
- Listening to your Customers: Listening is key to customer retention and how effectively your team is able to triage support calls coming into your helpdesk.
- Listening to your staff shows that you respect them and helps support the retention of top talent. Being a listening role model for your staff also supports their growth in attentive listening, thereby helping them become better listeners and potential future leaders.
Personally speaking …
During an episode of “Sunny’s Silver Linings” podcast, Marcus Bond, a senior consultant for The Collaborative Way, said that listening is a critical component of creating a healthy culture. And culture, as Marcus noted, “affects every aspect of the business because it’s a big part of how things get done.” He shared some listening challenges you may face and solutions to counter them.Problem 1 - Distracted listening: After about five minutes into a conversation, your mind starts to wander and you begin thinking about something other than what the other individual is saying. Or you begin engaging with emails or doing something else while you’re allegedly listening. Solution: Build your listening muscles and listen generously. Notice when your mind is “checking out” and “check back in” or pay attention. Don’t multitask because that will take away much of your attention on what is being said to you. Train your mind to focus on what the other individual is really saying. If you missed something, politely say, “Can you say that again?” Then you must really try to understand what the other person is trying to communicate to you.Professionally speaking …
With the state of work from home and a scattered workforce, we need to use technology more effectively in order to manage both the employee and customer experience. Keeping everyone engaged and helping leadership listen generously can only be accomplished through proper use of data. For instance, when we created Team GPS it was built with the understanding that it would become a full-service business operating system that centralizes your traditionally disparate tools for engaging and retaining customers and employees. It is a People Platform. So how does it truly listen? By gathering feedback from your customers and team members, consistently, and putting it into an easy-to-understand framework, you can really hear what they’re saying about your business, your services, and your people.Team GPS collects the actionable data in one place and easily mines it to make educated decisions. If your team is unhappy, you will see it in your Employee Net Promoter Score. If an engineer is struggling, the CSATs will tell you. It’s the first software of its kind to illustrate the full landscape of your employees and clients, knowing when and how to act should issues arise, or to reward individuals and teams for even their smallest achievements. This shows them that you are truly listening.Win-Wins
By becoming effective listeners, and taking the time to invest in active listening, you’ll see multiple benefits including:- You’ll grow closer to each other and to your customers
- You’ll be more understanding and appreciative of each other
- You’ll be able to confidently go to each other and have productive conversations regarding opposing views
- You’ll all be moving forward together with a positive intent about the organization and each other