As you know, I am a consultative sales specialist and my company offers a nationally certified consultative sales training program.visit my online https://chuyennhasg.com/ for more details. Part of our services is sales training for customer service people. In sales and in customer service it’s about uncovering and meeting a need and finding a customer-centered solution.

… and here’s a great example

Is it important that customer service people are attentive, courteous and compassionate? Yes, of course it is, but what matters most is that at every single step of the interaction they keep in mind that they need to resolve an issue. If the issue is not resolved at the end of the interaction, the service was not good, no matter how friendly the exchange.

Recently, I had a very draining interaction with my wireless provider, Verizon, one that actually stole four hours out of my life and left me frustrated and angry. Here was the problem in a nutshell.

I have a USB internet access stick that suddenly stopped working. I realized it the afternoon before leaving for a one week working vacation in Florida. My goal at this point was to make sure I could access the internet while staying at a condo with no internet connection. After all, I am paying $50 a month for this “hot stick” service which I only use when I travel and really need.

How NOT to uncover a need

My issue with customer service was not that they weren’t friendly or helpful, but that they missed the ultimate objective. They wanted to fix the device, not resolve the issue. I was literally on the phone with customer service and tech support for four hours on two days. First they had me delete and re-install the software, re-starting my laptop multiple times. Then they had me go to the local corporate store to replace the SIM card. When that didn’t work either, they decided to send a whole new device to my Florida address, only to forget to put the condo number on the package so I had to track it down at the local FedEx office.

Regardless of all the instructions or solutions offered to me during the hour long conversations, no one suggested to just bypass procedures and take care of my need. I, as the customer, was being creative and making suggestions such as upgrading to a new phone early so I can use it as a hotspot (my current Blackberry doesn’t have that feature), or upgrading my account to allow for a WiFi Hotspot device (both options could have resulted in an immediate resolution).

Providing A Solution without a Happy Customer?

I heard statements such as, “You don’t qualify for an upgrade because you don’t fall within the 30 day period. We can’t possible have you qualify for a new phone early.” One customer service person (one of many) assured me that she understood my frustration, a statement that seems almost insulting when you hear it over and over without progress. I was pleading with her. I needed internet access for my work. Sure, I could go to a Starbucks but: a) I wouldn’t be able to make business calls there; and b) I’m paying Verizon for the service. I’m sure they wouldn’t refund the cost of coffee.