LL - Call Resolution - Problem solving
What's the Probing question?
Probing questions are questions that you ask to gain greater insight into what someone has just told you, helping you to uncover the reasons and emotions behind what they have said.
In the Support Center, we ask probing questions for each of the three reasons below:
- 1. There are gray areas in the information that the customer has given you.
- 2. You aren't sure of the customer’s intended outcome.
- 3. The customer does not sound convinced by the course of the conversation.
Just remember, there are 2 parts to asking probing questions,
- 1. find out the facts behind the situation and
- 2. determining the customer’s feelings, so we can provide the best solution to our customer.
Here are some examples of probing questions to help gather more information that will improve your customer service skills in problem-solving.
1. You mentioned XXX, could you tell me a little bit more about that, please? It is often the case that a customer will provide a really long response to your opening question, but we want to focus on the issue at hand. Active listening and this probing question will enable you to do that.
2. Has this happened before? Understanding whether or not this is a repeat problem will tell you whether the problem is a one-off incident or systemic. You can also gain insight into how to solve the issue by asking the customer how they’ve dealt with the issue previously
3. Try to Avoid Asking the “Why?” As you may have noticed, none of our recommended probing questions begin with the word “why”. This is because we don’t want to accuse customers of being to blame for the problem. That’s not good customer service.
If the customer did something wrong, they likely did it because we didn’t set clear expectations of how to use our product/solution. That will be their interpretation at least.
Yet it can be difficult to avoid the word “why”. If you find this the case, try reframing the question with an opening like “Just so I have the full details…”
By reframing the question in this way, we can take away the potential feeling that you are accusing the customer of being in the wrong.
Some Probing Questions:
Could you please tell me more about…/ I’m not quite sure I understood …Could you tell me more about XXX ?
I’m not certain what you mean by XXX/
Could you give me some examples?
Could you tell me more about your thinking on that?
You mentioned XXX, Could you tell me more about that?
This is what I thought I heard…Did I understand you correctly?
So what I hear you saying is…”
Can you give me an example of…What makes you feel that way?
What are some of your reasons for liking it?
You just told me about…. I’d also like to know about….
- Could you give me an example of what you mean by…?
- How long has this been an issue?
- Is there anything you can tell me about how it looks or sounds?
- What happened when you tried to…?
- What were you doing when this started?
Solving a problem
As Customer Happiness Agents we need to solve customer problems quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively by doing the following:
- Critical thinking in customer service
- Rules to help customer service people think critically
- Basic customer service problem-solving scenario
- Concrete steps to solve a customer problem
Keeping our customers happy can boost our customer loyalty, as well as the productivity and profitability of our company —goals everyone should have!
First: Define the Problem
Listen first. When a customer calls, the first thing he or she wants is to be listened to and understood. Make every effort not to interrupt until you know your customer has finished explaining the situation. The only time it’s acceptable to interrupt a caller is when you’re not the right person to handle the caller’s request.
Second: Isolate the Problem
Once your customer has explained the situation, use open and closed questions to confirm your understanding.
Use open questions at the beginning of the call when you want a full explanation.
Use closed questions when you’re clarifying what your customer has said.
While you want to meet every customer’s expectations quickly, this is not the stage to rush. Avoid misunderstandings by taking the time to question, clarify, and confirm your understanding
Third: Resolve the Problem
In the best situation, the problem is something for which you have an answer or solution. If you need to do additional research to help the caller, let the caller know what to expect. Will you call them back in an hour? In a day? Be sure to follow through, even if you don’t have the answer yet. The most important part of this stage is to keep customers informed.