Active Listening

Active listening is one of the key skills any customer service agent (or any position above) needs to develop. It is the difference between hearing noise and understanding meaning. 

In a call center, customers often don't know the technical terms to describe their problem, or they add additional details that are not needed to solve their issue. Active listening allows you to decode what they mean, not just what they say, reducing the need for them to call back.

Let's see a quick example: 

A customer calls and says, "My internet is acting weird, and every day is the same. It is so frustrating that I cannot play my online games with my friends. I just want to get home from work and relax." A passive listener would just say "Okay" and start a standard test. An active listener picks up the cue "video games" and asks, "I heard about you wanting to play online; is the lag happening specifically when gaming or on all devices?"

There are 3 key elements that agents can work on to develop active listening:

1. Paraphrasing: Repeating the issue back to the customer in their own words to assess understanding. "So, what I am hearing is that the bill is higher than you expected because of a surcharge, correct?"
2. Verbal Nods: Since customers can't see agents nodding, they can provide verbal cues or sounds like "Uh-huh," "I see," and "Go on" to show they are still present and paying attention.
3. Note-taking: It is impossible to listen actively if agents are trying to memorize everything the customer is saying. Agents can write down keywords (dates, amounts, names) immediately so their brains are free to listen to the rest of the story. The more organized the notes, the better for agents and customers.