Dealing with Diverse Customers
Diversity is brought about by the difference in culture, ethnicity, societal class, gender, geographical location as well as educational background. All people are unique, and therefore diversity is inevitable. Although all people are diverse, variety can be used as a tool to unify all people. In the workplace, employees have to deal with all types of clients. One of the significant challenges in a workplace is serving a client who does not speak the dominant language, for instance, English. However, despite the language barrier, the client expects satisfactory services. Several techniques can be used to ensure effective communication with a client who is not a native speaker of English.
The employee should listen patiently. Naturally, one can get easily irritated by the language barrier. However, to avoid infuriating the client, it is advisable to listen patiently and understand what the client wants. Also, one can use repetition to prevent ambiguity in communication. Also, as the client struggles to express their needs, the employee should show compassion to encourage them to speak up.
It is essential to use a normal tone while communicating. People tend to think that shouting enhances understanding. However, shouting may offend the client since they are not deaf. Instead of yelling, one should draw a mental picture using simple objects to enhance understanding. Also, slowing down while talking may help the client understand some English words.
The employee should use relevant open-end questions. Open-end questions can help in double-checking the needs of a customer. Also, open-end questions encourage clients to speak up and describe what they need. One can paraphrase the questions to ensure that both parties understand each other.