CUSTOMER SERVICE FOCUS
By Sharon S. Denzler, CIC, CPCU, ASLI, EIS
Understanding personality types
can improve customer service
What is important is that you recognize that these patterns of
behavior are clues about how to productively relate to others.
Have you ever instantly "clicked" with some clients and yet never quite connected with others? How would your career, and even your personal life, benefit if you were able to build instant rapport with others, whether by e-mail, phone, in-person, or written communication?
Each customer has his or her own "buying style" and you have your own customer service style. Some just match up better than others. The Dynamics of Service Program, conducted by The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research, presents some time-tested techniques to provide better customer service and increase effectiveness with clients, co-workers, and insurers. By identifying which "behavioral style" category each customer falls into, you may be able to avoid the problems that can develop when personalities don't naturally "click."
Beyond the Golden Rule
Did you know that even by following the Golden Rule--treating other people the way you want to be treated--our interactions with others are still likely to be unsuccessful about 75% of the time?
The spirit of the Golden Rule is right on the mark: to treat people with kindness and respect. I'm going to suggest, however, that feeling as if you've been treated with respect is not necessarily the same for you as it is for me.
Tony Alessandra, Ph.D., M.B.A., CPAE, CSP, an applied behavioral scientist and widely published author, has taken the Golden Rule a step further by developing the "Platinum Rule": Treat other people the way THEY want to be treated. What a concept! Focus on what the other person wants and how that person prefers to be treated. This is about understanding what drives other people and consciously choosing how to relate to them. The Dynamics of Service Program uses the "behavior styles" service approach and defines four general patterns of behavior that everyone falls into. Identifying individual behavior patterns requires listening to what people say and how they say it, and watching their body language and facial expressions closely. Let's examine these four behavioral styles and discuss each of them in detail.
The Pragmatic is task oriented, fast paced, and tends not to show her emotions readily. She is very results driven and doesn't have time for much small talk. She is usually formal in appearance; every hair is in place, and clothes are coordinated well and unwrinkled. This is the customer who interrupts your explanation of the situation to ask for the bottom line. She is driven and dominating. This is the style that can really make things happen. The Pragmatic needs to have control.
The Thinker is task oriented, but in a different way than the Pragmatic. The Thinker thrives on analysis; some might describe the Thinker's behavior as "paralysis by analysis." The Thinker loves facts and data. This style also tends not to show much emotion and is slow paced, deliberate, and very formal in speech and appearance. He is slow to make a decision because he doesn't usually feel like he has enough information to make the one right decision--you see, being right is very important to the Thinker.
The Persuader is people oriented rather than task oriented, and always wants the attention of others on herself! She is fast paced, informal in speech and appearance, and can be very spontaneous. She is the rule-breaker among these four types, with the opinion that it's easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. She is also the idea person; she's very creative and quick to come up with new ideas. However, focusing on the details to implement many of her ideas is too boring for her--she craves excitement! Persuaders are enthusiastic, convincing, and charismatic. They have a strong need for recognition.
The Facilitator is also people oriented, but with a different twist than the Persuader. The Facilitator focuses on others: on meeting the needs of others, taking care of others, and avoiding conflict. He is an excellent listener and loyal friend, employee and customer. He is slow paced, informal in appearance and speech, and slow to make decisions. Like the Persuader, he is very likely to show his emotions. The Facilitator needs security.
Keep in mind that these patterns of behavior aren't really about who someone is, but rather about what they do--how they behave. Is there one style considered to be better than the others? Most people who ask this question assume that their own style is the best, but, alas, that's not the case. Each style has its own strengths as well as weaknesses.
Once you understand what to look for when observing someone's behavior and how to interpret its meaning, you can begin to adapt your own style to meet or match theirs. The most important element to adapting is to do it sincerely. Let's investigate what adapting to the styles looks like.
Adapting to Pragmatics means never wasting their time. Be prepared with information and options--Pragmatics like to have control. For example: "Mr. Jones, the carrier requires a liability deductible on your policy. Would you prefer a $1,000, $2,500 or $5,000 deductible?" Help them see how they can accomplish the results they want to create. If you disagree with the Pragmatic, argue facts, not feelings. Allow them to have their say--they do not like to take the back seat for long.
Adapting to Thinkers means being well prepared and furnishing them with details. But be careful not to give Thinkers too much information because it will take forever for them to make decisions. A no-no with a Thinker: "Mr. Jones, the cost to add the third vehicle will be somewhere around $900." Instead, say, "Mr. Jones, the cost to add the 1992 Volvo Tractor will be $912 for the remainder of the policy term beginning today." Be exact with Thinkers and support them in their organized, thoughtful approach to issues and problems.
Adapting to Persuaders means not providing them with too much information and too many facts, but to focus on feelings and ideas. Help them see how making a particular decision would gain them the attention of others, perhaps a boss or partner. For example: "That's a good choice Mr. Jones. Your company will know you made the best decision." Sincerely give them attention and recognition for their ideas and their vision. Persuaders want to take time to socialize before getting down to the task at hand, so make sure you give them time to do this.
Adapting to Facilitators also means allowing them time to build rapport with you--after all, the relationship is what's most important to the Facilitator, not the facts. Don't press Facilitators too hard to make a decision; help them see how the decision will meet with the approval of others. For instance: "Mr. Jones, your boss will be thrilled when he finds out you saved him so much money exploring these options." Talk feelings with the Facilitator, not facts.
You may be thinking that some of these adaptive behaviors will be a big stretch, or even impossible for you--especially if you're a Facilitator and you know you need to get down to facts with a Pragmatic and not waste his time, or if you're Pragmatic and you know you need to give a Thinker a lot of information and let him take his time about making a decision. Your biggest challenges are when you interact with a style that is very different from yours. But these are challenges you can successfully meet. This approach can be very powerful ... and it's all a matter of choice.
The "behavioral styles" approach is a proven, well-established method for understanding patterns of human behavior. Although everyone exhibits characteristics of each style, we all have one dominant style. This dominant style will be stronger and more pronounced for some than for others. A survey was completed about 10 years ago of Fortune 500 CEOs to see which style was perceived as more successful than the rest. The results were interesting and something of a surprise. Within a point or two, each style was represented equally among these CEOs. This makes the point that to be successful you must learn to adapt your own style to that of others to create more productive and stronger relationships, whether it's with customers, co-workers, bosses, friends, or families.
Putting it to work
It's not important that you can identify each person's dominant style and know the name of it; what is important is that you recognize that these patterns of behavior are clues about how to productively relate to others. Consider this approach with an open mind and imagine what can happen when you learn to pick up on these clues and treat others the way they want to be treated. *
The author
Sharon S. Denzler, CPCU, CIC, ASLI, EIS, is the corporate trainer for All Risks, Ltd, a Baltimore-based wholesale insurance agency. She has worked with national insurance carriers, in retail insurance and premium finance, as well as in the surplus lines market. Sharon is a faculty member for Certified Insurance Service Representatives (CISR), part of The National Alliance for Insurance Education & Research. For more information on CISR or The National Alliance, call (800) 633-2165 or go to www.TheNationalAlliance.com.