272 Unit 4 Bank Management Building rapport with a customer will increase his or her satisfaction with the bank. Rapport is a bond of mutual trust. It is central to a successful and ongoing business relationship. Never underestimate the power of a sincere smile. Other methods of achieving rapport are shown in Figure 11-7. Financial products can be confusing for many people. Many of the fi nancial decisions customers make will have a major impact on their lives. Bank employees should be able to explain the options the bank offers. If the employee does not know the answer, he or she should be able to readily fi nd it. In some cases, the customer should be brought to an employee who is more familiar with the topic. For example, a loan offi cer could probably explain loan terms better than a teller, who does not deal with loans every day. Although customers might be initially drawn to a bank by a product promotion, they are unlikely to continue as customers if their customer service needs are not met. When bank employees use what they know about the bank and its products to meet customer needs, they are contributing to the bank’s success. Customers expect good service. Whether a customer receives exceptionally good or poor service, he or she is likely to mention it to others. Word-of-mouth advertising is a type of promotion in which customers tell others about their experience with a specifi c business. The only control banks have over word-of-mouth advertising is the customer service they provide. It is up to the bank to foster positive relationships with customers by excelling in every interaction. Rapport Language Use speech and body language similar to that of the customer B Be aware of f your nonve b rb l al communi ic ti at io n as w ll el l as th t ha t t f fr om th t he cu tomer st C Cu lt lt ral ur al Find Fi nd shared ha d interests in te st and d experiences ri with wi wi th th the t t he he customer c c us us to to me me r r Be Be aware a wa re of o f cultural cu lt ur al differences d if fe re nc es between be tw ee n you yo u and an d the th e customer cu st om er Other Ot he r Create Cr ea te a a positive p p os it iv e environment en vi ro nm en t Be Be open o pe n to to doing d oi ng something s om et hi ng for f or a a customer cu st om er for f or no n o immediate im me di at e return re tu rn Identify Id en ti fy barriers b ar ri er s between be tw ee n you yo u and an d the th e customer cu st om er and a nd work w or k to to remove r em ov e them th em Source: Shutterstock (Pius Lee) Figure 11-7. Methods of Achieving Rapport.
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