V - Listen More Than Speak
In the past, I had a supervisor who asked a lot of questions of me and my tech support colleagues. These questions came out of the blue, and were specific in nature about an area of our support realm. It felt like a pop quiz to gauge how much we knew about tech. After replying to four or five follow-up questions, our curiosity was piqued. We asked the supervisor why they were asking this information and was there an issue going on in our workplace we were unaware of. The supervisor gave us a brief synopsis of the issue, nothing more.
I pictured in my mind playing a card game with the supervisor, handing them my cards to build their hand, and eventually they would hand me a card in return to build my hand.
I call information exchanges such as this "Conversational Cards.” In the management/leadership realm… well managers are gonna manage how they gonna manage. But in the tech support realm, it is important to learn as much about the client’s issue as possible in order to take a correct path to resolving an issue. When I am with a client in person, and they verbally explain their issue, I close my mouth and listen intently. I look directly into their eyes. I nod in understanding. And I wait for them to conclude speaking. More often than not, they will share a small snippet of information that will trigger a thought in my mind, something that I’ve encountered before, which might be helpful in resolving their issue. Even when I ask a simple follow-up questions such as, “do you recall this happening before?” my client may share a valuable Conversational Card that will help me fix their issue quicker than flying blind and starting from scratch.
Let’s explore listening with a different lens. Most clients feel ignored or neglected when contacting tech support. Just ask anyone who recently dialed a phone number to get help with their computer…and got a live person answer the phone on the first ring. Not likely in 2024. When a Tech Support Professional (TSP) puts their mobile phone away, pays attention to what is being shared, looks at the client directly, doesn’t interrupt, and asks follow-up questions, that TSP is giving the client a gift of listening. The TSP is showing the client that they matter, they are heard, and they are understood. Especially if the TSP thanks them for sharing the information, and that it was helpful.
I don’t remember where I first read this anecdote, but it involved a woman attending a dinner party at a high-ranking individual’s castle. This is not a direct quote, but it changed how I engaged with people in society, not just my clients:
When I conversed with King Awesome during his annual dinner party for dignitaries, he made me feel like he was the most important person at the party. However, when I spoke with Sir GollyGosh, he made me feel like I was the most important person at the party.
-Henrietta HowYaDoing
I’m wagering Sir GollyGosh received a number of Conversation Cards from Miss HowYaDoing at the dinner party. I’ve observed many TSPs going to great lengths to convince people how important they are by speaking at length. Imagine if there were more GollyGoshes than Awesomes, and how much of a surprising impact they would make on their customers… to be heard and listened to in addition to getting their tech issue resolved.