Diversity comes in all shapes and sizes. Not just with regard to ethnicity, but diversity in size, age, health, education, disability, sexual orientation, body size, family, gender, class and skill. If you added all kinds of diversity together, a myriad of biases, communication problems, stereotypes and prejudices can come into play. When it comes to customer service, they have to be recognized, addressed, and defeated.
We must be aware of the impact of diversity on our customer relations. More and more of your customers will be quite different from you and your employees. Does your business or your service meet the challenge of different beliefs, customs and basic values? How about language, temperament, outlook and perception? I've heard it said, "Whenever you get two people in a room, you have diversity."
The world is different, our customers are different and what they want and need is constantly changing. It's natural to resist change and attempt to maintain a familiar environment, but that path leads to a dead-end street. I know routine and predictability are comforting, but we must launch ourselves out of that comfort zone and never pass up the opportunity to interact with another human being. We have to be connected to the communities we serve.
When it comes to customer service:
- Interrupt stereotypes. Learn how to observe and empathize. Treat people as individuals rather than members of a group.
- In addition to the "Golden Rule," practice the "Platinum Rule" - Treat others, as THEY want to be treated.
- Become familiar with the differences among cultures. Don't assume everyone from a given culture thinks alike.
- Give others the same benefit of the doubt that you wish from them. Presume that the people you interact with are motivated by good and noble intentions - unless they prove otherwise.
- Focus on what you say nonverbally. Gestures, facial expressions, and voice tone communicate inclusion or exclusion, respect or disrespect.
- Learn when it is appropriate to acknowledge cultural differences and when it's not.
- Keep your eyes and ears open so you can adapt to different ways of communications. Hone your listening skills so that your ears become acclimated to accents.
- Recognize and accept that differences naturally influence ideas, expectations, values, perceptions and behaviors.
- Receive messages with respect and compassion. Allow others their mistakes because we make them too. At sometime, you've excluded or stereotyped people, even though you didn't intend to. Always assume good intent.
