Back to Basics

Build a great rapport with customers

Face-to-Face Interaction

When it comes to building a great rapport with our customers, nothing beats the good old fashioned face to face interaction!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against digital interactions, or, A.I. for that matter. Needless to say that in this highly competitive world where brands are constantly & continually upgrading themselves in finding ways to connect with their customers; technology is coming in quite handy. There are various tools & gadgets being developed that use a variety of algorithms to assist these brands in finding better ways to connect and build rapport with them.

However, there are many industries which still depend heavily on face to face interactions on a daily basis, and one of them is the hotel industry. Even though many prominent hotel brands are now exploring new ways to utilize digital avenues to improve efficiency of their processes, yet, when it comes to face to face interactions, the rules have still not changed for gaining trust by building rapport with the customers.

So here are the five ‘Back2Basics’ ways guaranteed to build and establish a great rapport between you and your customer –

Smile

Nothing can beat the simplicity and charm of a warm, welcoming smile which comes from the heart. A great smile in the beginning of an interaction with the customer serves as an ice breaker and immediately puts the customer at ease. A genuine smile is the one which reaches your eyes and when that happens ,an invisible bridge gets established between you and them which flags off the beginning of building a great rapport with them

Eye Contact

A strong eye contact is considered as a mark of trust and respect in many cultures around the world. Customers are usually skeptical of associates who do not maintain eye contact and this can lead to a breakdown in communication. Inability to maintain eye contact translates to dishonesty, not being sure about oneself and disinterest in solving customer’s problems. A strong eye contact on the other hand makes the customer feel ‘heard’ and therefore chances of building a strong rapport with them increases.

Listening with Intent

There is ‘listening’ and then there is ‘listening with intent’. When we listen with intent to solve the problem of our customers, it shows in our body language and the words that we speak to verbalize it. If a customer approaches us with a problem or a situation, their expectation is that we would do something about it. And when we do, then we take a step forward in building a great rapport with them.

Paraphrase

 Sometimes we hesitate to ask questions to our customers out of fear because we think that they would think less of us and might even become impatient and start complaining.

But lets take a step back here for a moment and think – what if we don’t ask those questions and deliver something which is a total opposite of what they wanted ? Would that not make matters worse? Its ok to ask questions or even better – Paraphrase, meaning, repeat what your customer has asked you to do in your own words so that you can confirm back to them that you have understood the message.

Paraphrasing , is a great way to build rapport with customers because it not only lets them know that we were listening but also gives us an opportunity to engage with them better by having a meaningful dialogue.

A Great Last Impression

Building rapport is not only about making a great first impression but is also about the way we create the last one. Always wrap up the interaction with your customer on a positive note. Even if you were not able to assist them right away, an assuring tone that you would get it done within a specific timeline, makes them feel emotionally connected with you and that helps in building up the rapport further (But make sure that if you commit something then you deliver it as per the timeline promised, otherwise, all the previous four ways would not matter. Rapport and trust go hand in hand.)

Human Connect

In face to face interactions, customers get an opportunity to express their problems using the whole spectrum of human emotions, and,  therefore their expectations for a better outcome of their problems are higher. Today, when options have increased and not only new brands are entering the market each day but also the existing brands are setting up higher service standards , the human connect continues to remain a key differentiator which can make or break a Brand’s reputation.

Let’s make sure that our teams are reminded on a regular basis about the above mentioned five “Back2Basics”ways of building a great rapport with our customers that would always ensure that we get to create a win-win for our customer by forging professional relationships with them that are based on value and trust.

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