by Diana Chin
In my heyday as a tarot reader for a psychic hotline, I had my fair share of consulting clients over the phone, email, and chat regarding questions about their love lives and career changes. Every so often, I would get a client who has high expectations of finding the perfect love and/or career but isn’t willing to hear the truth about their current life. The assumption of being a psychic hotline reader may seem glamorous. But I’ve learned that by removing the spirituality aspect of it, you’re essentially providing customer support.
When I started my customer support position at a media company, I adopted some of the principles that I learned during my time in the psychic industry. As unorthodox it may seem, I’ve found success in helping out consumers reignite their love for their product. Whether if you are in upper management working with a consumer base at a company, freelancing for clients for projects, or if you’re starting off your career in customer support, here are my tips that helped me. I promise there’s no witchcraft involved!
Never Assume What The Customer Wants
Nothing is worse than telling a customer the complete opposite of what they’re looking for in a product. There will be times when customers may vaguely inquire about what you offer. Rather than playing a mind-reading game, this would be a good time to ask relevant questions on what they’re seeking. It’s very tempting to feel upset that there are some consumers who are not willing to divulge any more info than what they intended. By following up with him/her, you’re showing that you do care about meeting a resolution.
Transparency Is Your Ticket To Building Trust
Being honest with your customer goes a long way. However, there’s a fine line between telling your customer the truth about their product and providing too much detail on internal changes within the company or your small business. Sometimes, being blunt may not be the answer. However, customers would appreciate a sound response that showcases sincerity on what’s happening with the product without releasing any confidential info that may come back to haunt them.
Go Beyond The Robotic Responses
From a consumer’s standpoint, we want reassurance and reliability in regard to our inquiries. Some situations require more than a cookie-cutter approach. This can vary between promotional changes, events, custom services, etc. Working in the psychic industry taught me that you’ll need to think on your feet when providing sensitive information to your clients. Imagine doing a bulk reply to your clients saying that the app issue will be fixed when the consumers are asking for a timeline. Look for the trends on what may be conflicting on the consumer base and find ways on crafting a sensible response to help lessen the feeling that the consumer’s voice may not be heard.
Be Proactive, Not Reactive
The temptation on feeling upset and react towards a customer’s concern is very likely. Even during my time in the psychic industry, I’ve dealt with some incorrigible folks who won’t listen to reason. One of the main key points when handling your clients is not to take things personally. How you’ll react will make an impact on either saving a customer from canceling their service or giving them every reason to demonish your reputation via social media and/or word of mouth. One of the easier ways to keep yourself centered is to take a moment and breathe. No fancy tools or contraptions; give yourself up to 2 minutes for a breathing exercise before you resume. Let the client know that you’re actively working on the issue. Offer some incentives that will give them every reason to come back and follow through. It’s very important to make the client feel that their feedback matters, instead of shunning them away to your competitors.
Got any tips on how one can be the voice of the customer? I would love to hear them in the comments!
