Question: In customer service, when there”™s a problem and someone panics and throws a call to us as managers/owners, we”™re at a disadvantage. We”™re already set up to lose ”” the customer can smell blood.
Thoughts of the day: What”™s the process for handling a customer problem? Train to improve employees”™ ability to handle issues. Treat problems as opportunities. Learn from experience.
Give employees a greater sense of confidence that they can handle the situation by setting up a process for them to follow. Knowing what to expect can make it much easier for employees to stick with an unpleasant call.
Add these steps to your customer service process, if you”™re not already doing them.
1. Answer the phone with a smile and believe that most customers can be helped; the goal is to send customers away believing they got a fair deal.
2. Understand that customer calls are indications they hope the situation can be fixed.
3. Share contact information in case the call gets cut off. Log the date, time, who called, contact information, who handled the call and the nature of the problem. Leave a place to fill in resolution.
4. Reassure callers that you expect to resolve the situation and have authority to do so in most cases.
5. Deal right away with customer preference for a manager by stating: “Before I continue, let me ask you: Would you prefer to work with me or would you rather be referred immediately to a manager? I can probably help you now, or at least get the process started; you may have to wait for a manager to get on the line, who is going to ask you the same questions I”™m about to ask.”
6. Assuming the customer agrees to stick with you, ask for a brief statement of the problem. Get clarification if necessary. Take good notes.
7. Contain the customer”™s negative reaction by listening carefully, restating and asking questions. Don”™t debate. Don”™t disagree. Just listen.
8. Restate the problem: “If I understand you correctly ”¦ .” End with, “Did I get that right?”
9. Assess the failure to meet customer needs, as well as how that breakdown impacted the customer. Factor that impact into your decision on how far to go to rectify the situation.
10. Ask the customer how they”™d like the situation resolved. This could be challenging: The customer may overreach. It”™s generally better to know what the customer has in mind. If the customer is overreaching, say, “That may be more than I can do, but I will do my best to make this right.”
11. Make an offer. Ask the customer if this would satisfactorily resolve the problem.
12. If they”™re unsatisfied, assess if this customer is likely to become satisfied with any additional offer. Figure out what it will take to get over the hump.
13. Make a second offer or suggest referring the call to a manager by saying, “I think it”™s time to get my manager on the phone. Can you please hold on while I refer my notes to him/her?”
Sometimes you get to offense by starting with defense. Train everyone in customer service. Practice with each other. Learn how to mirror and match, how to clarify, how to sooth ruffled feathers.
Know that giving customers what they want, and then some, can turn them into raving fans. Recovering from bad situations builds relationships. Assess how many more purchases this customer, and all of their friends, can make.
Use the complaint call log to spot trends and opportunities. Do similar unmet needs keep coming up? Solve the need and create more sales. Is there a problem with how to properly use the product or service? Create an instruction manual for new customers. Are there repeat breakdowns? Change the way you manufacture and deliver.
Looking for a good book? Try “Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service” by Chip Bell and Ron Zemke.
Andi Gray is president of Strategy Leaders Inc., strategyleaders.com, a business-consulting firm that specializes in helping entrepreneurial firms grow. She can be reached by phone at 877-238-3535. Do you have a question for Andi? Send it via email to AskAndi@strategyleaders. Visit AskAndi.com for an entire library of Ask Andi articles.
