Chapter 27. Probing Points: Questioning
Productive probing skills are based on asking the right questions at the right time. There are two basic types of questions that you can use to gain information from your customers: open ones that get at the big picture and closed ones that focus on details. Effectively moving from one type to the other can keep the communication process under control and provide a means of solving problems more successfully.
Open Questions
Allow the person to express feelings
Ask for subjective (personal interpretation) responses
Cannot be answered with only yes or no
Allow for longer, more complicated answers
Open up a subject under discussion to new areas
Usually start with how, why, what
Closed Questions
Request specific and factual responses
Ask for objective (fact-based) responses
Seek out required information
Require short answers
Focus in on specific topics
Close out new areas for conversation
Usually start with when, where, who
Directions: Think about some of your own customer interactions. Select one specific situation in which you had difficulty obtaining information. Provide one or two examples for each of the following statements and then commit to using the appropriate combination of open and closed questioning in the future.
|
|
|
Get 101 Ways to Improve Customer Service: Training, Tools, Tips, and Techniques now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.