How to give great customer service: The L.A.S.T. method
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, Emma introduces the LAST approach to effective customer service. She explains that listening, apologizing, solving the issue, and thanking the customer are the key steps to handle customer problems. Emma emphasizes the importance of showing empathy, not taking blame, and seeking help from a manager if needed. The video aims to equip viewers with the skills to make customers feel valued and satisfied.
Takeaways
- π Customer service is about making customers comfortable, happy, and meeting their needs and expectations.
- π’ Customer service is a broad category applicable in various jobs such as in hotels, restaurants, retail, and healthcare.
- π€ Common customer problems can range from overcharging to long wait times or service issues like Wi-Fi not working.
- π The LAST approach stands for Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank, which is a structured way to handle customer issues.
- ποΈβπ¨οΈ Listening to the customer involves actively showing that you are paying attention and understanding their problem.
- πββοΈ Apologizing does not mean admitting fault; it's about expressing regret for the customer's negative experience.
- π οΈ Solving the problem requires taking action to resolve the issue or escalating to a manager if necessary.
- π Thanking the customer is crucial for ending the interaction on a positive note and encouraging repeat business.
- π‘ When dealing with angry customers, remain calm and polite, and if needed, involve a manager to help de-escalate the situation.
- π‘ If unsure how to solve a problem, be honest and seek guidance from a supervisor or manager to ensure customer satisfaction.
Q & A
What is the main topic of Emma's video?
-The main topic of Emma's video is teaching the LAST approach in customer service, which stands for Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank.
What does Emma define as customer service?
-Emma defines customer service as the process of making customers comfortable and happy, meeting their needs and expectations, and solving any problems or situations they might have.
Why is the LAST approach important in customer service?
-The LAST approach is important because it provides a structured way to handle customer problems effectively, ensuring that customers feel heard, acknowledged, and valued.
What should you do first when a customer has a problem according to the LAST approach?
-According to the LAST approach, the first step when a customer has a problem is to listen to their issue attentively.
How should you show that you are listening to a customer's problem?
-You should show that you are listening by maintaining eye contact, not looking away or displaying impatience, and by repeating back or summarizing what the customer has said to confirm understanding.
What is Emma's advice for dealing with an angry customer who uses bad language?
-Emma advises to remain calm, not take anything personally, and to politely ask the customer to calm down and use nicer language so that you can help them.
How should you apologize to a customer in the LAST approach?
-In the LAST approach, you should apologize by saying 'I'm sorry you've had a bad experience' without taking blame or admitting fault.
What should you do if you can't solve the customer's problem immediately?
-If you can't solve the problem immediately, you should be honest and tell the customer you're not sure how to resolve the situation, and then involve your manager or supervisor for assistance.
Why is it important to thank the customer after resolving their issue?
-Thanking the customer is important to end the interaction on a positive note, to show appreciation for their patience and feedback, and to encourage them to return.
What is the purpose of the quiz mentioned at the end of the video?
-The purpose of the quiz is to allow viewers to practice their English and reinforce the concepts of the LAST approach in customer service.
How can the LAST approach help in various customer service roles?
-The LAST approach can help in various customer service roles by providing a universal method to handle customer complaints and issues, ensuring consistent and effective service across different industries.
Outlines
π Introduction to Customer Service and the LAST Approach
Emma introduces the concept of customer service, emphasizing its importance across various industries where customer satisfaction is key. She outlines the different roles that involve customer service, such as hotel clerks, restaurant servers, and store managers. Emma then introduces the LAST approach as a method for handling customer issues effectively. The approach involves four steps: Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank. She explains the importance of actively listening to customers' problems without interrupting or showing impatience, and the significance of acknowledging their concerns to build rapport and trust.
π Handling Difficult Customers and the LAST Approach
In this section, Emma discusses how to handle angry or rude customers by maintaining a calm and professional demeanor, suggesting a 'computer-like' response to avoid taking things personally. She advises using polite language to defuse tense situations and to reassure the customer of the intent to help. Emma then continues with the LAST approach, explaining the importance of apologizing even when not at fault, by expressing regret for the customer's negative experience without assigning blame. She provides examples of how to apologize effectively. Emma also covers the steps to solve the customer's problem, either by offering immediate solutions if possible or by involving a manager if the situation is beyond one's capability. Lastly, she stresses the importance of thanking the customer for bringing the issue to attention, to end the interaction on a positive note and potentially encourage repeat business.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Customer Service
π‘LAST Approach
π‘Listen
π‘Apologize
π‘Solve
π‘Thank
π‘Problems
π‘Expressions
π‘Angry Customers
π‘Manager
π‘Engvid.com
Highlights
Introduction to the LAST approach in customer service
Definition of customer service and its importance
Examples of customer service roles in various industries
Common customer problems and how to address them
The importance of listening to customer complaints
Techniques for showing empathy and understanding
How to handle angry customers without getting upset
The strategy of pretending to be a computer to remain calm
The correct way to apologize without taking blame
Approaches to solving customer problems effectively
When to involve a manager or supervisor in problem-solving
The significance of thanking customers after resolving issues
The LAST approach summarized: Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank
Practical application of the LAST approach in real-life scenarios
Encouragement to practice the LAST approach through an online quiz
Closing remarks and invitation to visit www.engvid.com for further resources
Transcripts
Hello. My name is Emma, and in today's video I am going to teach you a very, very important
thing for customer service. I used to work in customer service, and this is actually
one of the most important things I learned, and this is called the L-A-S-T or LAST approach.
So, to get started, let's talk a little bit about: What is customer service?
So, customer service is when you have customers, of course, and you're trying to make your customers as
comfortable and happy as possible. You're also trying to meet their needs and expectations,
and solve any problems or situations that they might have. So, customer service is a
huge category. There's many, many different jobs where you use customer service. If you
work in a hotel, for example, as a clerk, you know, in the lobby, as a bellhop, you
will be using customer service. If you work at a restaurant as a server, you'll be using
customer service, or as a hostess. If you're the manager of a store, you'll be using customer
service. If you work in a business or even in a hospital, you'll be using customer service.
So, pretty much any time you're dealing with people from the public and they're customers
and you're trying to help them, you're doing customer service.
So, there are many different problems that a customer might have. What are some examples
of some problems? Can you think of anything, a problem a customer might have? Maybe somebody
charged them too much for something, maybe they're in a store and the lineups are too
long, maybe a customer is at a hotel and they're very unhappy because the Wi-Fi isn't working
or their bed's uncomfortable. So, there's so many different problems customers might
have at different types of businesses.
In this video what I'm going to teach you is: What do you do when a customer has a problem?
Okay? So, a very easy thing to do when a customer has a problem is called the LAST approach.
"LAST", what does it stand for? Well, if a customer has a problem, the first thing you
should do is listen to their problem, the next thing you should do is apologize,
solve their problem, and thank them. So: Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank. We're going to
look at expressions we use to show we're listening, expressions to apologize, expressions that
can help us solve problems, and expressions to thank customers.
Okay, so the first step when a customer has a problem is to listen. So, the first thing
you should do is find out what the problem is. You can ask them:
"What seems to be the problem?" or "How can I help you?" Okay? Once they start explaining what the problem is,
very important that you look like you're actually listening and that you do listen. Okay? So,
you shouldn't look at your watch: "Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm." Okay? That's a bad idea. You shouldn't
look at the sky: "Uh, when is this person going to stop talking?" Okay? You shouldn't
roll your eyes. Okay? No, no, no. You need to show that you actually care about what
the customer is saying.
So, showing you're listening is very important. You can repeat back to the customer what they're
saying to show that you understand and to make sure that you did understand. So:
"So what you're saying is, you know, there's no hot water in this hotel.",
"So what you're saying is the Wi-Fi's not working and you're not happy with that." Okay? These are some
examples. "So what you're saying is _________." You can also say: "Let me get this right..."
"Let me get this right, what you're saying is that, you know, there's a problem at your
table.", "What you're saying is that you've been waiting for your food for a really long
time." So it's important to show that you are listening and you acknowledge what they
have said.
Okay. Now, sometimes with customer service you get a customer who's very angry, and maybe
they start swearing, they start using very bad language. Okay? So if this happens, very
important that you don't get upset. Okay? When this happened to me in the past, I would
actually pretend to be a computer. I would not take anything personally. I would just
smile and pretend to be a computer, and that's how I got through angry customers. So, if
the person is rude... You know, it's not right if somebody is saying something rude to you,
if they're swearing at you, or they're making you feel uncomfortable. So, be polite. Okay?
Smile or be friendly, and say:
"I really want to help you, but your language is getting in the way.
I understand you're frustrated. Please calm down so I can help you." Okay?
And really emphasize the fact that you're there to help them. Sometimes this doesn't
work, sometimes the person might keep yelling, keep swearing, and in that case you're going
to have to get your manager. But a good thing to do before that happens is try to be nice
to the customer and just remind them to use... To calm down and to use nice language so you
can help them. Okay? So now let's look at the next steps of LAST.
Okay, so after you have listened to the customer's problem, the next thing you do is apologize.
It does not matter if you didn't do anything wrong. Even if the customer is just totally
crazy and there is no problem, you should still apologize. Now, there's a special way
to apologize. You do not say it's your fault. Okay? What you say is:
"I'm sorry you've had a bad experience."
This does not put blame on anybody. You're not saying:
"We made a mistake", no. You're just saying:
"I'm sorry you had a bad experience."
Okay? So, this is a very important thing to do.
Don't take the blame. Just say: "I'm sorry you've had a bad experience."
After that, solve. Solve the problem. Fix the problem, make things right. So, how do
you do that? Well, if you know what to do... If you can solve the problem and you know
it's an easy problem to solve, you can tell them what you're going to do.
"Here's what we're going to do to help you." Okay? If it's a Wi-Fi problem, for example:
"Here's what we're going to do to help you. I'm going to send IT over to your hotel room to help fix
the Wi-Fi. Here's what we're going to do to help you." Okay? Now, sometimes there are
some problems where the customer asks you, they tell you the problem, you don't know
what to do. Okay? You have no idea how to fix their problem. A good thing to do is to
get your manager in that case or your supervisor. So, you can be honest. Okay? If you don't
know what to do, you can tell them: "I'm not sure how to resolve this situation.",
"I'm not sure how to resolve this situation. Let me check with my manager.",
"Let me check with my supervisor." Okay? So it's good if you don't know what to do, get somebody who does.
Finally-very, very important-you've now listened, apologized, solved, the final thing you need
to do is thank the customer. Okay?
"Thank you for letting us know about this situation.
We appreciate it. Thank you for helping..." Or: "Thank you for bringing this to our attention."
Okay? So, very important to thank the customer and end on a positive, friendly, note because
you want the customer to come back.
So, what are the four steps, again, to good customer service when a customer has a problem?
First you listen, next you apologize, then you solve, and last you thank the person.
Okay? LAST or: Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank will help you for most customer service
problems. It's a very good way to organize yourself and to help customers, and make them
feel comfortable and happy.
So, I hope you come visit us at www.engvid.com. There, you will find a quiz all about
Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank. You can practice your English using this quiz.
Until next time, take care.
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