Chapter 5

Listening to the Customer

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 Learning Outcomes
LO 5-1 Describe why listening is important to customer
service.
LO 5-2 Define the four steps in the listening process.
LO 5-3 List the characteristics of a good listener.
LO 5-4 Recognize the causes of listening breakdown.
LO 5-5 Develop strategies to improve your listening ability.
LO 5-6 Use information-gathering techniques learned to
better serve customers.
LO 5-7 Apply concepts discussed to generate meaningful
responses to your questions from customers.

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 LO 5-1 Why is Listening so Important?
Listening effectively helps customer service
professionals determine customer needs
Many service providers are complacent about
listening
Study by Ralph G. Nichols showed average white-
collar workers in U.S. has only 25 percent listening
efficiency rate

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 Figure 5.1 Missed Opportunities
(Based on a 25 Percent Efficiency Rate)

Opportunities Action Taken Impact

100 customers a day, each 25 orders were filled Loss of $750 per day
with a $10 order successfully ($273,750 per year)
1,000 customers went to a 250 were serviced properly 750 were dissatisfied
store in one day
1,000,000 members were 250,000 returned their 750,000 members were
eligible for membership applications after receiving lost
renewal in an association a reminder call

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 LO 5-2 What is Listening?
Hearing and receiving the message
Attending
Comprehending or assigning meaning
• Memory and recognition

Responding

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 Figure 5.2 - The Listening Process

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 Figure 5.3 Questions for the Listener
In analyzing your customer’s message(s), ask yourself the
following questions
• Am I practicing active listening skills?
• What message is the customer trying to get across?
• What does the customer want or need me to do in response to his or
her message?
• Should I take notes or remember key points being made?
• Am I forming premature conclusions, or do I need to listen further?
• Are there biases or distractions I need to avoid?
• Is the customer failing to provide information needed to make a sound
decision?
• What other feedback clues are being provided in addition to words? Are
they
• important to message meaning?
• What questions do I need to ask as a follow-up to the customer’s
message?

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 LO 5-3 Characteristics of a Good Listener
Empathy
Understanding
Patience
Attentiveness
Objectivity

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 Figure 5.5 Characteristics of Effective
and Ineffective Listeners
Many factors can indicate an effective or ineffective listener. Over the
years, researchers have assigned the following characteristics to
effective and ineffective listeners

Effective listeners Ineffective listeners

focused inattentive
responsive uncaring
alert distracted
understanding unconcerned
caring insensitive
empathetic smug/conceited
unemotional emotionally involved
interested self-centered
patient judgmental
cautious disorganized
open defensive

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 Active Listening

Active listening involves

complete attention, a
readiness and willingness
to take action, and an
open mind to evaluate
customers and determine
their needs.
What should customer
service professionals do
to achieve these goals of
active listening?

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 LO 5-4 Causes of Listening Breakdown 1
Personal Obstacles
• Biases
• Psychological distracters
• Physical condition
• Circadian rhythm
• Preoccupation
• Hearing loss

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 Anger
When a customer
service professional
gets angry, his or
her tone and mood
may likely carry
over to a customer.

How do you feel when a

customer service
professional is angry,
gives an attitude or
raises his or her voice?

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 LO 5-4 Causes of Listening Breakdown 2
Listening Skill Level
• Thought speed
• Lag time
• Listening gap
• Faulty assumptions

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 Figure 5.6 - Indicators of Poor Listening
You cannot afford the luxury of failing to listen to your customer.
Periodically, you should do a self-check on your listening style to see
whether you need to improve. If any of the following events occur, you
may need to refocus.
• Customers specifically ask to speak to or be served by someone
else.
• You find yourself missing key details of conversations.
• You regularly have to ask people to repeat information.
• You end phone calls or personal encounters not knowing for sure
what action is required of you.
• Customers often make statements such as, “Did you hear what I
said?” “Are you listening to me?” or “You’re not listening.”
• You find yourself daydreaming or distracted as a customer is
speaking.
• You miss nonverbal cues sent by the customer or others as the
two of you communicate.
• You answer a question incorrectly because you didn’t actually
“listen” to it.
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 LO 5-4 Causes of Listening Breakdown 3
External Obstacles
• Information overload
• Other people talking
• Ringing phones
• Office and maintenance equipment
• Speakerphones
• Physical barriers

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 Controlling External Distractions

Employees
rarely have
control over
external
distractions in
the workplace.
What are some
strategies to
help cope with a
noisy work
environment?

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 LO 5-4 Causes of Listening Breakdown 4
Additional Obstacles to Effective Listening
• Message sender’s inability to effectively convey the
message
• Language barriers
• Speech or physical disability
• Customer’s poor communication skills

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 LO 5-5 Strategies for Improved Listening 1
Stop talking
• Behavioral styles

Prepare yourself
Listen actively
Show a willingness to listen
Show empathy
• Service recovery

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 LO 5-5 Strategies for Improved Listening 2
Listen for concepts
Listen openly
Send positive nonverbal cues
• Congruence: ensuring that verbal messages sent are
in agreement with the nonverbal cues used
Do not argue
Take notes, if necessary

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 Note Taking

Note taking can help focus listening and later aid recall of
discussion on topics.
What system do you use to take notes while talking on the
phone or to follow up on customer issues?
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 LO 5-6 Information-Gathering Techniques
Open-end questions Closed-end questions
• Used to engage others in • Solicit short, one-syllable
conversation or to gain input answers
and ideas • Verifying information
• Identify customer needs • Closing an order
• Gather a lot of information • Gaining agreement
• Uncover background data • Clarifying information
• Uncover objections during a
sale
• Provide the customer an
opportunity to speak

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 LO 5-7 Additional Question Guidelines
Avoid criticism
Ask only positively phrased questions
Ask direct questions
Ask customers how you can better serve

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