Do you speak the language of your customer?
Oct/14/2008 07:22 PM Filed in: Customer Service
Got a strange phone call this weekend from a local resort located in a high-end, destination market. A beautiful location in Lake Tahoe. Sounds like a formula for success, right?
I usually get the telemarketing calls because I love the communication aspect of whatever it is the business is pitching. I like to hear their approach and see how far the sales process might go.
I usually get the telemarketing calls because I love the communication aspect of whatever it is the business is pitching. I like to hear their approach and see how far the sales process might go.
I got the call this weekend but it quickly became a guessing game trying to figure out what the person, a young woman, was trying to say. She couldn’t pronounce my name, and had no idea where the resort was located. I informed her that we knew the area very well and could she tell me exactly where this new resort was located. The phone call went from bad to worse because I literally could not understand her. I asked for her supervisor hoping that I would be able to understand him better.
I could not. I told the supervisor that I was interested in their marketing program but was having trouble understanding him too.
“Is your supervisor there?” Pause.....pause.....Click.
This just reminded me that good communication involves not only understanding your audience but also speaking to them in a way that they will understand. A good reminder.
Do you know who is calling on your behalf?