Verbal communication is a nonstarter without active listening. The benefits of active listening are many in the business context and otherwise. No wonder, the power of listening is a hot topic in the pedagogy of management programs (regular/ Online MBA). Universally, the Online MBA course is delivered through the Internet. This acts as a practical learning for the students on how active listening makes a conversation and the barriers break it.

Listening improves collaboration, builds trust, supports empathy and makes others feel valued. In the workplace, listening involves understanding the other side, i.e. customers and employees. Making them feel they are heard or cared for is a smart way to strength rapport with them.

Why Listening to the Customers is Crucial?

Listening enables understanding what the customers look for. This in turn translates into trust, loyalty and empowerment. Listening to the customer is not all about attending to the ringing phones. It also involves meeting the customers’ demands and settling their grievances.

Active listening has a few more benefits: –

• Decreasing Customer Churn: Good customer relations stems from active listening. It reduces customer drain.
• Supporting Up-Selling / Cross-Selling: Active listeners understand customer’s mindset. This helps to chance upon upselling (costlier products) or cross-selling (supplementary products)
• Bringing in Insights and Feedback: Insights and feedback are vital for the right product or marketing decisions.

Listening to the Employee Cements Relationship

Listening encourages openness and improves employee morale. It also helps the managers to understand the team’s needs, desires and challenges.  This helps in future planning, brings in increased productivity (e.g. allowing work from home / early check out to the employees on a transport bandh day). A system of open two-way communication results in employee retention and engagement. Motivated employees are brand ambassadors for the company’s products/ services and contribute towards work place happiness.

The Listening Elements  

When someone is actively listening, there are fundamental signs that they are engaged.

Some of these signs are:

• Eye Contact:  Shows the person is interested in the conversion.
• Attentive Body Language: Shows the listener is serious about the topic.
• Nod/Short verbal affirmation: Signals empathy.
• Avoiding Distraction (e.g. turning the phone into silent mode): Displays dedication to listening to the speaker.
• Appropriate feedback: Communicates that the listener has understood the topic.

Some Listening Tips:

• Let the other side speak: Wait until the other side is done speaking to start giving a response.
• Keep cool and listen: The other side may be frustrated, but you need not be.
• Allow the customer to use their preferred channel (e.g email or social media)
• Focus on the person and the problem. Other elements can wait.

Conclusion

Active listening conveys the feeling to the other side that you are fully engaged and empathize with what they are saying. This builds trust, creates rapport, improves satisfaction and cements the pitch for customer loyalty and employee productivity. It also aids the learning experience since even as a student, active listening enhances your understanding, whether in a classroom or in an eLearning environment.