Build Trust - Empathize
Have you ever had someone storm in your office all upset, fussing, fuming and needing to vent? Have you noticed how, just by you listening, they can normally work themselves down from their emotionally-charged state? Thinking about those times; what did you do? Did you need to offer them a lot? Or just sit and listen? People love being heard! They like it when they have someone’s undivided attention, and they love it when that person is feeling what they are feeling. It does not take long, but empathizing with our users’ struggles is not something native to IT professionals. We view them as a nuisance, a source of distress in our otherwise gleaming technology world. What would it be like if we took a second to walk in their shoes?
Once, on a site visit to a remote office, an administrator was complaining that the internet was really unresponsive on her systems. So I asked if I could take it for a test drive. She loved the idea. What I discovered was that she was using a seven year-old mouse, one that still had the plastic ball in the bottom, and the left button was sticking. So what she perceived to be the internet running slowly was actually her mouse malfunctioning! When we replaced her mouse, the internet sped back up. Without taking the time to listen to her concern, feel her pain and use her system, I would never have been able to resolve the issue. So slow down, listen and empathize with your customers. You will be surprised just how much information they will share with you!
|
|
|
