Introduction
In the first video, Welfare Intake Interviews – Elena Initial Intake, the manager uses several effective tools to achieve the goal of the dialogue. In particular, the main skill is patience and friendliness. Throughout the communication, the manager shows an exceptionally positive attitude, without crossing the interlocutor’s boundaries and without switching to a tougher tone (ORGovDHS, 2015). These skills need to be considered in more detail:
Positive attitude
A positive attitude, or in other words, enthusiasm, is a flexible skill that customer support professionals need. Positive account managers always appear calm, confident, and helpful, as reflected in their communication and body/gesture language (Summers, 2016). As a result, clients are much more comfortable interacting with calm and collected professionals. At the same time, excessive fun or unjustified optimism can be harmful (Summers, 2016). To effectively resolve problems, a specialist must be able to empathize and adjust the energy and manner of speech to a particular client. For example, if a client is upset by a large number of problems that have fallen on her, the manager should not radiate excessive joy when communicating with her (ORGovDHS, 2015). It is necessary to express a positive attitude toward solving problems, confidence that they will be solved, and a willingness to help (Summers, 2016). It is this demeanor that will convince the client that the manager is ready to do everything possible to help him.
Leading questions
A similar approach in the video is observed due to the large number of open questions. The interviewer is aware that the interlocutor has enough problems, so he asks questions that are built in a soft form and hints at the possibility of changing everything (Summers, 2016). In particular, the most prominent example is 2:10 in the video where the client talks about what she would like to change (ORGovDHS, 2015). It is noticeable that initially, the woman was not ready to continue the dialogue, she answered in monosyllables and was sad. Nevertheless, after a positive and convincing speech by the manager, she began to search for ways out of the current situation herself thanks to leading questions.
Patience
There are clients with whom it is difficult to communicate effectively for various reasons. As a result, maintenance can be tedious and some client requests can take a long time to resolve. Being patient is one of the most important qualities that any customer service professional should possess (Summers, 2016). It is noticeable that the interviewer at Welfare Intake Interviews is quite patient, not paying attention to the client’s reluctance to engage in dialogue. Her face and speech do not show any displeasure or nervousness. It is important to note that this method had a positive effect on the interlocutor. From 0:54 seconds, it becomes clear to the woman that she cannot remain silent, because they want to help her (ORGovDHS, 2015). Therefore, she begins to engage in dialogue more and more actively, and a smile appears on her face when answering a series of questions.
Next, it is important to analyze the second video, namely Practice Demonstration – Groups for Clients with Co-Occurring. This source examines the interaction between the manager and clients (Dartmouth, 2009). However, it should be emphasized that in this case, the specialist uses completely different skills from the previous ones. It is necessary to consider these in more detail:
Active listening
Active listening is an essential flexible skill that any customer service professional should possess. The account manager should always try to listen carefully to the client to understand the essence of his problem (Summers, 2016). Thanks to the ability to listen and hear, a professional will be able to solve the client’s problem and prevent unnecessary conflict situations (Summers, 2016). The most striking illustration of the manifestation of this skill in this video is 6:05, in which the woman is so disposed to dialogue that she speaks for a long time without stopping (Dartmouth, 2009). This is vital because, in the process of attentive listening, it becomes clear what exactly the heroine is worried about and what goals she sets for herself (Dartmouth, 2009). In other words, this information is the client’s calling card, which can be used to determine everything that is needed for a product-based solution to the woman’s problems.
Empathy
Empathy is a key flexible skill required to provide first-class customer support. The ability to determine the state of the client is essential. This skill is most clearly seen in the video, in particular, at 9:26 (Dartmouth, 2009). In this case, it is noticeable that the interviewer is not just located, but completely separates the client’s feelings and problems, expressing moral support and sympathy (Dartmouth, 2009). At the same time, this is done with the help of intonation and facial expressions, and not direct replicas.
Feelings and Recommendations
First of all, I would like to note that the second video was harder to watch than the first. In the case of Welfare Intake Interviews – Elena Initial Intake, I experienced a kind of surprise and delight at how effectively the manager managed to unleash the potential of the client, as well as arrange her for a dialogue (ORGovDHS, 2015). The fact is that at the beginning of communication, the woman seemed to refuse interaction, it began to seem to me that effective interaction would not work. The second video is heavier primarily because of the emotional aspect (Dartmouth, 2009). However, I felt that a manager should keep his emotions to himself while doing professional work (Dartmouth, 2009). In addition, I was impressed with the use of active listening, which resulted in the manager being fully aware of the client’s condition and concerns.
However, the first video can be improved by introducing one more communication skill. The fact, that the woman periodically did not reveal all the details of her situation. In particular, this is noticeable in the period from 0:30 to 0:54 (ORGovDHS, 2015). To avoid this, the manager could implement a strategy such as deepening into the situation (Summers, 2016). In other words, “Tell me more” or “What do you mean” would allow the specialist to learn more about what the client is experiencing, as well as interpret her request as accurately as possible.
Conclusion
Finally, in the second video, one of the recommendations is to integrate a positive mindset. It was noticeable that the interviewer used facial expressions and intonation in such a way as to confirm the sadness and complexity of the situation that arose and the client’s (Summers, 2016). This placed the clients at ease, as they felt the understanding and participation of the specialist. However, instilling a positive attitude could prevent some of the emotions from showing up, which would make the dialogue more constructive (Dartmouth, 2009). For example, at 6:27, it is noticed that the woman is practically crying because it is difficult for her to talk about the topic (Dartmouth, 2009). Perhaps showing healthy positivity and confidence in resolving the situation would help the client avoid additional stress.
References
Dartmouth. (2009). Practice demonstration – Groups of clients with co-occurring [Video]. YouTube.
ORGovDHS. (2015).Welfare intake interviews – Elena initial intake[Video]. YouTube.
Summers, N. (2016). Fundamentals of case management practice: Skills for the human services. Cengage Learning.