Two of my colleagues commented on my previous entry on having surveys to know customers’ expectations:

“The lesson is to keep things simple and easy to accomplish.” Tessa San Diego

“I think a more effective way of finding out whether or not customers are happy with one’s establishment, is to ask them outright (after they pay the bill, that is) what their complaints/suggestions/opinions are.” Nikki Alfonso

Both of them are right. To know customers’ needs effective questioning techniques are indispensable. A well-phrased questioning, may it be written or spoken, can get to the heart of the issue and swifly bring about solutions. In some situations, a simple question may open new business opportunities such as upgrading, cross-selling, or adding value.

In the everyday routine of being with customers, questioning is one of our most important communication skills. Through it, we will know our customer’s needs, wants, fears, and motivations. In the process, we build trust, determine behavior patterns, and eventually manage tension.

We learn from communication materials about the effective communication cylce: we ask, we listen, we give feedback, and the cycle starts all over again.

In questioning we may use the open-ended or closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions require the person to give a narrative answer and involve him in the conversation. Closed-ended questions require a yes, no, or a brief factual answer. These answers sort of fill in the details. It is often wise to start the questioning with an open-ended question and then follow it up with closed-ended ones. What’s important, however, is how we ask the questions. We must remember that we are trying to get the confidence of the customer here. Therefore, we must ask in such a way that it will ease tension and remove awkwardness. We should use a relaxed, matter-of-fact tone of voice and give our customers as much time as needed to answer.

The other side of questioning is listening. It is an essential skill that we often take time to learn. Talking, as is the case in this exchange, is a two-way street. In fact, we should spend more time listening that talking. Many surveys reveal that the number one complaint of salespeople is they talk too much! Talking too much alienate our customers and we will miss out on one important information that could get us the deal. We therefore need to listen with our eyes and ears. In other words, be an active listener: concentrate and be attentive; sense the content and intent of the message.

In so doing we will be able to give a good feedback. This brings us to the next step in our communication cycle. Giving feeback is reacting or replying to what has transpired before us. Feedback takes two forms—verbal (using words, voice inflections…) and nonverbal (using gestures, body language, facial expressions…).

Suffice it to say that the exercise of getting our customers’ expectations is a delicate matter. But it’s something that we need to do. There are other ways of doing it aside from surveys, of course. We just need to be really observant how best we can serve our customers.

Source: The Quest for Quality: Prescriptions for Service Excellence