To break out from the mundane shackles of a monotonous life, you might need some interesting bits, sprinkled every now and then. Being on a call whole day, receiving and talking to customers could get a tad bit repetitive at times. And once you reach the saturation point of such uninteresting conversations, could turn into a hideous job dissatisfaction, which you would want to steer away from, right? Thus, a fascinating customer rapport is an ingredient that you all need to spice things a little.

Read on the following article to learn about ways to have an evolving and engaging conversation every single day with each of your clients. These are some of the tried and tested ways to effectively build customer rapport:

• Address them with proper diligence
• Actively hear them out and respond
• The Subtle art of Mirroring
• Let the angry ones vent out
• Drive the conversation with positivity

Time to get started on what is customer rapport, why customer rapport is important, and how to improve customer rapport. Let us begin.

Address them with proper diligence

Right off the bat, the first mistake that you can certainly avoid is mispronouncing the customer’s name. Never, and I mean never do that. Needless to say, mistakes do happen. However, it is best to avoid this sort of situation whenever possible. If you are unsure of how to pronounce his name, you might discuss with a college before you start dialing. Or if not, how about you ask them to introduce themselves first.

This way, you can cunningly know how to break the code. Rest, being friendly is extremely important. Address with respect and let them know that you care. This is the first step in building customer rapport. At the end of the day, it is the effort that you sow matters, that and can later set off your rapport on a positive note and enhance the customer experience.

Actively hear them out and respond

On a typical day, the customer representatives are given a pre-written script to read from while attending calls. Basically, they are added to benefit them when they go black, do not have an answer to say, or are unsure of the correct wording to propel.

In such kind of cases, it is best suggested to put off the script and actually listen to what the client has to say. Wait until they have made their point and then respond to them using your presence of mind and intelligence. Reading off answers from a script could make them feel apathetic and can put a robotic image on you. Ensure that you truly hear them out, as if it were a friend that you are speaking to. This single action of yours can take you a long way in building customer rapport and making your chat even authentic and welcoming.

The Subtle art of Mirroring

Imagine if you just had an ugly spat with your spouse, your daughter got a bruise on her knees, and your assistant says, he has resigned. When you are already having a bad day, the last thing you would want to have is a conversation with an overly jovial customer representative.

This is a big no in any SaaS driven customer success business. This is where the subtle art of mirroring comes into play. There could be scenarios where you will have to mirror the customer. If they seem to be in a good mood, play along. Or else, if they sound like the example stated above, play along as well. Remember, you should still be friendly while matching with the corresponding moods.

Let the angry ones vent out

It is possible that your day would kick start with a call from a customer who is extremely disappointed with your product. Whilst you are in the middle of a long-winded rant, you might get that urge to cut them off instantly and not really care. Well, sometimes it is best to just take a backseat and let the angry customer vent out as much as they want.

Times when you are infuriated, you are not looking for a clear solution, you are not looking for someone to prove you right or fend for you. All that you want is someone who truly listens and understands what you say. The same can go for a customer. Some angry customers just want to vent out their frustration. Wait for the time when they are finally done and then you may pacify them radically.

Drive the conversation with positivity

You may frequently find yourself in a complicated position. Perhaps, you do not have the requisite answer. Or you do not have the appropriate level of expertise to handle their questions. Be it whatever, you can get a panic sensation.

Remember, you need to drive the chat in a positive direction. Refrain from answering, I’m not sure, I don’t know, I’m sorry, I’m new. It puts off the customer and brings you in a negative light. These connotations can leave the customer wondering, why did they choose to get service from your company.

Turn around the phrases into something positive, you can begin by saying, I will get back to you or I will find you an answer now or I’m going to check in with a colleague on the best way to approach this problem. Although you are saying the same thing with such kind of tone, you are not disheartening the customers. Rather, you come out being more professional, positive, and less concerning to the customers.

Final Take

The best way to build customer rapport is by finding commonalities to build a foundation on. Questions such as ‘why is it important to build rapport with customers’ or ‘how to build rapport with customers’ could be tricky at first, but when coupled with diligence and positivity, it could be very much workable. Activities for building rapport with customers could be many, but what is common is the attitude of service. Establish and build customer rapport, from today itself!

WRITTEN BYKaustubh Sangam

Kaustubh Sangam is a Customer Success Analyst with 2 years of experience. Committed to delivering exceptional customer experiences and driving business growth. Proficient in leveraging data analysis to optimize customer success strategies.

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