Check yourself
Five questions. Answers are on the handout.
01Your first question is “Is the new board working for you?” What is wrong with it, and what would you ask instead?
It is answerable in one word and asks about our software rather than their day. Better: “Walk me through the last time you used the board during check-in.”
02A coordinator finishes a sentence and looks away. What do you do?
Nothing, for three seconds. The pause is the invitation; the second sentence is usually the real one.
03They say “the automation is not working.” What is your next sentence?
Ask for one specific case: “Tell me about the last slot you expected it to fill — what did you see?” Never defend the product first.
04How do you end a call that went well?
With two sentences: your action with a date, their action, and an explicit yes. “I will send X by Thursday, you will pick the two sites — does that work?”
05You realise mid-call that you cannot solve their problem. What is the honest close?
Say so plainly, name what you can do, and give a date for the answer. “I cannot fix that today. I will find out who can and come back to you by Friday.”