How To Be A Customer Service Chameleon

As a customer service chameleon, your greatest asset is your adaptability. You must be able to transform your tone and rapport with a customer based upon the tone and mood that a customer initially provides. There is no one method of customer service. There is only recognizing that each customer is a unique individual with a unique circumstance. Your goal is to adapt to those circumstances to the best of your ability.

I find most of my adaptability challenges come from chat support. Three days out of the week I encounter a wide swath of customers from international customers where english is not their first language to people that just want to get on with their day. In between this flow, I find myself using different strategies depending upon what response I initially get from a customer to make the most of a situation.  Here are my strategies:

•  Pay attention to tone: Whether on chat support or over the phone, pay close attention to the tone of the caller. If they sound rushed or type short sentences, this may be an indication that this is a customer that is in a hurry and wants a quick solution. Match your tone and punctuation to get them on with their day by working efficiently.
• Match the grammar/punctuation that the customer presents: On chat support, some people prefer a professional style with proper periods and capitalization of sentences. Other people prefer a more conversational style similar to a text message. Match whatever punctuation that the customer provides to put yourself on an even level.
• Understand the customer’s level of experience: Not all customers understand your service in the same way. Some people need slower, more detailed explanations. Others already have a good handle on how everything functions and you can skimp on the details with them. Understand where your customer stands in their knowledge base and educate them more if needed. 
• Keep your vocabulary in check: Not everyone understands the technology behind your product or service. Learn the level of technical knowledge possesses and cater your vocabulary to best communicate with them. Are you talking to a person with an IT background? Great!  Feel free to throw out some technical terms. But, don’t even consider doing the same thing with someone trying to run a small business that just wants their phone to work. When in doubt, simplify.
• Have fun where fun is due: It’s crucial to understand the customer’s personality.  Some people enjoy small talk and maybe they just want someone to speak with for the day. Other people want to get down to business and get off the phone with you. Tap into each situation to deliver exactly what a customer needs. Sometimes making someone smile is more important than fixing their problem. It all depends on the unique situation.

At the end of the day, it does not matter how “good” you deliver customer service. What matters is how adaptable you are to each customer’s unique needs. In many ways, adaptability cannot be measured via number-based statistics. How many calls you take in a day does not reveal what kind of connection and rapport you developed with each person. Before you decide to do the same, time-tested routine, think outside the box and ask yourself – are you being a customer service chameleon?

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