Chapter 5 - Listening to the Customer
information overload
refers to having too many messages coming together and causing confusion, frustration, or an inability to act
responding
refers to sending back verbal and nonverbal messages to a message originator
faulty assumptions
service provider projections made about underlying customer message meaning based on past experience
memory
the ability to gain, store, retain and recall information in the brain for later application
listening gap
the difference in the speed at which the brain can comprehend communication and the speed at which the average adult speaks in the US
lag time
the term applied to the difference in the rate of which the human brain can receive and process information and at which most adults can speak
hearing
a passive physiological process of gathering sound waves and transmiting them to the brain for analysis. It is the first phase of the listening process.
recognition
a process that occurs in thinking when a previously experienced pattern, event, process, image, or object that is stored in memory is encountered again.
listening
an active, learned process consisting of four phases; receiving, attending, comprehending, and responding
biases
beliefs or opinions that a person has about an individual or group that are often based on unreasonable distortions of prejudice
employee assistance programs (EPA's)
benefits package offered to employees by many organizations that provide services to help employees deal with personal problems that might adversely affect their work performance
external obstacles
factors outside an organization or the sphere of one's influence that can cause challenges in delivering service
personal obstacles
factors that can limit performance or success in life (disabilities, lack of education, biases)
congruence
in communication, this relates to ensuring that verbal messages sent match or are in agreement with the nonverbal cues used.
psychological distracters
mental factors that can cause a shift in focus in interacting with others (health, personal, etc.)
customer needs
motivators or drivers that cause customers to seek out specific types of products or services
closed-ended questions
questions that result in a "yes" or "no" answer
open-ended questions
questions with more possibilities than "yes" or "no"
objections
reasons given by customers for not wanting to purchase a product or service
attending
the phase of the listening process in which a listener focuses attention on a specific sound or message being received from the environment
comprehending or assigning meaning
the phase of the listening process in which the brain attempts to match a received sound or message with other information stored in the brain in order to recognize or extract meaning from it
circadian rhythm
the physiological 24-hour cycle associated with the earth's rotation that affects metabolic and sleep patterns in human as day displaces night
service recovery
the process of righting a wrong or correcting something tat has gone wrong involving provision of a product or service to a customer
thought speed
the rate at which the human brain processes information