Great communication is an art. Honing it to a
keen edge is a science.Improving your ability to convey information in a
concise, friendly style will yield better results than anything else. There are
few ways for talking to customers, and nothing scales quite like consistently
delightful communication.
Kind words are worth
much and cost little. This creates opportunity: when you can’t out-spend the
competition, the solution is to out-support them. Mastering support requires the experience of knowing just what
to say and the wisdom to recognize the best way to say it.
Don’t let the
thousand-mile view fool you, though. Communication is hard. It’s made harder
when you’re trying to make the mundane memorable.
Customers want
to know that their issues matter to you; that you don't see them as
“Complaining Person #5589.” How you communicate this means everything.
Let’s explore a
few simple phrases that can be used to improve nearly every support
interaction. Whether you weave them
into Saved
Replies or incorporate their intentions
into your own style, they can prove to be consistently helpful for our team;
“Happy to Help”
Not every
customer will tell you that they are walking away unhappy—in fact, very few
will. They’ll just walk away.
To address this
concern, think about "closing" a conversation, in a similar vein to a
sales rep (after all, coffee is for closers only).
For support,
closing means ensuring that the customer is satisfied. Ending your
emails without a closing message can be risky, as it's not inviting the
customer to share further issues. Those are issues you sincerely want to hear
about.
For an
outspoken person like myself, it was initially hard for me to understand why
some people might just slink away without bringing up additional problems.
Maybe they don't want to be a burden, or maybe they think you don't care.
Whatever the reason, you need to let them know that you'd be happy to hear them
out.
That's why I
end 99% of my messages with, "Let me know if there's anything else I can
do for you—I'm happy to help."
It's my way of
saying that it would be my pleasure to assist with any lingering concerns that
may have cropped up, or answer any questions they may feel are “dumb.” There
are no dumb questions in support.
You should avoid: ending conversations so bluntly
that the customer feels you are hurrying them out the door. Even a simple,
"Are you all set?" will do.
"I Understand How ____ That
Must Be"
What's with the
blank?
What you use in
that blank will greatly affect the tone of this message. A message that is
obviously being used with an upset customer.
Here's a quick
personal story: I ordered a gift for a friend of mine for his birthday from a
hobby site. Usually, I couldn't care less about shipping on time—I'm patient
and forgetful, the perfect customer!
However, this
order was botched beyond belief. I was charged for and sent two orders instead
of one, it was sent to my house when I specified my friend's address, and as
the cherry on top, it was sent late.
The support
person's response when I emailed in?
“I understand
how annoying that must be.”
I’m sorry, I
was far past annoyed. Call it a first world problem, but I was upset; she should have known to empathize with how upsetting that must be for me.
I know, I
know—boo hoo. But upset customers are driven by emotion, not logic, as I was in that instance. I felt like I had let
my friend down, and it made me frustrated in a situation I otherwise would have
brushed off.
Use this phrase
often and thoughtfully—read the customer's mood and relate with how he or she
feels. Great support is defined by genuine empathy.
You should avoid: "That sucks." Any sort
of communication that remotely resembles "sucks to be you" should be
avoided like the plague. If the situation is minor and the customer doesn't
have a problem, referencing it as "annoying" is perfectly reasonable,
though.
"As Much As I'd Love to
Help..."
There comes a
time when the only answer is “no.” Some requests just aren’t feasible. Maybe a
customer is treating you like a consulting business. While some hand-holding is
fine, they've got to learn to walk someday.
But imagine
answering a genuinely enthusiastic request with a blunt “no.” It can sting.
Stay firm but kind by stating how you'd like to help, but it’s just not
possible in this situation.
One of our
readers asked about using positive language when a customer makes unscalable support
requests. Our suggestion:
It's never fun
to say, "We can't do that," but just as you have to bite the bullet
and say “no” to feature requests, you sometimes have to turn down a service
request—but you can at least do it nicely.
You should avoid: "To be honest with
you…" It’s a phrase that is sometimes used as a defense, as in, "To
be honest with you, we don't foresee that feature being implemented." I'm
hesitant to use this phrasing because it makes a subtle implication that you're
being honest right now—are
there times when you aren't honest? You'll also want to steer clear of
corporate speak, such as "That's not our policy."
"Great Question, I'll Find
That Out for You"
Not knowing the
answer to a question is a difficult scenario for anyone to be in, especially if
you are new.
The biggest
mistake to make is turning the situation into your situation: "I'm so sorry, I'm new!" or "Sorry, I've
never been asked that before!"
Instead, keep
the focus on what will be done to get the answer: "Great question, let me
check our documentation so I can get that answered for you.”
Only the truly
crazy will mind a small delay so that you can find the solution. Believe me,
those types of people had little chance of walking away happy in the first
place.
You should
apply the principle of refocusing to other conversations as well. Whenever
you're able to put the spotlight on what will be done rather than what's
happened, you've made a smart move.
You should avoid: "If I recall
correctly," or any other variant of "maybe,” “perhaps,” or “I'm
pretty sure." Don't guess for a customer. Simply state that you're going
to find out the exact answer they need, and do just that.
"Nice to Meet You"
Forget being a
customer service phrase, this should be in the repertoire of every person who
isn't an obnoxious misanthrope.
Yet I can’t
begin to count the number of times I've gotten in touch with a new company,
only to receive a robotic response from some person replying from their
support@lamewebsite.com email address.
So many
companies beeline for the most boring response ever: "Quinn, for
integrations we offer..."
goes a long way
in creating real customer "engagement"—a word that has been
undeservedly beaten like a dead horse as marketers try to convince you that
tweeting more = engagement.
You should avoid: *Crickets.* Silence and brusque responses
are the deal-breakers here. Our not-so-fictional Quinn character (many
customers have contacted us in a similar fashion) is interested in finding out
about the company she is about to invest in. It certainly doesn't hurt to
showcase that there are competent, friendly, and passionate people sitting at
the other end of the screen.
"May I Ask Why That
Is?"
This is one to
keep close, as critics and complainers on the web are all too common.
You’ll need a
way to dig deeper into their criticism without stooping to the abrasive
language that they tend to use.
Consider if
someone tweeted this about your company:
The way Company X handles [feature] is so f*ckin’ stupid. It’s
unbelievable.
This sort of
person has that Twitter malice in their heart, but you might actually be
curious as to what brought them to that conclusion. Approaching this situation
with care is important, because you don’t want to walk away as the bad guy.
This is where
“May I ask why that is?” comes in handy. While it won’t pacify every vitriolic
commenter, it always puts you in the right. Who can fault you for kindly asking
for additional feedback?
You should avoid: stooping to the critic’s level.
People will complain about your product no matter how well it’s built, so just
make sure your language is level-headed and professional.
7 Web Productivity Tools That'll Maximize Your Efficiency
No matter what
profession you’re working in, efficiency matters. Being able to get more
done in less time is the key to getting ahead .
Fortunately,
with the number of tools on the market today, there’s never been a better time
to take advantage of the online resources that will help you to increase the
amount you’re able to accomplish. The following are just a few of my
favorites:
Tool #1 – Yast
There are
plenty of different time-tracking tools out there, but Yast is one of the best, by far. Its intuitive
interface is easy to understand and simple to use, making tracking your time
less of a chore and more of a business priority.
For best
results, though, don’t just use this tool for business. Use it to track
how much time you’re spending on unimportant tasks (e.g. goofing around online
or watching TV at home) in order to “split test your life” and become more efficient overall.
Tool #2 –
Bitrix24
For some
reason, Bitrix24 isn’t widely
known — and I think that’s a shame. The program combines a social
intranet system with CRM tools that include contact tracking, sales funnel
management, messaging, activity planning and calendars, all of which enable
your team to quickly manage important pieces of information from within a
central program.
Best of all,
it’s free for teams with fewer than 12 people (subscription plans for larger
groups are modestly priced as well).
Tool #3 –
Trello
I’m not sure
where the word “Trello” came from, but its
definition should be, “project management simplified.” Combining elements
of both Pinterest and Basecamp HQ, Trello allows users to create project boards
and easily manage the people and resources associated with each task.
Plus, despite
its simplified, easy to use system, Trello is still free for use by teams of
all sizes.
Tool #4 –
Sanebox**
Unsurprisingly, Sanebox performs the exact task described in its name:
it restores some sanity to the clutter of your inbox. Once installed, the
program automatically filters newsletters and other lower-priority email
messages into a “Read Later” folder, ensuring that only priority communications
reach your inbox.
Currently, the
program runs for $55/year (with monthly and two-year subscriptions available as
well), though you can take advantage of a 50 percent discount by allowing the
company to post a few messages to your Facebook account. However, even if you aren’t
comfortable with this, the roughly $5/month you’ll spend to install Sanebox is
more than worth the time saved sifting through unimportant email messages.
**Pro tip: If
you run the Chrome browser, use the Baydin Email
Game plugin to clean out your
inbox before installing Sanebox. Using the two tools together doesn’t
just make “Inbox Zero” a possibility, it makes it fun to reach as well!)
Tool #5 –
WriteMonkey
If you’re
working on a writing project that requires your complete focus, you need
the WriteMonkey program. Once activated, the tool
transforms your computer into a full-screen writing environment that blocks out
the distractions of standard computer interfaces. Not only is it free to
use, it’s highly customizable, allowing you to set the color schemes and
options that make you as productive as possible.
Tool #6 –
LastPass
It’s no secret
that password management is an extremely important priority for business people
– especially considering the recent hacking of
Wired Magazine’s Mat Honan.
However, coming
up with and remembering the hundreds of strong, secure passwords needed to
manage multiple logins is inefficient and often downright impossible without a
password management program like LastPass.
LastPass is a
highly secure, free program that will automatically generate and store secure
passwords, enabling you to create nearly un-hackable logins that are served up
by the program whenever you need to login to a website. And while there
are plenty of programs offering this functionality on the market today, I
prefer LastPass for its mobile integrations (though you’ll need to upgrade to
the $12/year premium subscription) and its range of multi-factor authentication
processes (which protect your password data even more).
Tool #7 –
HipChat
Finally, one
area of efficiency that all organizations must consider is the amount of
resources dedicated to internal communications. Holding meetings takes
time, while distributing memos requires paper — and if someone important is
left out of the initial communication, both time and resources are wasted
getting this person up to speed.
To eliminate
these issues, we use the HipChat utility
at Single Grain. It’s a private chat tool that allows us to create chat
rooms for groups of users, send private messages between individual teammates
and even share files that pertain to ongoing discussions. At only
$2/user, per month, it’s an effective way to ensure that our projects are
managed as efficiently as possible.
Obviously,
these seven tools represent only a handful of the efficiency products that are
available online today. If you’ve got another recommendation that’s made
a difference in your organization’s productivity, share your thoughts in the
comments section below!
Google Apps
We are
handcuffed by google ecosystem
Google docs and
Google drive: and the real-time editing function and ability to save your work
to the cloud and pick it up on another device is crucial.Real time
collaboration is the key.
Slack's mobile
apps are super fast, and that was the main reason for our team to switch. I'm
looking forward to more services being integrated into Slack, but it's already
pretty much replaced internal emails. Whenever on the team someone emails me, I
try to pull that conversation into Slack. I don't know what their big idea is,
but it's great to see them killing email.
Slack is a
magical wonderapp. Just enough integrated features, pretty interface,
desktop/push notifications that are very customizable, it makes online
collaboration fun instead of a pain.A twitter like
interface.Different Channels:power of slack comes from sharing files videos.
Ideas:
*Having a blog for EM with
concise and clear report of every week crucial event n fun gatherings with
pics. When company blogging is a trend ,why not team blogging.
**When we complete any deadline
or deliver something,why dnt we make a trend to thank everybody who helped us.A
simple Thanks Naval for helping me out is not going to take away anybody's
limelight,
