Rules of communication with clients: main features and recommendations

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Serving in different service delivery industries requires special approaches to customers. There are both general rules of official communication and specialized methods of business communication. As practice shows, following the recommendations from psychologists and marketers in this area helps to increase the efficiency of the organization, as well as create a positive image for it in the market for the provision of certain services. At the same time, the rules of communication with clients also provide for the observance of basic norms of behavior, which are determined by ethical considerations and general ideas about morality.

How to communicate with a client?

In the very first seconds of the conversation, you should let the interlocutor know what his time will be spent on. Irrelevant phrases are desirable to be omitted, even if they are planned to be used as a means of positioning a potential client. Politeness is important, but overuse of courtesy can create a negative impression. Standard rules for communicating with clients also rule out attempts to get a quick response from the client with consent to something. You need to be understanding andto his right to refuse and also adequately respond without changing the style of communication. Even if a particular client is lost forever, a negative impression of the company will remain and may affect the image in the future.

The beginning of the dialogue should be as informative and comfortable as possible. It is advisable to briefly but clearly talk about the goals of the conversation, the intentions on the part of the employee and explain how exactly this contact can be useful. The individual approach also matters. For example, the rules of communication with a manicure master's client provide for the initial construction of a confidential dialogue. Specialists in this field work directly with the human body, so in this case one cannot do without a hint of sincerity. So-called cold calls, for example, should not be used.

General principles of business dialogue

After the acquaintance and the first introductory information, no less responsibility is imposed on the employee. Even if the client has directly expressed his interest, you should not relax. Communication should be built in the style of a friendly conversation, but without serious deviations on topics not related to the company's offer. At the same time, you should not overload the client with an excessive amount of data. If you have to specify a wide list of questions within the framework of one conversation, you need to systematize them initially, as required by the basic rules. Communication with the client should be initially thought out and prepared. It is recommended to prepare lists of questions in advance, or at least keep them in mind, doseddiscussing during the conversation. But it's also not worth asking them in a continuous stream. After each question, you can make small pauses, include correct jokes, or shift attention to less complex aspects of the topic under discussion. The client should feel comfortable, but at the same time not drop out of participation in the discussion.

The role of emotions in the process of communication

There are different points of view on how and whether a manager should be emotional. The technique of cold calling has already been mentioned, the very idea of which is based on the complete exclusion of this aspect. In other words, the employee is required to dryly, correctly and relatively quickly inform the client and, if necessary, obtain the necessary information from him. But such calls do not at all exclude the formal observance of the rules of communication with phrases of gratitude, apology and a corresponding farewell.

But the same rules of communication in a beauty salon with clients exclude such a reception. And not only because of the need to build trusting relationships, albeit on a business basis. Long-term relationships with business partners and customers are more fruitful if employees show their human qualities. Open and sincere expression of emotions wins you over and puts people in a more positive mood. Another thing is that such manifestations should be controlled and not conflict with the interests of the company providing its services to the client.

Features of the dialogue on the phone

The specificity of telephone conversations also implies its own characteristics. When starting a conversation, it is not recommended to use phrases like "You are worried about …" or "You are worried about …". Although outwardly harmless, they initially create a negative stylistic connotation, which should be avoided. Next, you need to introduce yourself from the company and immediately get down to business. When making incoming calls, the rules for communicating with customers by phone also do not recommend picking up the phone after the first signal. An instant response may mean that the manager is either impatiently waiting for this call, or is inactive. Even if the actual situation is different, it is desirable to give the client the opposite impression of busyness, that is, to answer after the second call. In the future, the course of the dialogue should be built with an emphasis on the correct intonation. As experts note, the tone and manner in a telephone conversation sometimes matter more than its content.

Rules for communicating with older clients

This is a special category of people, which also needs a special approach. A feature of an elderly person in terms of participation in a business dialogue is a violation of attention and concentration. That is, on the part of the manager, a greater share of patience will be required. But there are also positive aspects. In particular, in such dialogues, the percentage of conflict-generating phrases is minimal, which also guarantees comfort for the employee himself. One way or another, a memo of rules for communicating with elderly clients recommends more thoroughly forming a trusting contact with a person andexplain in detail the nuances of the proposal. It is desirable to minimize manifestations of insincere emotions. Although they may seem true from the outside, it is the elderly who often reveal them, which becomes a barrier to further interaction.

Nuances of email communication

E-mail as such greatly simplifies the tasks of a manager. Of course, much depends on the format and conditions in which the dialogue is being conducted, but the absence of the need to hold the client's attention and stir up his interest in this case is facilitated. However, the text itself should be made as informative, useful and at the same time not too dry as possible. For example, the rules for communicating with customers by e-mail indicate the need for a small summarizing part of the letter. That is, at the very end there should be a reminder of what step or decision is expected from the addressee.

What can and cannot be said?

Experienced managers almost at the level of reflexes exclude unwanted manifestations in manners, speech style and statements from the process of communication with clients. In particular, the rules and standards of communication between staff and customers strictly prohibit under any pretext to criticize their actions. On the contrary, employees need to demonstrate an extremely positive attitude, and problematic nuances and situations are resolved by a senior manager or supervisor.

Also in communication withthe client welcomes the lack of indifference. This can be expressed, for example, in the desire to anticipate his desire or plans. That is, the employee offers suitable services in advance, which have not yet been discussed, but they may well follow. In this context, the rules of communication with the manicure master's client can be expressed in the provision of an expanded range of services that will organically complement the existing list of the completed offer. So, along with a traditional manicure, a visitor may need a SPA session. Customers are more willing to agree to additional services when offers come from an employee.

How to end a dialogue correctly?

As noted, it is a good idea to end conversations with a brief reminder of what the client is expected to do. In this sense, the rules for communicating with clients in a hotel, for example, require the manager to remind the client of the location of the establishment, opening hours and visiting hours. But in any case, the potential client should have a favorable impression. This applies not so much to his interest, but to his emotional sediment, which should be positive.

Conclusion

In recent years, business ethicists have noted a trend towards simplification of business communication norms. The fact is that the strict rules of communication with clients make the process of conversation more difficult, and often make it stereotyped and repulsive. Therefore, more and more often they rely on more open, sincere and, again,emotional dialogues that allow you to reduce the distance between a company representative and a client. Another thing is that this style of behavior also requires considerable experience, and brings good results only in certain areas of service.