Tool 45.3.

Quick Reference for Using

LIST®
Sigma Performance Solutions
Use this quick reference as you begin to implement the LIST process. It will help keep you focused on
each step.

The L-Step—Learn
Goal: The purpose of the L-step is to gain an understanding of the customer’s perspective. This is
required to develop successful solutions.
Overview: Do more listening and less talking! Learning the customer’s perspective is hard work, but
necessary. With time, learning the facts and the customer’s perspective will be easier and more
comfortable. You’ll be listening at a higher, more productive level. The time you invest in learning at the
beginning of an interaction pays off later, getting it right the first time and building trust with the
customer. As we listen, we may also uncover additional needs that translate to new service or sales
opportunities.
Tips for the L-Step
1. Encourage the person to clarify needs, concerns, and problems or opportunities to give you a deeper
understanding.
2. Demonstrate your complete attentiveness. If you are meeting face-to-face, maintain eye contact, nod
your head affirmatively, and respond to the person’s movements appropriately. On the telephone,
communicate your attentiveness by frequent vocal acknowledgments, using responses that are natural
to you (“ahh,” “I see,” “um hmm”).
3. Show your understanding of what the person is telling you by responding briefly. Use encouraging
expressions and phrases that are responsive and appropriate to what the person is saying. Be genuine
and sincere.
4. Express appropriate concern when the person tells you about a problem or concern.
5. Ask open-ended questions that encourage the person to express feelings: “What are your other
concerns?” “Please tell me more.” Save fact-finding questions until the S-step.
6. Do not interrupt the person. In fact, look for cues that the person wants to say something while you are
talking. Promptly stop what you are saying and encourage the person to speak right away.

The I-Step—Indicate Understanding

Goal: The purpose of the I-step is to show that you understand not just the customer’s needs, but his or
her perspective and concerns.

LIST and Who Killed Service? are registered trademarks of and copyrighted by Sigma Performance Solutions, Inc. Published by Pfeiffer, An
Imprint of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Sigma Performance Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Overview: Done properly, the I-step is the power step or green light to move forward in the LIST ®
process. This is the point at which we visibly take charge of an interaction. It earns our customers’
confidence that we will take care of their needs because they see that we understand. Customers will be
inclined to reciprocate the respect we gave them when we listened attentively and demonstrate that our
understanding is correct. The I-step is also helpful to move the conversation forward when a person starts
recycling and repeating the same things.
Tips for the I-Step
1. Summarize the customer’s perspective and concerns in your own words.
2. Mention the significant concerns that the customer has expressed.
3. Express your understanding of why these needs are important to your customer—both to the individual
and to the company.
4. Keep it brief. You do not have to acknowledge or repeat everything the customer said.
5. Use the I-step as a checkpoint before moving on to solve an issue.
6. Summarize the customer’s perspective briefly and concisely. Feed back what he or she said, such as, “Let
me see whether I have everything” or “I understand that you. . . .”

The S-Step—Solve
Goal: The purpose of the S-step is to seek the best solution. This is the point during the process when we
gather whatever facts and other information we need to determine the best course of action. We
demonstrate our professional competence by asking for information and solving the problem in a way that
is both logical and comfortable for the customer.
Overview: “This is the step we know and do best,” we are told by many professionals. You, too, are
probably very good at obtaining the factual information you need to address the customer’s immediate
problem. However, sometimes we are so eager to obtain these facts that we respond to a customer’s first
mention of a need and leap immediately to the S-step, without seeing the complete picture.
Tips for the S-Step
1. Base your questions on what the customer has already told you. This approach makes it easier for the
customer to follow your line of reasoning.
2. Sequence your questions to follow a logical path. This helps your customer understand where you are
going and helps him or her think logically about the situation.
3. Demonstrate your professional expertise by the tone and clarity of your questions.
4. Start with more general questions and progress to more specific questions. Use customer responses to
guide what you ask next.
5. Use language your customer easily understands, not acronyms and jargon.
6. Be careful about asking for information that may embarrass your customer, for example, “Did you do
anything before the printer jammed?”
7. If you request proprietary or sensitive information, explain why it is necessary.

LIST and Who Killed Service? are registered trademarks of and copyrighted by Sigma Performance Solutions, Inc. Published by Pfeiffer, An
Imprint of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Sigma Performance Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
2
The T-Step—Tell
Goal: In the T-step, tell the customer what he or she should know about what to expect going forward.
Verify his or her understanding and acceptance.
Overview: Explain what the customer should know about your plan of action. Verify that the customer
understands and accepts the plan. If not, repeat the earlier steps to gain clarity. Do not add any additional
details in the T-Step.
Tips for the T-Step
1. State what will happen, but avoid unnecessary details.
2. Do not add any new information (the customer may wonder what else you forgot).
3. Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot do.
4. Describe the results the customer can expect.
5. Stress any commitments you can make.
6. Make sure the customer understands his or her responsibilities.
7. Confirm that your plan is acceptable to the customer and that he or she has no additional questions.

LIST and Who Killed Service? are registered trademarks of and copyrighted by Sigma Performance Solutions, Inc. Published by Pfeiffer, An
Imprint of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Reprinted by permission of Sigma Performance Solutions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
3