Good Communication Is Vital
These people need to be excellent communicators as they have to explain things clearly to customers. One of the most difficult aspects of working with the public is the need to communicate with all sorts of different people, meaning that it's necessary to adapt the communication style to suit each situation. Someone who makes a poor purchase or runs into problems because of the advice given to them by an employee is likely to raise a complaint, which is a risk in most roles but is higher in certain situations. Giving poor or confusing advice is one of the biggest mistakes when dealing with the public.
An interesting example appeared recently in the world of game shows, as the public criticized host Drew Carey for his apparent advice to a contestant during the Plinko section of The Price is Right. The host repeatedly pointed out that the biggest prize lies in the middle, but the player only won a modest amount by dropping their chips down the center. We can see how easy it is to play this type of game by looking at this Plinko UK version. The player presses the start button and waits to see what win multiplier the ball lands in. The on-screen rules make the gameplay clear, with no host needed to explain how it works, so in this case it was unnecessary communication by Carey that caused the issue.
This study listed by Zoom of the most common reasons for customer complaints puts a lack of knowledge among agents in second place. It's a category that covers a wide range of situations such as customer service agents who don't answer questions well or who struggle to deviate from a series of scripted answers. However, from the customer’s point of view, it’s not always clear whether this type of issue has arisen due to a lack of knowledge or simply due to poor communication.
Empathy and Problem Solving
In many cases, customers only speak to staff when they have a problem they need help with. This can lead to public-facing employees being frustrated by the fact that they only ever seem to deal with problems or complaints. Whether it’s a supermarket, a coffee shop or a call center, it can be difficult to deal with complaint after complaint. Being empathetic and looking for solutions can turn this sort of situation around and make the role more satisfying too.
This blog post by Kaizo confirms that customers want to be listened to, which explains why empathy is so crucial in this kind of role. If the customer feels that the person they’re speaking to understands them, that’s a great starting point for creating a relationship where everyone gets what they want. Don’t forget that turning complaints into opportunities for satisfied customers is one of the ways the customer service staff can use their empathy to positive effect.
Public-facing roles provide some big challenges that test a range of your skills. However, by working on these abilities needed to deal with customers, you can learn a lot of vital new skills that help your career progress in this area or many other roles.