| |
work in response to customer’s expressed needs; but at
times you should take the initiative.
The PO3 mentioned in the above section had heard
about the new entitlement for shipping household
goods, but had he heard about the other portions of the
instruction: dependents’ travel pay and dislocation
allowance.
Each command makes a constant effort to make sure
that everyone “gets the word” through the use of bulletin
boards, notes in the plan of the day, and announcements
at quarters. You can improve this effort by volunteering
information that the customer can use but may not know
to ask for.
Customers may get information from many sources,
but that information may not be correct. During your
conversations with these customers, you can usually tell
from their questions or comments that they have
received incorrect information. When that happens, be
sure to tell them the correct information.
GIVING SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS
Let’s look at a story of a junior officer who was
assigned to draft a letter for the captain’s signature. After
much work, the junior officer had a draft ready to go
topside for approval. The next day, the officer was
astounded when the captain returned the draft with the
word “KISS” printed in bold, red letters across the first
page. Did that mean the captain liked it? The officer
pondered the meaning of the word for awhile and then
began to ask others in the office if they knew what it
meant. An old-timer finally explained, “That is the ‘old
man’s’ way of telling you to do it over. It means, Keep
it simple, stupid!”
That expression may be rather crude, but it is good
advice. Anytime you explain something to someone,
your explanation must be understandable. You should
not place the customer in the embarrassing position of
having to ask for an explanation of unfamiliar terms. If
you use a term in a way that implies the customer should
know what it means, there will be an even greater
reluctance to ask for clarification.
Watch for signs that indicate the customer does not
understand your instruction or explanation. When you
see those signs, back up and rephrase your explantion
or instruction.
USING TELEPHONE COURTESY
Few inventions can equal the telephone for efficient
labor-saving and time-saving convenience. However,
because we use it carelessly, we don’t always obtain
maximum benefit.
Good telephone communications require more
thought than face-to-face communications. You don’t
think so? Consider a sportsman who is bragging about
the success of his recent fishing trip. Upon meeting a
friend, he explains by spreading his arms and saying, “I
caught one this big!” When talking face to face, our
gestures and facial expressions help to convey the
intended message of our words. However, if the
sportsman makes the same statement while talking on
the telephone, his words have little meaning.
When customers come to your contact point during
a time when you are busy helping others, they can see
the reason for your delay in serving them. However,
when they call on the phone, they cannot see the reason
for your delay in answering. If the phone rings several
times before you answer it or if you answer and
immediately say, “Hold on,” they may think you are
telling sea stories instead of tending to business.
Suppose you have almost completed a financial
report; you have only a few more figures to add, and
then you will know if it’s going to balance. The phone
rings and you ignore it. It rings a second and third time,
and you begin to mutter obscenities about the
aggravation.
In this scenario, the phone rang at an inconvenient
time; but the caller had no way of knowing that. You
might as well have answered it on the first ring since it
interrupted your concentration anyway. Besides,
answering immediately after the first ring saves time for
both you and the caller. To swear at the phone for ringing
3-18
|
