What’s Your TONE OF VOICE Like?

By Nancy Friedman

Your Mom was right. It’s not what you say, but how you say it.

Several times while I was out shopping recently, I’ve been told things, that frankly, weren’t that bad... but the tone of voice was so wrong, I walked away not wanting to do business with that company anymore.

It reminded me of that game we played a long time ago. You take one sentence and emphasize each word one at a time every time you say the sentence. Something like this:

• "I" love my job.
  
• I "LOVE" my job.
  
• I love "MY" job.
  
• I love my "JOB."
  

You can take most sentences and do that. Point being, the way we emphasize and use our tone of voice means a whole lot in the customer service arena. Think of all the “tones” and deliveries we can use. A few that come to mind are:

• Bored
  
• Terrified
  
• Inconsiderate
  
• Happy
  
• Worried
  
• Shocked
  
• Sad
  
• Unconcerned
  
• Angry
  
• Hurt

You can take your own sentence and use any one of the emotions listed above. And certainly you can find other emotions to use, too.

Obviously, there are various tones we don’t want to use in certain situations. Basic as this sounds, it’s a key instrument in delivering service the way most companies want to do it.

Let’s go back to the opening paragraph – and my true story. I had gone into a store and purchased an item. When the clerk told me the amount, I wrote out a cheque. He took it and looked up my account. Without even looking up at me he said, "If you're gonna write a cheque, I have to see a picture ID." The "TONE" he used was rather threatening in my perception. I’d been a customer there a long time and this was the first time I’d been asked for ID. I immediately made a decision not to return there any more.

There were several ways he could have told me he needed ID. Especially since he saw from the database, which he found prior to my handing him the cheque, that I had been at that store many times before.

He could have said, "Mrs. Friedman, I see you’re on the database and shop here often. Most folks know you on sight; however, I’ve only been here three days and haven’t met everyone yet. If I can get your driver’s license this time... next time I’ll recognize you."

That’s just one way. Gosh, you even feel the difference just by reading the words. See the difference? More importantly, you could HEAR the difference I bet.

There are thousands of little basic things we do during a workweek that can, and do, tick customers off. And NOT JUST ON THE PHONE. (Remember our article on the 6 Touch Points of Communications?)

On the other hand, I went into the jewelry store the other day to pick up an item. When I said to the owner, who does know me, that I was here to pick up my watch, I could sense he seemed to blank out on my name. With a big smile he said, "Good, glad to get it. By the way, which name will that be under?" A class act.

So practice on trying to find the most positive tone with which to talk to customers. Then, practice on saying positive things. It works wonders.

Nancy Friedman is president of Telephone Doctor®, an international customer service training company headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in customer service and telephone skills. She is a KEYNOTE speaker at association conferences and corporate gatherings and is the author of four best selling books. Call 314-291-1012 for more information or visit the Web site at www.telephonedoctor.com.

Published in Networking Today, August 2004.