Why customer-facing communication is the soft skill of today and tomorrow?
27 June 2023
Why are we at Customerry a big believer in customer-centric communication, and why will we remain so? Simple. Every single day in practice, we see that customer-centric communication is an underestimated competence that still too often receives little to no attention in organizations' training offerings.
Everyone just seems to assume that people 'know how to communicate in a customer-oriented way'. However, this is not included anywhere in the training offered at our schools. The consequence? People learn it on the job, and everything stands or falls with the skillset of the person overseeing your onboarding.
So, fodder for a substantial blog post, in which we explain what customer-centric communication actually is, what its benefits are, and how you can learn it.
The difference between customer-friendly and customer-oriented
Following good Customerry practice, we start by explaining some technical terms. After all, is there a difference between customer-friendly and customer-oriented? And if so, why is customer-friendly not sufficient?
- Customer friendliness = friendly, polite, and respectful behavior towards your customers. In short, the attitude of your organization and your team. Reactive behavior.
- Customer focus = a broader approach aimed at understanding and meeting customer expectations. Proactive approach and behavior.
Customer focus is therefore a broader approach that goes beyond simply being friendly and polite to people. A practical example:
As a customer, you ask a question to an employee who does not know the answer. A customer-friendly employee will respond in a friendly manner, "I'm sorry, but I don't know." A customer-oriented employee is more likely to do the following: "I cannot answer that at the moment. Do you have 5 minutes? I'll make a few calls to see who in our organization can help you with that."
Do you feel the difference? In the first example, you receive a friendly answer, but you are left wanting more. In the second scenario, it is immediately clear that the employee is thinking along with you and looking at how to help you further.
If you want to continue making a difference in service as an organization today (and tomorrow), simply being friendly is not enough. After all, today's customer expects “the offer you can't refuse”.
3 good reasons to adopt customer-oriented communication
- More satisfied and loyal customers. Customer-centric communication helps you better understand what customers want and need. With customer-centric communication, you can fully answer questions, alleviate or prevent potential concerns, and quickly offer solutions to problems. In short, you make the customer feel seen and heard. This results in improved customer satisfaction, turning customers into enthusiastic ambassadors who are eager to spread the word about you.
- A greater advantage over your direct competition. In a market under pressure, customer-oriented communication can yield a distinctive competitive advantage. An organization that distinguishes itself through a customer-oriented way of working attracts more new customers and ensures better customer retention. After all, we all like doing business with companies that take good care of us, don't we? Moreover, communication is often a source of frustration. By avoiding that annoyance, you can significantly increase your market share.
- Up to 30% increased internal efficiency and greater job satisfaction . Something you might not immediately think of, but implementing a customer focus also leads to higher productivity in your organization. Because departments and employees communicate with each other in a customer-oriented manner, you increase internal productivity and simultaneously reduce internal work frustrations. A win-win-win situation!
2 practical, customer-oriented communication tips that you can apply immediately.
But how exactly do you communicate in a customer-oriented way? There are a host of techniques and tips to learn exactly how to do it. Everyone in your organization can apply these 2 tips:
- Listen first, then speak.
Active listening is one of the most important skills in customer-oriented communication. You do this by setting aside your preconceptions and truly listening to the customer to fully understand the question. Give the customer sufficient time to finish speaking and clarify. Even if you think you know the answer early in the conversation. Want to be even more specific? That's possible!
- Do not interrupt the customer while speaking.
- Ask clarifying questions and repeat to gain a deeper understanding.
- Make eye contact and use non-verbal signals to show that you are listening.
- The first impression sets the tone.
Welcome Treat customers and visitors in your organization in an open, friendly manner. Know who is entering your organization and why. Address your visitors by name if you know it. Look up from your screen and make eye contact. On the phone too: do not let yourself be distracted by anything else when talking to customers; people can sense this. And smile; it will make you cheerful and in a good mood too ;-)
How do you learn to communicate in a customer-oriented way?
Are you thinking, "That's all well and good, but how do I convince my colleagues, bosses, employees…"? Then I have good news for you, because applying customer-oriented communication is a skill you can definitely learn.
A customer-oriented foundation as the starting point for everything
We start with the basics. What is customer-focused communication, and how does it differ from what we are already doing today? What are the most important skills we need to know and be able to use? What concrete communication agreements will we make with each other? We learn and practice it in just one day!
Tailored to your organization
Are you looking for something entirely tailored to your organization? Do you want a deep dive into techniques for conducting difficult conversations? Do your employees find it challenging to maintain control in conversations with increasingly assertive customers? Then we would be happy to develop a customized training program for your specific objectives.
Finally: away with the chatbot, long live the counter?
Yes and no 
Yes, because I believe that companies can avoid many challenges by viewing human contact with customers not as an expense, but as an investment. The cost of one employee proactively handling customer inquiries does not outweigh the positive publicity generated by it.
No, because technology actually enables us to apply customer-oriented communication. Thanks to increasingly smart chatbots, you can provide customers with quick answers to frequently asked questions, while freeing up time for your employees to handle less common requests. Naturally, technology should support humans, not replace them.
How do I know if I communicate in a sufficiently customer-oriented way?
Good question! Shall we have a casual chat about that?
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