101 Ways to Improve Customer Service: Training, Tools, Tips, and Techniques

Chapter 25. Listen Closely: Responsive Listening

Responsive listening shows a genuine interest in the needs or problems of the customer. Too often people tend to interrupt others because they have made assumptions before gathering all the relevant information. By cultivating good listening skills, service representatives can avoid making mistakes or misreading situations. In addition, listening closely to what the customer says can help prevent problems in the future.

Directions: Evaluate your listening skills and determine where you may need improvement by answering the following questions with YES, NO, or SOMETIMES.

1.	Do I judge from the speaker’s tone of voice and delivery whether what is being said is worthwhile? ________________
2.	Do I listen for ideas, underlying feelings, and subtle messages? ________________
3.	Do I know my biases and put them in perspective? ________________
4.	Does my mind wander when I listen to someone talk? _________________
5.	Do I interrupt when someone makes an incorrect statement? ________________
6.	Do I give good feedback? ________________
7.	Do I evaluate the logic and credibility of what I hear? ________________
8.	Do I need to have the last word? _________________
9.	Do I try to focus the conversation on the other party? ________________
10.	Do I effectively control the length of the conversation? ________________

Review your answers and list your top three STRENGTHS and WEAKNESSES:

	Strengths	Weaknesses
1.	_________________________	_________________________
2.	_________________________ ...