 Welcome to Customer Service Skills for IT Professionals – Communication. Good communication is arguably one of your most important skills because you provide customer support. In addition to having advanced technical knowledge, you must also be able to share information in a clear, concise, and non-condescending manner. Today we'll examine the communication model, apply it to both verbal and written communication styles, and discover how to be more effective and supportive IT professionals. Let's start by looking at the communication model. Communication is the exchange of information between two or more people. At a minimum, you need a sender, the person who initiates the message, and a receiver, the person to whom the message is directed. The sender encodes a message and sends it through a channel to the receiver, who decodes the message. This seems pretty simple until the communication breaks down due to problems with encoding or decoding the message – physical or psychological noise or broken channels. For instance, what if you send an email full of technical jargon to a customer? Using technical language that's not easily understood creates problems decoding the message. What if you try talking on the phone in a noisy room? The background noise impacts how the receiver hears the message. What if you send an email to the wrong email address? Now the channel is broken, so the receiver never gets the message. It's important to understand how people communicate to avoid these breakdowns. Communication takes place through many different channels. For IT professionals, the primary channel is verbal, meaning either in person or over the phone, with written forms such as email and instant messaging coming in a close second. While the communication model represents both verbal and written communication, there are some unique differences. Verbal channels rely on the tone of voice, the rate of speech, and non-verbal signals to help convey the intended message. Written messages rely primarily on the choice of wording including phrasing and jargon. Verbal communication, such as talking to customers either in person or over the phone, can be stressful. Customers expect an immediate resolution and technology being – well, technology – can quickly change the dynamic of a support call. This can affect the message being sent. It's easy for stress to influence your message because it's conveyed in your voice and body language. If it's received incorrectly, it can lead to a communication breakdown. Pay attention to customers' verbal and non-verbal cues because it helps guide you through the conversation. Watch for signs of frustration, a lack of understanding, or increasing agitation. All of these customer cues mean you need to change how you're communicating. No matter the type of verbal support, always start with a smile. Yes, even over the phone, your customers can tell when you're smiling. Actively listen without forming your answer to be sure you understand exactly what the customer is saying. Don't interrupt the customer before they've finished speaking. Use a welcoming tone of voice to help put the customer at ease. And use appropriate body language such as leaning forward, making eye contact, and nodding your head. As an IT professional, you provide written support in a variety of forms including email, text, internet chat, and technical documentation, each of which has its own unique challenges. When communicating through written channels, your customer doesn't receive any of the verbal or non-verbal cues to help them decode the message. Additionally, because there is limited feedback from the receiver, it's difficult to gauge how they've received the message and how it influenced their reply. Communication breakdowns happen faster and more frequently using written communication, so give special care to your wording. Before sending any digital message, ask yourself if the message resolves the issue, is clear and easy to understand, and is positive in nature. This includes adding a professional greeting and closing, using please and thank you, and avoiding technical jargon. If your message is clear, go ahead and send it. No matter what channel of communication you're using to send your message, follow these universal guidelines whenever you provide support. Show your customer empathy. Understand the issue from their point of view. It can be quite humbling for users to contact you for assistance in the first place. Not everyone is comfortable using technology and some struggle to understand what's going on. Consider your words wisely. By that, I mean, avoid using unnecessary technical jargon that confuses and belittles the customer because it only leads to frustration. And don't make assumptions because they quickly lead to communication breakdowns. One final word of advice. IT support professionals should focus on identifying and providing a resolution and let go of the need to be right. Understanding how and where communication breakdowns can occur makes you a better IT professional. You have completed customer service skills for IT professionals. Communication.