By Jason Schepers 
How many times in your life have you been told that you are not listening? If that has not been your experience, either you’re a perfect listener or you don’t have many conversations. Likely, you are not the “perfect” listener. None of us are perfect. We always need to put in more work to develop skills in this area. With a bit of practice, you will blow away the people who judged your listening skills. Eventually, you will hear, “You are such a good listener.” You know you are doing things right when someone compliments your listening skills.
If customer satisfaction is your goal, listening is one of the most essential tools in your Customer Service toolbox. It’s more than just hearing what customers say. They are giving you guidance and direction on their needs and expectations. Even though you may disagree with them,
the communication will only be successful if you actively listen to the customer. When the customer knows you are listening, they are building trust in you.
When the customer first connects with you, they provide the information you need to understand the issue fully. They may be pleased with the product but have questions. You can still build trust by listening closely without interruptions. You want to provide your customers with positive experiences. Providing these experiences may involve transforming a very negative experience into a positive one. Those are the most memorable to the customer. They tend to share the story, which is good advertising.
A good listener needs to comprehend the full communication from the customer. The conversation will include the words he uses, the tone of his voice, and his body language if it is face-to-face communication. Your goal is to detect his expectations and understand why he is frustrated. If the customer is upset, you will need to identify the reason for their disappointment. All this combined will allow you to see through the situation and understand what the customer wants to communicate and where they are coming from.
When listening to your customers, you will hear both emotional and factual comments. Emotions can reveal how a customer feels. These emotions can include anger, frustration, regret, or sadness. It can also reveal happiness, excitement, and satisfaction. The facts are not always clear. With that said, you need to understand the facts the customer is trying to convey while being aware of his emotions.
If the customer is upset, you need to know the reason before you can help. You can only identify the reason when listening to the facts. You cannot fix anything without first knowing what is wrong. In this case, the customer is usually telling you what is bad, but there may be a lot of emotional language surrounding the facts.
The customer will say things to strengthen their case. They could use phrases of guilt, such as “I can’t believe I purchased your product when I was told not to.” They will also use phrases connected to future business, such as “I was planning to buy more of these items, but that is not the case at this point”. The customer’s anger and frustration prompt him to say these things, even though they won’t help matters. The customer needs to express everything he is feeling, and he could be agitated. It can get personal as well, but you have to make sure you do not take it personally. The customer may say emotional things that attack your character, and it would be very easy to get angry. You cannot assist the customer if you do not control your own emotions.
Surrounded by these emotional words are facts. These are the words that address the reasoning for the initial complaint. Identifying the facts is when you become an active listener; you will quickly discern between the facts and the emotions. The facts should reflect the complaint. If not, then you might be dealing with multiple issues even though the customer did not specifically say that. That is the power of active listening. Listen to the customer to fully address their problem.
Showing that you are listening to the customer can ease their frustration, or at least it is a good start. You are giving the customer your full attention. Listen closely enough to put the facts together and then repeat them to the customer. Allow the customer to speak and refrain from interrupting.
Active listening requires you to hyper-focus on what the customer is saying. You need to remember the details and respond to them. Tell yourself you will not let the customer waste their words. When speaking over the phone, it is much easier to take notes as you do not need to maintain eye contact. Taking notes becomes easier over time. When the conversation is face-to-face, looking down at your notepad to take notes can be distracting to the customer and can make them angry. Eye contact is key, so you will need to learn the best techniques for taking notes and maintaining a cordial face-to-face conversation.
Once the customer finishes speaking, repeat their concerns in your own words. Repeating what the customer says shows the customer that you are listening and that the communication is successful. It also starts building trust, which will be very helpful.
This article tends to focus on upset customers presenting a complaint. Proper listening and building trust are also helpful in positive conversations, such as when selling a product or checking if assistance is needed.