Giving Advice on Developing Customer Relationships

Joshua: So what do you think is the best way to develop a good rapport with a new customer?

Kevin: Well, I think it’s really important to try to preempt the issues that always seem to come about.

Kevin: Uh, customers don’t like to have to see issues and actually report them to you. They like when you are looking out for them, taking care of them.

Kevin: So it’s important to try to be proactive and solve issues before they become worse.

Joshua: Ok, so how do you handle complaints when they end up coming?

Kevin: Well, it’s important to handle problems one at a time. Uh, a lot of times customers will come at you with several issues.

Kevin: Um, and it’s important to just focus on one and tackle it with all the, kind of, focus that you have. That way, whether it’s a small problem or a big problem, you can solve it and then move on to the next one.

Joshua: Great, thank you.

Vocabulary:

develop a good rapport – to build a friendly, positive relationship and good understanding with someone, “A salesperson must develop a good rapport with customers so they feel comfortable buying things.”

preempt – to take action in order to stop something bad from happening or to deal with a problem before it starts, “To preempt any arguments, the teacher set clear classroom rules on the very first day.”

come about – to happen, take place, or occur, “Can you tell me how this misunderstanding managed to come about?”

looking out for – watching over or taking care of someone to make sure they are safe, happy, or successful, “My older brother is always looking out for me when we walk home from school.”

proactive – taking control and making things happen early rather than waiting for things to happen and then reacting, “Being proactive means studying for a test a week early instead of waiting until the night before.”

handle complaints – to deal with or resolve statements from people who are unhappy or dissatisfied with a service or product, “Customer service workers are trained to politely handle complaints from angry callers.”

end up – to finally arrive in a particular place, situation, or condition, often unexpectedly, “If you do not use a map, you might end up getting lost in the big city.”

one at a time – separately or individually, rather than all together at once, “Please answer the questions one at a time so I can write down your answers.”

come at you – to approach someone with force, or to overwhelm someone with a lot of questions, demands, or problems at once, “On a busy Monday, clients will come at you with many different requests.”

tackle – to make a big effort to deal with or solve a difficult problem or task, “I need to tackle my messy bedroom and clean it up this weekend.”

move on to – to stop doing one thing and start doing something else new, “After finishing your math homework, you can move on to reading your history chapter.”