Say "Yes And" to Provide Great Customer Service

Many people have difficulty responding to objections to their ideas, opinions, and proposals.  They themselves may avoid rushing to judgment (and using an Idea Chiller) when others put forth an idea, but then they’re surprised when others don’t use the same restraint. Unfortunately, they then often descend to the other person’s level and start “playing defense” or even counterattacking. It’s as if they forget everything they learned about the core skill of Openness – listening, asking questions, clarifying, showing curiosity, working to resolution.

Customer-service providers often find themselves on the receiving end of objections. For example, a customer might call a customer service line with a complaint: “I want to place an order on your website but I can’t find the link. Why don’t you people make it easier for customers to access it?”

A quick (silent) thought might flash in the service provider’s mind: “Why don’t you slow down and try to find it before leaping onto the phone?” Based on this instant assessment of the cause of the issue, the provider might then go on the offense and say, “Sir, we’ve thoroughly tested the interface with users, and they’ve told us they have no problems with it. You just need to look more closely at the screen.” 

As I mentioned in my article on Openness, the provider’s immediate dash up the Ladder of Inference will probably lead to a dissatisfied customer. A better way to respond (and to put Openness into practice) is to take a Yes And approach.

As I’ve described it previously, saying Yes And doesn’t necessarily mean Agreeing with the Position that the other person is taking. Instead, it means:

·         Accepting the Person;

·         Acknowledging the Possibilities in what he’s saying; and

·         Advancing with Positive Purpose.

In the above example, the provider could apply the Yes And model as follows:

ACCEPT THE PERSON: As she answers, the provider should first of all be polite with the customer, to validate the fact that the customer has a problem and that the provider can offer help. As the customer describes the issue, the provider should maintain a positive mindset toward the customer, framing him in her mind as a person who’s genuinely trying to overcome an obstacle. In doing this, the provider should do her best to put herself in the customer’s shoes and see the problem through his eyes.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE POSSIBILITIES: To avoid rushing up the Ladder of Inference, the provider should try to discover the source of the customer’s problem through strategic questioning. “Strategic questioning” involves a mix of open-ended questions and closed-ended questions. Open-ended questions (e.g., “What are you seeing on your screen?”) work best for discovering what the customer is experiencing – so that the provider truly can “see through his eyes.” Closed-ended questions – those that can be answered with a “yes,” “no,” or other one-word answer – are best for establishing threshold facts (“Are you logged on?”) and confirming results (“Did that work?”).  

ADVANCE WITH POSITIVE PURPOSE: By asking questions, the provider opens herself to

several different possible explanations for the customer’s problem.  It could be that the customer is on the wrong tab, or that he needs to scroll horizontally to find the link. Or it could be that the website itself is experiencing a problem. By broadening the possibilities, the provider also broadens the range of solutions that might address the issue.  The provider can also then offer multiple options to the customer in order to involve him in a joint search for solutions. As we saw with the Tradeoff Triangle, providing the customer with choices is the essence of advancing with positive purpose – for purposes of not only solving the immediate issue but also sustaining a relationship with the customer in the future.

The Yes And approach can work effectively in a wide range of contexts – customer service, sales, team meetings, conflict, and any other situation in which objections can occur. It’s another great example of the application of the core skill of Openness.