trips or vacations planned.9. Look for something you may have in common so that the conversation begins with shared interests.10. Think of questions that begin with how, what, when, why and where.

~ Susan C. Young

Add a fresh twist of creativity to make a stellar impression which people won’t soon forget. Granted, your venue will determine how far you can stretch and how creative you can be. Making small tweaks to your conversation starters can make a memorable impact!

~ Susan C. Young

14 Awesome Conversation Starters1. What do you do for fun? Hobbies, recreation . . . 2. What are your super powers? Gifts, talents, strengths.3. Good morning! It’s great to see you! 4. What is your story? Tell me about yourself.5. What brought you to __________?6. Do you have anything special happening in your life (or your business)?7. What’s the best thing that’s happened this week?8. Are you living your life purpose or still searching for it?9. What gives you passion and makes you happy to be alive?10. Do you have any pets?11. How do you know the host?12. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? 13. If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be?14. What's next on your bucket list?

~ Susan C. Young

Listening is one thing; however, ACTIVE listening is quite another. The first is a passive act which does not require great involvement, whereas, the latter is a consciously aware and deliberately focused effort to actively participate in the conversation.

~ Susan C. Young

Think of the communication that takes place in your own life on a continuous basis—at home, at work, with friends, and beyond. When you actively listen to people, you enhance communication.

~ Susan C. Young

Listening actively confirms for people that you are positively receiving and thoroughly understanding the message they are conveying.

~ Susan C. Young

By your practice of active listening, everyone involved benefits because you . . .• are more engaged and engaging;• demonstrate that you are interested in others and what they have to say;• make others feel important, respected, understood, and appreciated; • improve your memory and retention;• affirm to others that you are an authentic, caring, and compassionate person;make a great first and last impression

~ Susan C. Young