Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Customers
Our world is getting smaller by the day.
It’s hard to find anywhere without people from different countries or cultures living together. As call center agents, we increasingly talk to callers who have English as their second (or even third) language. That means it is our job to ensure we strive to provide the best customer service possible, regardless of our caller’s preferred language or methods of communicating.
I’ve been doing a lot of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training lately, and I found that most of it focuses on workplace relationships. Still, I believe that applying it with our customers in mind is essential for good customer service. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is, at least in part, about looking inward to find where our own unconscious biases are. DEI can be applied to shape how we treat customers as well as how we treat co-workers.
Changing The Way We Communicate
One of the things I learned is to “lean in” rather than pull away when I’m frustrated with a caller. I know I’m not always good at this, and I still make mistakes, but I am learning. Leaning in sometimes literally involves physically leaning in, but it is also metaphorical. It involves feeling frustration and not letting that control my interaction with the customer. I also figured out that if I learn just one small thing about a different culture, it can change my (admittedly sometimes negative) perspective. It really helps to find common ground.
“I was speaking to a lot of callers that were giving their middle or surnames as “Kaur” (female) and “Singh” (male) – or sometimes adding it to their first name. I honestly was getting annoyed at how long this addition made their first name, so I did a Google search and found that the name is a spiritual Sikh name meaning Lioness/Lion or Princess/Prince to help reduce caste-based prejudice (which I thought was pretty cool). “
Developing an Ear for Listening
I did sometimes get stuck in the trap of blaming the caller for their accent. But, after some reading, I learned that this is not their fault, and the caller would change this if they could. Most callers who have English as a second language have spent a lot of time and energy learning the language… and I do my best to remember this for each caller.
One of the most important things I learned is that you can train yourself to listen to different accents. Because I talk to people all day at work, I thought this was really important. Getting an ear for accents can be learned with practice. Studies have shown that listening to one type of accent and getting an “ear” for it can facilitate learning to understand a second one more easily.
It is The Journey, Not The Destination
What I’m most grateful for on this learning journey is that I know I’m in control of how I respond to my callers. I am not perfect, and I’m a work in progress. Part of the journey is making mistakes. There isn’t really a destination either, as there is always more that can be learned. So, with that, I strive to provide good (actually great) customer service along the way.
Let’s Connect
Want to learn more about how Intercon Messaging can support your diverse communication needs while providing quality and compassionate customer service? Contact our team; we have solutions to assist your organization!
Written and submitted by Stacy Ruttan, Customer Service Representative
About The Author
Stacy has delivered quality customer service and support to our callers for more than seven years. Her compassionate insights into communication and ways to move forward from barriers make her a valued member of our team.
