Let me repeat that back, to check I fully understand your problem

Let me repeat that back, to check I fully understand your problem

Paul GreenUncategorized

Last Updated on June 15, 2023 4:39 pm

What are your technicians saying to callers with issues? And how does it make them feel? This phrase could improve happiness and retention

Warning: First World problems ahead.

I'm in week 57 of a six month refurb of my home 🙄 It's taking some time but we are SOOOOO close to being done.

Earlier today the new external doors were fitted. The rear doors are basically huge panes of glass, and have really opened up the light coming into the living area (plus enhanced the view into our garden and the lovely wild field next door).

But the front door is wrong. We have an external box for mail, and when I specified the door to the builder, I was very clear that I didn't want a letterbox in the door itself. Look:


WhatsApp message

And as you can see from the image at the top of this article, the door that was fitted has a letterbox. DOH.

I'm sure we can get it fixed easily enough. But in looking back at that WhatsApp message, I realised my fatal mistake... my builder never replied to acknowledge he understood what I meant.

This kind of basic communication is so important. I'm thinking of your technicians logging problems with clients on the phone.

Let me put it this way. Which of these waiters do you have the most confidence in?

  • The one who doesn't write down your order, but just nods and says "mm-hmm" and then heads off to the kitchen?
  • Or the one who writes down your order and reads it back to confirm it's correct?

They can both deliver the right order in theory. But you have more confidence in the second guy. And I bet that earns him higher tips, too.

Which of these helpdesk technicians do you have the most confidence in?

  • The one who says to the caller "yep, we'll have a look, leave it with me"?
  • Or the one who says "let me repeat that back to check I fully understand your problem. When you click the mouse the screen goes blank and it means you can't do any work. Is that right?"

Jump on your VoIP system right now. Pull a few calls at random. Have a listen. What are your technicians saying? And how does it make the callers feel?

Massive tech mistakes aside, people stay with an MSP or leave based on how they feel about them, more than any other factor.