![\"Customer](\"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/cssec-1.jpg\")
\nJ<\/strong>eff Mowatt highlights some oversharing blunders that annoy customers and limit the careers of customer service advisors.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI wish some of my team members would think <\/em>more before they speak.\u201d This was the comment made by a senior HR manager of a construction company where I was brought in to conduct some customer service training.<\/p>\n She continued, \u201cThey inadvertently share more than our customers need to hear.\u201d In today\u2019s world of social media where people post their opinions and details of their lives for the entire world to scrutinize, we\u2019re finding oversharing<\/em>\u00a0is a growing problem. Not only does it jeopardize customer loyalty; it also limits career advancement. See if you or your team members ever commit any of these top six oversharing blunders.<\/p>\n 1. Referring to\u00a0other<\/em>\u00a0customers<\/strong><\/p>\n Customers like to feel that they are your\u00a0only<\/em>\u00a0customer, especially if they do a lot of business with you. That\u2019s why when you\u2019re busy working on projects or orders for\u00a0other<\/em>\u00a0customers, it\u2019s important to keep that fact to yourself. Explain to the customer the steps you\u2019re taking to keep things on schedule for him or her. Don\u2019t mention other customers or projects that also require your attention.<\/p>\n 2. Internal Affairs<\/strong><\/p>\n Over the course of working with a client on a project, there may be internal issues \u2013 staffing shortages, unanticipated obstacles, equipment failures \u2013 that arise that affect their project. In general the customer doesn\u2019t need nor want to hear about these problems unless they\u2019ll effect the overall outcome. Even then, more important than hearing about obstacles, what the client really wants to know is your plan get the project back on track.<\/p>\n 3. How the customer\u2019s needs compare to yours<\/strong><\/p>\n When customers share details about themselves that you can relate to, there\u2019s a temptation to jump in and share your similar experiences. But that\u2019s not why the customer is there. It\u2019s fine to be able to connect at a personal level, but your personal experiences can come later. In the early stage of the interviewing customers, it\u2019s more important to dig deeper to find out what\u2019s really behind their needs. It\u2019s OK for customers to\u00a0like<\/em>\u00a0you as friend when you have lots in common. But it\u2019s more important for them to value you as their Trusted Advisor. Keep my little rhyme in mind:\u00a0\u201cFriends compare and overshare.<\/em>\u00a0Advisors ask and stay on task<\/em>.\u201d It\u2019s a reminder to talk less and listen more.<\/p>\n 4. TMI<\/strong><\/p>\n At a hotel where I was hosting a conference, I phoned the main reception and asked to speak with the General Manager. The front desk receptionist tells me, \u201cShe\u2019s working-out right now. Can you call back in an hour?\u201d When I called back later the receptionist then explained, \u201cShe\u2019s taking a shower now.\u201d I\u2019m not making this up! While that\u2019s an extreme example of oversharing personal information with a customer, more common examples are references to coworkers who are\u2026\u00a0at lunch, sick today, on a smoke break, on holidays, with another customer<\/em>\u00a0(see blunder #1) etc. Best to simply tell the customer that the person is\u00a0unavailable<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0out of the office<\/em>\u00a0until a certain time or day and offer to take a message.<\/p>\n Speaking of\u00a0too much personal info<\/em>, when customers ask how we are, they don\u2019t want to hear lamentations about our physical or mental state or how anxious we are for our shift to be over. Buyers aren\u2019t there to hear whining. It instantly diminishes the customer experience. Just remain positive and focus on helping the customer.<\/p>\n 5. Obvious product features<\/strong><\/p>\n Customers have so much access to information that when it comes to larger buying decisions they\u2019ve often done their homework before contacting you. Explaining features which customers already know and understand sounds condescending. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to begin that part of the conversation by asking, \u201cHow familiar are you with\u2026?\u201d Then as you describe your offerings, focus less on features and more on\u00a0benefits<\/em>\u00a0as they relate to that particular customer.<\/p>\n 6. Technical Jargon<\/strong><\/p>\n In general, the higher-up the chain of command an internal or external customer is, the less interested they are in technical details. They are primarily interested in outcomes. So resist the urge to impress senior managers with how much of a technical expert you are. When an executive asks about the weather, they don\u2019t want to be told how to make a thermometer.<\/p>\n The training solution<\/strong><\/p>\n While\u00a0discretion<\/em>\u00a0is said to be the better part of valor, I believe it\u2019s also the better part of\u00a0value<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 the value that customers and employers place on your service. The sad reality is that many employees aren\u2019t even\u00a0aware<\/em> they are committing these blunders. Fortunately, all it takes is a single training session or seminar to sidestep these oversharing errors and enhance customer experience. One thing is certain, unless employees are made aware of how their words can damage goodwill and hurt their own careers, they\u2019ll continue to overshare.<\/p>\n About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n Jeff Mowatt is a customer service strategist, Hall of Fame speaker, and bestselling author. This article is based on Jeff\u2019s the bestselling book, Influence with Ease. You can obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team at\u00a0www.jeffmowatt.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jeff Mowatt highlights some oversharing blunders that annoy customers and limit the careers of customer service advisors..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":337,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/337"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16391"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16417,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16391\/revisions\/16417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}