BUS151 People Skills
Chapter 5
Listening to the Customer
Why is Listening so
Important?
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Listening effectively is the primary means
customer service professionals use to determine
the needs of their customers.
Many times, needs are not communicated to
you directly but through inferences, indirect
comments, or nonverbal signals.
A skilled listener will pick up on these cues and
conduct follow-up questioning or probe deeper
to determine the real need.
Listening
 In
the United States,
typically the average
white-color worker has
only about a 25
percent efficiency rate
when listening. *
 This means that 75
percent of the
message is lost.
*Dr. Ralph G. Nicols, who is also
called the father of listening.

Think about what such a
loss in message reception
could mean in an
organization if the poor
listening skills of customer
service professionals led to
a loss of 75 percent of
customer opportunities.
What is Listening?
Listening is your primary means of gathering
information from a customer or any other person.
True listening is an active learned process.
When you listen actively, you go through a process
consisting of various phases:
– Hearing and receiving: Passive physiological process of receiving
sound waves and transmitting them to the brain where they are
analyzed.
– Attending: Once your ears pick up sound waves, your brain goes to
work focusing on, or attending to, what was heard. It sorts out
everything being heard.
– Comprehending or assigning: Once you have decided which
message or customer you will listen to, your brain begins a process of
comprehending or assigning meaning to, what you heard. It then
compares what was heard to what is stored in your brain (sounds,
sights, shapes, images, experiences, knowledge).
– Responding: Selecting an appropriate response is crucial to the
success of your customer interactions.
Questions for the Listener
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Am I practicing active listening skills?
What message is the customer trying to get
across?
What does the customer want or need me
to do in response to their message?
Should I take notes or remember key points
being made?
Am I forming premature conclusions, or do I
need to listen further?
Questions for the Listener (cont’d)
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Are there biases or distractions I need to
avoid?
Is the customer failing to provide
information needed to make a sound
decision?
What other feedback clues are being
provided in addition to words? Are they
important to message meaning?
What questions do I need to ask as a
follow-up to the customer’s message?
Characteristics of a Good Listener
#1 Empathy

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By putting yourself in the customer’s place
and trying to relate to the customer’s
needs, wants, and concerns, you can often
reduce the risk of poor service.
Some customer service
professionals neglect the
customer’s need for compassion,
especially when the customer is
dissatisfied.
Characteristics of a Good Listener
#2 Understanding

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Understanding is the ability to listen as customers
verbalize their needs, and to ensure that you
understand them.
Too often, you hear people say, “I understand what
you mean,” when it is obvious that they have no
clue as to the level of emotion being felt.
When this happens while a
customer is upset or angry,
the results could be flared
tempers, loss of business,
bad publicity, etc.
Characteristics of a Good Listener
#3 Patience
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Many people spend time thinking about
what they will say next rather than listening
to what is being said.
Taking time to slow down and actively listen
to customers makes them feel important
and allows you to better meet their needs.
Patience is especially important
when a language barrier or
speech disability is part of the
situation.
Characteristics of a Good Listener
#4 Attentiveness
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By focusing your attention on
the customer, you can better
interpret his or her message
and satisfy his or her needs.
Attentiveness is often displayed through nonverbal
cues such as nodding or cocking of the head to one
side.
When you are reading, talking on phone or doing
some other task while listening to your customer,
your rate of absorption will fall into the 25 percent
category of listening.
Characteristics of a Good Listener
#5 Objectivity
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Avoid subjective opinions or
judgments.
If you have a preconceived idea
about customers, you could
mishandle the situation.
Allow customers to describe
their needs, wants, or concerns,
and then analyze them fairly
before taking appropriate
action.
Causes of Listening Breakdown
Personal Obstacles

Biases (personal opinions, beliefs)
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Psychological distracters (mood, negativity)

Physical condition (state of wellness and fitness)

Circadian Rhythm (24-hour biological pattern; peak)

Preoccupation (personal/other matters in mind)

Hearing loss (can’t hear well)
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Listening skill level (influenced by prior experiences)
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Thought speed (lag time or listening gap)
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Faulty assumptions (each situation is different)
Causes of Listening Breakdown
External Obstacles
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Information overload
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Other people talking
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Ringing phones
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Speakerphones
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Physical barriers
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Office and maintenance equipment
Indicators of Poor Listening

Customers specifically ask to speak to or be served by
someone else.

You find yourself missing key details of conversations.
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You regularly have to ask people to repeat information.

You end conversations not knowing for sure what
action is required by you.

You find yourself distracted or daydreaming.

You miss nonverbal cues sent by the customer.
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You answer a question incorrectly because you didn’t
hear actually hear it.
Strategies for Improved
Listening
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Stop talking!
Prepare yourself.
Listen actively.
Show a willingness
to listen.
Show empathy.
Listen for concepts
Information-Gathering Techniques
Open-ended Questions
This type of questioning follows the time-tested
approach of the 5 W’s and 1 H used by journalists
who ask questions:
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
How?
Information-Gathering Techniques
Open-ended Questions
Identify customer needs
This is a crucial task because some customers
are either unsure or what they need or want
or do no adequately express their needs or
wants.
Examples
“Ms. Deloach, what type of car are you
looking for?
“Mr. Petell, why is an extended warranty
important to you?
Information-Gathering Techniques
Open-ended Questions
Gather a Lot of Information
When you are just beginning a customer
relationship and aren’t sure what the customer
has in mind or what’s important.
Examples
“Mr. and Mrs. Milton, to help me better
serve you, could you please describe
what your ideal house would look like
if you could build it?”
Information-Gathering Techniques
Open-ended Questions
Uncover Background Data
When you are just beginning a customer
relationship and aren’t sure what the customer
has in mind or what’s important.
Examples
“Mrs. Chan, will you please tell me
the history behind this problem,
including all of your previous
contacts with this office?”
Information-Gathering Techniques
Open-ended Questions
Uncover Objections During a Sale
Many times, people are not rejecting what
you are offering outright; they simply do not
see an immediate need for the product or
cannot think of appropriate questions to ask.
Examples
“Ms. Williams, from what you told me, all the features
of the new RD10 model that we talked about will
definitely ease some of your workload, so let me get
the paperwork started so you can take it home with
you. What do you think?”
Information-Gathering Techniques
Open-ended Questions
Give the Customer an Opportunity to
Speak
By allowing a customer to “vent” as you listen
actively, you can sometimes reduce the level
of tension and help solve the problem.
Examples
“Why is this feature so important to you?”
“How do you normally use the product?”
How has the printer been malfunctioning, Jim?
Information-Gathering Techniques
Close-Ended Questions
 Draw
short, one-syllable
responses and gain little
new information.
 Many
closed-ended
questions can be
answered with yes or
no, or with a specific
answer such as a date
or number.
Closed-ended questions can
be used for:

Verifying Information
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Closing an Order
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Gaining
Agreement
Clarifying
Information
Additional Question Guidelines
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Avoid criticism.
Ask only positively phrased
questions.
Ask direct questions.
Ask customers how you can better
serve.