Do you know the power of a name? Let me ask that in another way: how does it feel when someone gets your name wrong?
Our users don’t want to feel like they are seen as an account or a number, they want the interactions they have with us to be personal and to be treated as individuals beyond the company they are calling from. Our clients want to be remembered. If you were waiting for a call from someone and you give them a sense that you are excited to hear back from them, all the while addressing them by name, it adds a personal piece to a routine transaction. Our clients and users want an elevated experience, not merely “good service”.
Taking note of and remembering not just someone’s name but the correct spelling or pronunciation of a name is important. So, how do we do it tactfully? Well, we want to elevate the customer’s experience, so that we make sure to stand out from the competition.
Documentation – we can take extra steps to make sure that we have the right information. For example, with each new user ticket, we should be mentioning the spelling of the new user’s name when we follow up to make sure that it wasn’t misspelled by the approver, OR by us.
How to ask for spelling – Of course, they can spell their name. So why do we find the only way to ask someone is “can you spell your name?” Instead, try something like “I want to make sure I am capturing your name correctly, please spell it for me”.
It is so important to make sure that we are prioritizing the preferences of our clients, just like we would a new friend. Even if they can’t seem to get our names right. A simple “do you prefer Alex or Alexander?” can go a long way to show that we care about the person on the other side of the call/conversation.
One of the great things about our current ticketing system is that you can use shortcuts to address an email to a user properly. Of course, this means that you have to make sure the ticket is assigned to the person you are emailing. There really is no excuse for addressing an email “valued customer” or “client”, etc. Keep the tips from today in mind when you speak with and email clients, these gestures are meaningful and will go a long way!
