Quiz 5: Listening to the Customer

Listening effectively is the primary means that many customer service professionals use to determine the needs of their customers.

The research of Dr. Ralph G. Nichols has little application to the customer service industry.

The average white-collar worker in the United States has only about a 25 percent efficiency rate when listening.

True listening is the physical action of gathering sound waves through the ear canal, as opposed to hearing, which is an active learned process.

The first phase in active listening is hearing or receiving the message.

Hearing is usually a simple process.

Once your ears pick up sound waves, the brain goes to work to focus on, or attend to, what was heard.

The last step in the listening process is comprehending or assigning meaning.

Patience is not a significant factor when a language barrier or speech disability is part of a customer's situation.

In dealing with customers, try to avoid subjective opinions or judgments.

Individual characteristics or qualities you have may get in the way of listening effectively to a customer.

When you are ill, fatigued, in poor physical condition, or not feeling well, listening can suffer.

The circadian rhythm refers to the psychological 24-hour cycle associated with the earth's rotation.

The circadian rhythm is not applicable to all people.

If a customer specifically asks to speak to or be served by someone else, this could be an indicator of poor listening.

The rate at which the human brain processes information is slower than the speed at which the average adult speaks.

One cannot talk and actively listen at the same time.

Service recovery is a crucial step in delivering quality service and remaining competitive in the twenty-first century.

Congruence refers to a situation where the group means well but does not function effectively.

Open-end questions start with words like who, when, what, how, and why and are used to engage others in conversation or to gain input and ideas.

When a customer calls to complain about a problem, it is important to find out the background information about the customer or situation.

The closed-end question format follows the five W's and one H used by journalists.

Open-end questions are a quick way to check what was already said or agreed on.

Nonverbal messages delivered via tone or body language seldom suggest criticism.

The best way to determine what customers want and expect is to ask them.

Which one of the following statements is true of listening? A) It is a passive physiological process of receiving sound waves and transmitting them to the brain, where they are analyzed. B) It is synonymous with hearing. C) It does not play a significant role in quality customer service. D) Most people take the listening skill for granted.

________ is the primary means that many customer service professionals use to determine current needs of their customers. A) Statistical analysis B) Listening C) Surveying D) Hearing

A passive physiological process of gathering sound waves and transmitting them to the brain for analysis is known as ________. A) attending B) memorizing C) comprehending D) hearing

________ is the phase of the listening process in which a listener focuses on a specific sound or message being received from the environment. A) Hearing B) Attending C) Comprehending D) Assigning

________ is the ability to gain, store, and retain information in the brain for later application. A) Comprehension B) Response C) Recognition D) Memory

Recognition is ________. A) a process that occurs in thinking when a previously experienced pattern, event, process, image, or object that is stored in memory is encountered again. B) a passive physiological process of gathering sound waves and transmitting them to the brain for analysis. C) the phase of the listening process in which a listener focuses attention on a specific sound or message being received from the environment. D) the ability to gain, store, retain, and recall information in the brain for later application.

________ refers to sending back verbal and nonverbal messages to a message originator. A) Responding B) Receiving C) Recalling D) Recognizing

________ is the last phase of the listening process. A) Comprehending B) Attending C) Hearing D) Responding

________ requires putting yourself in the customer's place and trying to relate to the customer's needs, wants, and concerns. A) Responsiveness B) Empathy C) Congruence D) Convergence

Particularly in customer service situations, an effective listener should be ________. A) emotionally involved B) defensive C) understanding D) judgmental

____ is often displayed through nonverbal cues such as nodding or cocking of the head to one side or the other, smiling, or using paralanguage. A) Bias B) Impatience C) Attentiveness D) Objectivity

________ is especially important when a language barrier or speech disability is part of a customer's situation. A) Patience B) Subjectivity C) Defensiveness D) Emotional involvement

Which of the following is a personal obstacle that can cause listening breakdown? A) Physical barriers B) Ringing phones C) Information overload D) Hearing loss

Mental factors that can cause a shift in focus in interacting with others are known as ________. A) dialects B) disabilities C) perceptions D) psychological distracters

Many companies offer programs to help employees deal with personal and performance issues. These programs are often called ________. A) the cafeteria blend B) employee assistance programs C) employee relations group help D) focus groups

The listening gap is understood to be the difference between ________. A) the speed of sound and the speed of reception B) the speech rate of 125 to 150 words per minute and the thought rate of 80 to 100 words per minute C) the speed at which the brain can comprehend communication and the speed at which the average adult speaks D) a customer explaining a problem and a customer service representative understanding it

________ is the primary skill most people have for gathering information. A) Talking B) Listening C) Writing D) Researching

If you regularly have to ask people to repeat information, you should ________. A) learn to behave defensively B) blame your employer's employee assistance program C) become more emotionally involved in conversations D) do a self-check on your listening style to see whether you need to improve

________ are service provider projections made about underlying customer message meanings based on past experiences. A) Psychological distracters B) Faulty assumptions C) Information overloads D) Listening gaps

Which of the following is an example of an external obstacle to listening? A) Personal fatigue B) Preoccupation C) Self-talk D) Ringing phones

The situation of a listener being bombarded with data from many sources is often called ________. A) information stress B) information overload C) information gathering D) information recall

Positive approaches to listening to a customer include ________. A) focusing on one or two details. B) rushing a customer who seems to be processing information. C) turning off noisy equipment, facing the person, making eye contact and smiling. D) pushing a customer to make a decision after you have spent time presenting product information.

In communication, ________ relates to ensuring that verbal messages sent match or are in agreement with the nonverbal cues used. A) Comparison B) empathy C) congruence D) convergence

Closed-ended questions are typically used to ________. A) determine customer needs. B) verify information already given. C) gather a lot of detailed information. D) uncover background data.

Telling a customer, "You really don't want that color, do you, Mrs. Brown?" is a ________. A) good method to get the customer to make a decision. B) routine question asked by top sales professionals. C) positive approach to decision-making. D) way to sound as if you are challenging the customer's decision making.

Why is listening important?

Describe the four steps in the listening process.

Describe attentiveness as a characteristic of a good listener.

Describe how faulty assumptions are a factor that influences listening skills.

Give five examples of open-end questions.