Customer Service Communication - A Case Study

Situation:
Customer service clerks misunderstanding customers and failing to "live the brand promise" through the consistent use of clear, concise communication skills in the call center environment.

The Ad department of a regional daily newspaper took ads from many non-native speakers of English. Because the clerks could not understand the non-native speakers very well, the ads frequently contained errors, resulting in refunds to the customer.

Solution:
• Discern the accents most difficult for the clerks to understand.
• Provide a 3-hour workshop explaining the most common errors made by non-native speakers, practice in interpreting common accents and communicating more accurately with limited English speakers.

Results:
Reduction in errors made by customer service service personnel and clerks; implementation of a call center coaching program to ensure the skills transfer to long-term on the job performance.