Solving the right problem quickly — and keeping the customer informed — separates good advisers from great ones. This guide covers questioning, clear explanation and expectation management.
Questioning — find the real issue
Customers often describe symptoms, not the root problem. Use questions deliberately:
- Open questions ("Can you tell me what happens when…?") to explore and understand.
- Closed questions ("Is the light red or green?") to confirm specifics and narrow down.
- Probing ("And when did that start?") to dig into detail. Start open to understand, then go closed to pinpoint. Don't jump to a solution before you've understood the actual issue.
Clarity — explain so anyone understands
- Avoid jargon — translate internal/technical terms into plain language ("the account's on hold" not "it's flagged NSF").
- Chunk information — one step at a time, not a wall of instructions.
- Check understanding — "Does that make sense?" / "Shall I go through that again?"
- Confirm actions — end by summarising who does what and by when. If a customer has to re-contact because they didn't understand, that's effort you created.
Managing expectations
Most dissatisfaction comes from a gap between what the customer expected and what happened. Close the gap by being honest and proactive:
- Be realistic — don't promise a fix "today" if it takes three days.
- Under-promise, over-deliver — say "within 5 working days" then beat it.
- Explain the why — customers accept waits far better when they understand the reason.
- Proactively update — tell them before they have to chase; a "still working on it" message prevents a complaint.
- Never over-promise to end the call — a broken promise is far worse than an honest timeframe.
Put it to work
Practise turning a vague customer statement ("it's not working") into the real issue using two open and two closed questions, then give a clear, jargon-free next step with a realistic timeframe.