You may be reading this right now and suddenly hear a ping, ding or dong. What to do? Continue reading or find out who’s just said what to whom and why on whatever?
If you think this level of addiction to phone apps and social media seems far-fetched, consider the findings of a new study from researchers at the Technical University of Denmark.
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This suggests our collective global attention span is narrowing due to the amount of information being fed to us.
Put simply, we have more things than ever to focus on, but we now focus on things for much shorter time periods.
Distraction is the new norm.
Surrounded by so much interference, how can customer service professionals stay focused on their mission? Here are some top tips from s1jobs.
Firstly, do one thing and do one thing only: listen carefully to your customer.
You may be at a hotel reception desk, at the returns counter in a department store or manning the phones in a contact centre: the same rule applies.
Your entire universe has now contracted to the personal space occupied by you and your customer.
They may be here to complain or simply ask a question. They may even be here to compliment your organisation’s good work. So never pre-judge.
Allow them to take as long as they need to explain why they’ve reached out to you – without a hint of interruption.
This, in turn, allows you to concentrate fully on what they’re saying without being distracted by premature thoughts of how to end this as quickly as possible and move on.
Not only does it show the customer you’re genuine about understanding them, it will furnish you with the information you need to move to the problem-solving stage.
When you do get to this step, don’t allow yourself to get bored and your mind wander. The best way to achieve this is by thoroughly researching your company’s products or services. Make it your mission to know every detail.
This way you’ll be so completely engrossed in showing off your incredible knowledge, there’ll be no time or inclination to let your thoughts drift to your Saturday shopping list, who’s going to survive GoT or why Mabel was the one to win last month’s bonus.
Finally, don’t let your focus suddenly waver when the problem is solved. Remember to ask: “Is there anything else I can help you with today?”
This allows your customer to decide if they really do need anything else from you – and reinforces the message that you’re there to help them.
Remember: focus is your friend.
And now it’s time to focus on your career . . . with Customer Service vacancies from s1jobs.