Unconscious Bias in Customer Service Featuring Bernadette Smith

Top Takeaways:-      Unconscious bias affects the way we think about others without being fully aware of it. It causes people to make assumptions about others that may or may not be true. -      Frontline employees must be trained to be aware of their unconscious biases. When employees act on incorrect assumptions, it can potentially offend customers. -      In today’s digital world, anything and everything can be filmed, put on the internet and go viral. This can turn into a PR nightmare for any company. -      There is a difference between proactive training and reactive training. Proactive training takes place up front in an effort to prevent negative situations from arising. Reactive training occurs after there is a problem. -      If an incident occurs, companies absolutely need to respond with reactive training. However, too few companies take advantage of proactive training for frontline employees. -      Mistakes will happen; this is inevitable. It’s how a company handles the aftermath that is really important. -      The best thing to do to avoid accidentally offending customers is to ask them questions. Ask questions from a position of curiosity, rather than confrontation, to better understand the situation and avoid making incorrect assumptions. -      Our brains process information and make connections very quickly, whether or not those connections make sense. Pause, take a breath, and think for a moment before judging a situation and reacting. -      Becoming aware of unconscious bias and avoiding assumptions is not difficult, nor does it take too much time. Anyone and everyone can do it. -      Diversity and inclusion training can and should be incorporated into a company’s culture, core values and existing training. View it as another way to provide excellent customer service. Quote:·        “You can’t provide excellent customer service when you are making incorrect assumptions about your customers.” About:Bernadette Smith is the founder, president and CEO of Equality Institute. She is also an award-winning author of three books and will release her fourth book in 2020.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices