Templates
Skill

Developing the Relationship

The ability to develop and manage a relationship with a customer, using tools where appropriate

Developing the Relationship

Level 1

Is able to understand the importance of building a relationship with a customer.

  • Making use of tools: You know how to use the relationship management tools used, and understand why the organisation uses them.

  • Resolving customer concerns: You listen and try to understand the customer's concerns. With assistance from senior colleagues you can resolve simple concerns.

  • Building rapport: You understand the importance of building a rapport with a customer.

Level 2

Is able to build and manage relationships with multiple customers of similar type, developing rapport and resolving basic concerns where appropriate.

  • Making use of tools: You use the tools of the organisation to help manage multiple relationships.

  • Resolving customer concerns: You actively seek out customer concerns. You are able to resolve most concerns yourself, seeking out support from senior colleagues or other departments where required.

  • Building rapport: You can create an engaging and empathetic dialogue with a customer by finding common ground and developing trust.

Level 3

Is able to build and manage many relationships, across multiple customer types, resolving complex customer concerns as required.

  • Making use of tools: You are an expert in the tools used by the organisation. You make suggestions to your senior colleagues as to how they might be improved, or suggest new ones that might be useful.

  • Resolving customer concerns: You are able to develop tailored solutions to customer problems, managing the expectations of the customer and the team internally.

  • Building rapport: You can build significant trust with customers, ensuring that your connection to your customers is the foundation of any sales process.

Level 4

Leads multiple teams in building and managing customer relationships. Is known across the organisation as an expert in developing rapport and addressing customer concerns.

  • Making use of tools: You manage which tools the organisation uses. You monitor their effectiveness, and seek out new solutions where problems arise.

  • Resolving customer concerns: You lead the team in managing customer concerns. You are the go to for managing the most complex solutions, digging down into the route of the problem and working with the customer and other internal teams to solve.

  • Building rapport: You can recognise different customer types and structure relationships accordingly. You are the go to for the most important customer relationships in the organisation. You mentor junior colleagues in building a rapport with customers.

Level 5

Leads the organisation in developing long lasting customer relationships. Mentors junior colleagues at all levels around managing relationships.

  • Making use of tools: You take responsibility for ensuring the tools used are effective in the team. You have detailed knowledge of tools in the marketplace that could better help you and your team manage relationships.

  • Resolving customer concerns: You lead the organisation in resolving customer concerns. You are the go-to for your most important customers. You recognise trends in customer concerns and feed back into the wider organisational strategy.

  • Building rapport: You lead the organisation in the importance of building rapport to the sales process. You can mentor the team on controlling emotions, creating empathetic dialogue, and building credibility and trust. You build rapport with all the decision makers of your biggest customers.

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