Don't Assume Too Much!

Ricky was about to start his first day manning the phones for the large appliance retailer. He was a customer service representative, and he had read all the standard operating procedure manuals, passed all the tests on the technical workings of the computer systems, and knew his products - he was ready to go!

The first call came in. The customer said "I bought this DVD player, and I'm looking through the installation instructions."

"Oh," replied Ricky, "I can help you with the installation."

"No," said the customer. "I've already installed it. I just can't find the registration form."
The second call came in. The customer said "I'm assembling this TV stand that I got as a gift, and I noticed that the back panel has a crack in it."

"Oh," replied Ricky, "I'm so sorry to hear that, Sir. I can help you return that."

"Well I'm not sure I want to go through the hassle of disassembling this and shipping this back. Can you just tell me if there's any structural support that the back panel provides or is it just there for cosmetics?"

The third call came in. The customer said "I'm looking at the invoice for this plasma TV I just bought, and I'm not sure it's correct."

"Oh," replied Ricky, "For invoices, I need to transfer you to billing - hold, please."

"Wait!" replied the customer, "I'm just wondering if the model number on the invoice is for the same product number as on the box. Can you tell me what model number cross-references to what product number?"

Ricky had a rough start to his day. Although he knew his procedures, his computer, and his product, he didn't know how to ask his customers the right questions. He assumed too much. He heard the word "installation" and made the wrong assumption. He heard the word "crack"
and made the wrong assumption. He heard the word "invoice" and made the wrong assumption.
When serving your customers, don't hear that one key word and make an assumption. Ask the next question to confirm your understanding or to better understand your customer's true needs.

Then meet their needs right the first time.