Adaptability: Is this the golden ticket of Customer Service?
Remember when we were talking about Customer Service Fluidity? One of the biggest elements of being fluid in customers service is adapting to the customer or rather Customer Service Adaptability.
Each customer is an individual. There’s this thing called ‘individuality’ that we need to take note of.
Humans are creature that adapt to environments. This is simply the way of the world. As nature is more powerful than us. In our world – Customer Service – the customer is all powerful. They make or [can] break your business. Adapting to customers allows you the power to control the situation, but without taking the power away from the customer. Customer Service Adaptability makes them feel served and appreciated. That’s the point isn’t it?
Also read this article: Retail Customer Service: Reality of Retail Industry
Let’s look at a clip from the series called “The Two Ronnies.” Here we will see a foreign customer entering the store. He then tries to purchase items on his shopping list. However, the customer has a very different (or rather unique) way of pronouncing words. The store keeper, as most of us would – speaking any language – tries to correct the speaker. Let’s take a look at what happens…
Well that was a good laugh!
Adaptability
Let’s analyse what happen in that short clip. The first thing the shop keeper (or Owner) tried to do was to send the customer away. Without understanding the customer fully. That’s closing the door on an opportunity. But of course, in this case the customer said something that would sound like “mouse.” Who would think that he was looking “mousse.” Eventually the shop keeper comes to understand what the customer is looking for. However, can’t help but try to correct the customer on the pronunciation.
The moment the customer takes his money away, the shop keeper gives in. Allowing the customer to pronounce the word however he wants to say it. This happens again when the customer asks for Tomato Puree. The scene brazenly shows that customers will take their money away if they feel that they are not understood or not treated right.
What’s interesting though, is that the customer will give you the chance to try to understand them. A customer that feels that he/she is not understood will first try to be understood. Its human nature.
A bonus here is that we see the Shop keeper’s wife entering the scenario and how quickly she adapts to the customer’s quirky pronunciation.
Basically, your level of adaptability to your customer will give you more opportunities. Most companies do this by finding out what a majority of their targeted demographic think like. That information will give you the insight into how to adapt to your customers and dealing with possible scenarios that will arise.
Customer Service Adaptability will allow for better Customer Service Fluidity.
Talking of insights
That’s one thing we do here at AQ. We look for Insights that would make a customer’s experiences more pleasing or had made it unsatisfactory. To know more on these Insights that we often look out for, check out our interview with our Insights Manager. Yes, we have an Insights Manager, that’s how much we want to provide quality service.
Do let us know on our social media pages, whether you had an experience where you felt that a customer service staff adapted to you well and made you feel comfortable and appreciated, or otherwise.
