Communication Gaps

Case:
You do service for a bank that provides online banking services. One
customer doesn’t understand why she was charged a fee for withdrawing
cash from her credit card, but she has a heavy accent and you cannot
completely understand.

Tips to keep in mind:

• Don’t say whose fault a miscommunication is.

• Focus on moving the conversation forward.

• Use gentle language and ask for repetition.

• Confirm. Don’t assume you heard correctly.

What to say when you didn’t understand:

• Could you please repeat the last thing you just said?

• I didn’t quite get the part about the fee. Could you repeat it?

• I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to catch that. Could you say it again?

• I’m having a little trouble understanding. Could you please repeat that?

What to say when you need to make sure you understand:

Can I just confirm? You said that you want me to refund that charge. Is
that correct?

I want to make sure I understand. The issue is that you weren’t aware of
the fee. Right?

Let me just repeat it back to make sure I’m clear. You were charged this
fee and didn’t know that a credit card withdraw would have a fee. Correct?

So, you saw the fee and weren’t sure why it was there. Is that the
situation?