{"id":32559,"date":"2022-05-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/answer-the-question-the-right-way\/"},"modified":"2024-01-22T16:36:34","modified_gmt":"2024-01-22T16:36:34","slug":"answer-customer-question-the-right-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-strategies\/answer-customer-question-the-right-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Answer the Question the Right Way\u202f"},"content":{"rendered":"\"NoSometimes a customer asks a question, and then either doesn\u2019t understand or like the answer. And sometimes, it\u2019s more than just a misunderstanding or a breakdown in communication. Maybe it\u2019s because the employee doesn\u2019t want to take the time to answer the question correctly<\/a>. Or sometimes employees are asked the same question so many times that they get sick and tired of customers asking. And, it shows in the way they respond and act.\u202f <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nOne of my favorite examples of this came from a Disney Institute class I attended several years ago. Our \u201cteacher\u201d told us that the No. 1 question guests asked the cast members \u2013 which is what employees are called at Disney \u2013 was, \u201cWhere is the bathroom?\u201d <\/span>\r\n\r\nThe second most frequently asked question was, \u201cWhat time does the 3 o\u2019clock parade start?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe bathroom one makes sense, but the parade question? Well, it turns out everyone knows what time the parade begins. But, what they really mean is what time does the parade pass by their current location. The cast members are trained to enthusiastically answer either question as if it were the first time they ever were asked. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

Why didn\u2019t he say that in the first place?<\/span><\/h3>\r\nWhat made me think of this was when Angelica, one of our team members at Shepard Presentations. She shared a customer service story about why she chose one coffee shop over another, though it was more expensive. It wasn\u2019t that the coffee was better. It was because the employees were better. Specifically, she chose not to go back to the less expensive shop because of the way an employee answered a question.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe menu said there were two types of cold brew, black and white. So, Angelica asked, \u201cWhat\u2019s the difference between the black and white cold brew?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe employee flippantly answered, \u201cThe color.\u201d Angelica then asked, \u201cDoes it taste different?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe employee, obviously bored with the conversation, rolled his eyes and responded, \u201cThe black has no cream, and the white has cream.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAngelica thought, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t he say that in the first place?\u201d Instead, he made her feel embarrassed for not knowing, and that\u2019s the last time she went to that coffee shop.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe lesson is simple and reminds me of what I share in our customer service workshops: \u201cNo question is a dumb question.\u201d Sometimes people don\u2019t know what we think they should know. It\u2019s okay.\u202fAnd no matter what question someone asks, we treat it as if it\u2019s one of the most important questions we have ever been asked. We want the answer to be the right answer, answered in the right way that imparts knowledge and understanding, and creates confidence in whoever asked the question.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nSo, the next time someone asks you a question you\u2019ve been asked \u201ca thousand times,\u201d answer it as if it\u2019s the first time you\u2019ve ever been asked.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n