The first part of offering accessible customer service is understanding how people communicate and interact with others. This is part of what we call Etiquette. This section offers some basic guidance in accessibility etiquette to help improve your customer service experience.
If talking on the phone with a patron and they are having a hard time understanding you, take a moment to understand what's happening and why it is happening. You and they could have background noise or bad phone connections. To help you and the patron try to the following:
If these suggestions don't help improve communication by phone, you may want to offer other methods of communication like email or a chat service if available.
If you notice a customer approaching that is blind or visually impaired:
When interacting with those who are Deaf or hard of hearing here are some tips for communicating better, particularly if you don't know American Sign Language:
Keep a pencil and paper in handy to communicate with deaf or hard of hearing customers.
If talking on the phone and they are having a hard time understanding you, offer other methods of communication like email or a chat service if available.
It’s okay to use the words “look” or “see” or phrases like “did you hear about”
If a customer has an interpreter, speak with the person not the interpreter
Interacting with a customer who has mobility issues is different from visual and hearing accessibility issues. The main focus should be on meeting the customer where they are and interacting with them in a way that is comfortable for both of you.