CTS 217:
Computer Training
& Support
CHAPTER 2
Customer Service Skills
for User Support Agents
Chapter Objectives
 In
this chapter, students will learn about:
The importance of communications skills and
customer service relationships
 Reasons support agents listen and read carefully
 How agents build and communicate
understanding
 Aspects of effective speaking and nonverbal
communication
 How to develop a personal communication style

Chapter Objectives
 In
this chapter, students will learn about:
Strategies for telephone communications
 How to develop an incident management
strategy
 Understanding personality types and work
styles
 Strategies for difficult clients
 Guidelines for client-friendly communications
on support Web sites
 How to build excellent customer service

Introduction
 Excellent
communication and interpersonal
skills are often more challenging for new
support workers to learn and use than
technical or business skills!
 Users not satisfied with technical answers
only
 Goal for every request: customer satisfaction
and excellent customer service

Email, F2F, chat, phone
Communication and CS Skills
 Communication:
responding

2-way process listening &
1-way: web sites and blogs
 A customer-service ethic



an organization-wide philosophy
shared by everyone
viewpoint: client relationships and client satisfaction
are the most important aspect of a business
 Need

communication skills for top notch CS
Hear and understand user’s problem and reflect
your understanding
Communication and CS Skills
 Satisfied

Stress customer service excellence



vs. dissatisfied customers
Satisfied customers are likely to be repeat customers
Dissatisfied customer incidents usually take longer to
handle
Dissatisfied customers generate:






Lengthy calls (escalates cost)
Repeated callbacks
Complaints and ill-will (word of mouth)
Incidents that must be rerouted
Product returns and refunds
Poor support staff productivity
Communication and CS Skills
 Devoted






to customer service
Provide clients with information, service, or solution
they need
Explain to customers what can be done for them if
the problem cannot be solved
Treat clients with respect and courtesy
Communicate to clients when they should expect to
receive the service or information they need
Return calls or e-mails when promised even if no
progress has been made
Remember: attitude, reactions, voice, tone
(customer value) build client satisfaction
Communication and CS Skills
Three
essential comm. skills
 Listen
carefully
 Build understanding
 Respond effectively (communicate)
Listen Carefully
 Problem

description
Listen, no interruptions (Table 2-1 p. 59)
 Language
used to describe the problem
Clues to caller’s experience level
 Avoid language that is too complex/technical

 How
the caller describes the problem
Tone of voice (frustrated, angry, distracted)
 Use of technical terms
 Figure 2-2 (tips and obstacles) p. 61

 Strategy:
Look for a communication skills
course to build listening skills
Types and Purposes of Listening
Listening type
Purpose
Discriminative
Learn about the user
Comprehensive
Understand the user’s message
Critical
Appreciative
Analyze and evaluate the user’s
message
Identify opportunities for
positive support
Find enjoyment
Relational
Develop rapport
Therapeutic
Build Understanding
 Develop

Empathy: An understanding of and
identification with a client’s situation, thoughts,
and feelings



empathy with a client
We all started somewhere…
Why call is important (e.g., report for CEO)
Example: “It sounds like you’ve had a frustrating
morning, but I think I can help you with this...”
Build Understanding
 Try
to express the problem in your own
words; do they agree that you understand?
 Communicate to a client that you view him
or her as a person rather than a phone call
or a problem
 Techniques:
Visualization
 Inclusive language: We, rather than I
 Smile!

Respond Effectively
 It’s
all about communication!
 Recognize the importance of a sincere greeting



Begin with call greeting (icebreaker)
First impression of you and company
Example: This is Janet in Computer Support. Thank
you very much for calling. How can I help you?



NOT fake or bored – be enthusiastic
Thank you – value the call/customer
Write down his/her name…..USE it. First or Mrs./Ms./Mr.
Use Scripts Appropriately
 Script
Prepared sequence of questions and statements
used to handle parts of an incident
 May include decision points and branches to
handle different situations
 Tip: Don’t read lengthy scripts or responses to
questions; restate in your own words if possible
 Know when to deviate from script


My call to HP
Use Tone and Style Effectively
 HOW
can be more important than WHAT
 Top of p. 65 (dissatisfied vs. satisfied)
 Formal vs. informal; casual or professional
(blend)
 Nonverbal behaviors (next slide) p. 66
Nonverbal Behaviors
Use these
Avoid these
Posture
• Open stance
• Face user
• Fold arms or cross legs
• Bow head
Facial
expression
• Smile
• Interested expression
• Frown
• Show boredom, impatience
Eye contact • Frequent but not
excessive eye contact
• Focus on distance or at feet
• Stare
Gestures
• Use body movements
• Stiff or limited gestures
• Shift weight
Distance
• Comfortable distance
• Too close or too distant
Voice
quality
• Comfortable loudness
• Normal pitch and tone
• Shout or whisper
• Monotone or sing-song
Effective Personal Comm. Style
 Use
clear, succinct (brief) speech
 Speak slowly but not so slowly as to sound
condescending
 Use short sentences; avoid jargon
 Avoid a rising inflection at the end of
sentences
 Avoid empty phrases
 Pauses are okay
 Phrase communication with clients positively
p. 67-68
Challenges of Telephone Comm.
 Telephone
clients evaluate:
Telephone menu system
 Length of time to answer call
 Initial greeting (1st impression)
 Nonverbal communication also contributes to
the success of telephone communication

Telephone Dialog Skills
 Support
agents need to learn effective ways
to (dialog on p. 69):
Greet a caller
 Put a call on hold
 Transfer a call
 Terminate a call

 Role-playing
scenario p. 69-70
Develop Incident Mgmt Strategy
 Incident

management strategy
Techniques, tools and strategies that support
specialists use to move through an incident
effectively and efficiently from initial greeting to
the end of the incident
Goals of Incident Management
 Provide
user with information she or he
needs
 Manage stress levels for both the user and
support agent
 Ensure that the incident progresses from
start to finish in an effective and efficient
way
 Make the user more self-reliant
Resources for Incident Mgmt
 Organizational
policies on incident
management and expectations
 Strategies covered in training programs
 Observation and imitation of respected
senior support agents
 Personal communication style
 Feedback on strengths and areas for
improvement
Incident Mgmt Guidelines
 Policy
knowledge, how to use phone and
software, and guidelines






Ask goal-directed diagnostic questions (keep call
moving forward, based on script or experience)
Be honest (don’t cover up problems)
“I don’t know” (watch tone, refer, research)
Apologize (run around, on hold, ill suited product)
“Thank you” (caller and call important)
Incident mgmt, not user mgmt


Can advise them but not force; don’t judge
Instill self-reliance (help themselves)
Customer Service and
Personality Types
 Myers-Briggs

Type Indicator (MBTI)
A personality analysis tool commonly used in
business and industry to identify worker
personality and work style preferences
Four Dimensions of Personality
 Where


Introvert (I)
Private/quite
 How




Extrovert (E)
expressive/social
do you process information?
Intuition (N)
create ways to process
do you make decisions?
Thinking (T)
Logic/analysis
 How

versus
Sensing (S)
versus
Direct communication
 How

do you direct your energy?
versus
Feeling (F)
personal values
do you organize your life?
Judging (J)
versus
Structured/well-organized
Perceiving (P)
flexible/explore
Understanding the MBTI
 Use:
helps agents understand how users and
coworkers view the work world and behave
differently in it
 Two examples of 16 possible personality
types
ISTJ (Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging)
 ENFP (Extrovert, Intuition, Feeling, Perceiving)

 Each
person is a mixture of the four types
 No personality type is correct or best

Most people are a mixture of pure types
 Most
common IT personalities: ISTJ & ESTJ
27
Strategies for Difficult Calls
 Difficult
call is one that requires special
handling strategies because the user is
angry, not communicative, rude or abusive,
or exhibits other challenging attitudes
 Focus on:
the specific problem
 getting the needed information to the client
 providing excellent customer service in a
respectful manner
 getting on to the next incident

Users Who Complain
 Give
ample opportunity for the user to voice
complaints

May be helpful to let them vent frustration
 Use
empathy (p. 79 at top)
 Don’t take the complaint personally
 Tip: Remember that complaints can be a
valuable source of feedback
29
Contacts by “Power Users”
 Power
user is one who is technically
knowledgeable, or thinks they are, or who
believes they warrant special treatment
 Use inclusive language that makes the user
feel like a member of the team
 Use an authoritative tone
 Don’t diminish their self-importance
Incidents That Get Off Track
 Refocus
the incident
 Apologize for lack of prompt resolution
 Summarize the basic problem information
 Offer to continue to work toward a solution
 Examples on p. 80
Users Who Are Upset or Angry
 Let

users vent their anger
On hold too long, talked to many people, tired of
explaining the problem
 Reassure
user that the problem is an important
one and that you are willing to help resolve it
 Remember that angry users may continue to
vent

How can I help resolve this to your satisfaction?
 Avoid
defensiveness
 Follow up to build trust
Users Who Are Abusive
 Abusive
user is one who is rude, uses
inappropriate language, or makes personal
attacks on a support agent
 Goal:

Abusive  angry  successful call
 Follow
the support organization’s policies
and procedures for this type of incident

Terminate or ask them to use more professional
language?
Users Who Are Reluctant to Respond
 User
is confused, lacks confidence, or doesn’t
understand the ?’s
 Use very simple language
 Avoid technical jargon
 Try different kinds of questions

Open-ended vs. yes/no
 Give
positive feedback when the user provides
useful information
 Suggest exchanging information in a different
mode (e-mail, chat session, face to face)
Users Who Won’t Stop Responding
 Use
behavior that indicates the call is over
 Summarize the incident and describe the
conclusion
 Thank the user for calling
 Express your belief that the problem is
solved
 Use short answers that don’t provide a leadin to additional conversation or
communication
Client-Friendly Web Sites and
Web 2.0
 First
generation (Web 1.0)
Primarily one-way communication with users
 Cost-effective method of communication with
users

 Second
generation (Web 2.0)
Promotes collaboration among users
 Emphasizes social aspects of Web


MySpace & Facebook
Web Site Tools
 User

Community members
 Blog:

forum: organized discussions
Dell web site
message posts
Make posts and community comments on posts
 FAQ:
Frequently Asked Questions
 Knowledge base: information archive

Someone else has probably already experienced
your problem
 Web
sites: should be easy to use and exhibit
customer service (reflection of business)
Purposes of Support Web Sites
 Provide
product information
 Take sales orders
 Access technical support
 Provide software updates and downloads
 Facilitate communication with end users
 Encourage communication and collaboration
among users
 Provide user forums and blogs as comm.
media
 Provide links to related sites
Criteria for Eval. a Support Web Site
1.
Content
 Accurate
 Up-to-date
2.
Organization
 Well-organized
 Avoids information overload
 Avoids graphics that download slowly
 Organized by clients needs
3.
Format
 Uses small units of information
 Effective navigation aids
4.
Mechanics
 Correct spelling
 Correct grammar
Let users know it exists – search engine, bus. cards
Comprehensive Client Service
 Excellent
customer service is based on specific
values, attitudes, and actions




Clients are the primary reason for the support
organization’s existence – keep them informed
Willingness to take extra measures to satisfy clients
Ability to provide client satisfaction depends on
adequate support resources (staffing, equipment,
budget) follow up surveys
Excellent client service skills apply to telephone, faceto-face, and written communications orientations!
 Most

important chapter in book
Have to be more than just knowledgeable
Chapter Summary





Communication and interpersonal skills are
the foundations of excellent customer
service
Listen carefully to a user’s problem
description, language and tone
Build understanding by restating a problem
and through empathy with a user
Respond effectively with a greeting, use of
scripts and an appropriate tone and style
Nonverbal communication such as posture,
facial expression, eye contact, gestures, and
voice quality affect communication results
Chapter Summary






Develop a personal incident management
strategy
Practice to develop a personal communication
style
Learn to use telephone dialog skills effectively
Develop a personal incident management
strategy
Basic personality types (the MBTI) can help
explain differences in communication, learning,
and work styles among users and coworkers
Difficult incidents and users require special
skills and strategies
Chapter Summary


A support Web site
is cost-effective, but
its design should be
client-friendly
All forms of
communication with
users benefit from a
comprehensive
approach to
customer service