What Are You Saying??

Recently I watched a YouTube video in which a customer became frustrated because she could not find what she wanted. She asked the store agent for assistance, but she was unable to clearly articulate what she was looking for. The store agent tried his best to find the item in the system based on the description the customer gave. The delay caused by his search frustrated the customer even more. The company took the high road and apologized for the interaction. However, the issue really was the customer’s inability to articulate what she wanted.
This is not an uncommon occurrence. In the telecommunications industry we are charged with the responsibility to take the information the customer provides and understand it enough to provide solutions. This is not always easy with interdepartmental communication gaps. Since communication is a 2-way process, it is time to figure out how we can alleviate our own frustration by communicating better.
As a customer, do your research before going to a store or calling a company. Especially if you are a customer who becomes easily frustrated. As a representative of a company, be patient. In addition, it does not hurt to make yourself the expert on customer terms and company knowledge.
The end goal of any communication is to send and receive the intended message. Knowledge is the linking factor in any scenario. We must do the extra work to become knowledgeable in every scenario in our lives. Knowledge is power!