¿ Habla el customer service ?
How often do we change our language to match what works best for our clients?
I was in a local McDonalds for dinner yesterday, because as the parent of a two-year-old boy, my dining out at restaurants without kid's meals and play areas has withered away. The crew behind the counter were chatting happily to each other in Spanish about what order was up and where were the fries and all the other things that are needed to make a McDonald's run smoothly, not knowing I could understand them, when a previous customer walked up and voiced a problem with his order.
Immediately, everyone who was involved in solving this customer's problem switched over to English. Spanish may have been the native tongue of everyone there, but out of respect for the customer and ensuring his comfort, they spoke in a language he could understand until his problem was solved. They kept up the English until he was satisfied and left, then switched back to Spanish (and no, they didn't gossip about him afterwards, either.).
How often do we do that? It's easy to fall into tech talk and show off for our customers. Do we stick with the language we know when problems with our clients arise, or do we switch over to slower, less efficient language that they understand and calms their worries? Sometimes, being efficient must be second-place to be understood.
Customer service, Communication
I was in a local McDonalds for dinner yesterday, because as the parent of a two-year-old boy, my dining out at restaurants without kid's meals and play areas has withered away. The crew behind the counter were chatting happily to each other in Spanish about what order was up and where were the fries and all the other things that are needed to make a McDonald's run smoothly, not knowing I could understand them, when a previous customer walked up and voiced a problem with his order.
Immediately, everyone who was involved in solving this customer's problem switched over to English. Spanish may have been the native tongue of everyone there, but out of respect for the customer and ensuring his comfort, they spoke in a language he could understand until his problem was solved. They kept up the English until he was satisfied and left, then switched back to Spanish (and no, they didn't gossip about him afterwards, either.).
How often do we do that? It's easy to fall into tech talk and show off for our customers. Do we stick with the language we know when problems with our clients arise, or do we switch over to slower, less efficient language that they understand and calms their worries? Sometimes, being efficient must be second-place to be understood.
Customer service, Communication
This entry was posted by Kevin Creighton, on
6.06.2006.
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