Customer Service Basics
What should be your primary goal during every customer interaction?
What does "active listening" mean?
Fully focusing on the customer, understanding what they are saying, and responding appropriately rather than simply waiting for your turn to speak.
Should an agent argue with an angry resident?
No. We are to remain calm, professional, and focused on resolving the issue.
Why do we not answer a residents question without confirming the community?
To be sure we are providing accurate information for their specific community.
You need to place a customer on hold to research their issue.
Question: What should you say before placing them on hold?
"Can I place you on a brief hold?" or "I'm going to place you on a brief hold while I research this for you."
What are three qualities of excellent customer service?
Empathy, professionalism, active listening, patience, accuracy, and responsiveness.
Which is better: "You need to...." or "What i can do for you is..."?
What I can do for you is....
A resident raises their voice. What should you do?
Stay calm, avoid matching the residents tone.
Resident refused to provide call-in pin or setup the pin to safelist a vehicle, demanding the safelist be processed. What do you do?
"Advise the resident we are unable to process a safelist request over the phone without access to their account. If they do not wish to provide this information, they can safelist the vehicle on our website themselves."
A resident explains their problem, but you aren't sure you understand it. What should you do?
Ask a clarifying question and paraphrase the issue back to the resident.
A customer says, "I've already explained this twice!" What should you do first?
Acknowledge their frustration and demonstrate that you are listening before further assisting.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY -
Reword this statement into a more customer-friendly response:
"That's not my department. You'll have to call someone else."
"I'll help get you connected with the right team so you don't have to figure out where to go on your own."
What is empathy?
Demonstrating that you understand and recognize the resident's feelings or perspective.
A resident pressures you to skip an identity-verification step because they are "in a hurry."
What should you do?
Follow the required verification process. Explain briefly that the verification protects the resident's account and information.
Question: Put these steps in the best order:
Understand the issue → Verify/review necessary information → Provide a solution → Confirm resolution → Close the interaction.
Why is it important to take ownership of a customer's issue?
It builds trust and reassures the customer that someone is actively working toward a resolution.
Give one professional alternative to saying, "I don't know."
DOUBLE JEOPARDY - A customer starts yelling. The agent responds by becoming defensive.
Question: Identify two things the agent did wrong and explain what they should have done instead.
You discover that another agent gave the resident incorrect information.
Question: Should you tell the resident, "The previous agent was wrong"?
No. Correct the information professionally without blaming another employee.
Question: Should you immediately give them the solution? How should you handle this situation?
Allow the resident to finish speaking, if they continue to interrupt, stop speaking and wait for them to give you an opening to speak again.
A customer wants something you cannot provide. What is the best approach?
Explain the limitation clearly, show empathy, and offer the best available alternative or next step.
A customer is speaking quickly and giving you several problems at once. What communication technique can help?
Slow the conversation down professionally, summarize what you've heard, and address the issues one at a time.
A resident repeatedly insults an agent. What should the agent do?
Remain professional, establish appropriate boundaries according to company policy. Warn residents that if they continue the call will be disconnected. It's preferred to warn twice, before the call is disconnected.
True or False: If a resident insists that a policy does not apply to them, an agent can ignore that policy.
False. Agents should follow the HOA policy and try to explain the policy to the resident.
The resident is angry and says: "Get me your manager NOW!"
Question: What should you do?
Remain calm, acknowledge the concern, and transfer the call. If the manager is present, send to the manager. If the manager is not present/unavailable, advise the manager is not in at the moment but I can transfer you to her voicemail.