In customer service, when there’s a problem, someone panics. When managers/owners throw a call to us, we’re at a disadvantage. We’re already set up to lose. And the customer can smell blood.
Thoughts of the Day: Fix customer service issues with a process. Train employees to improve their ability to handle issues. Treat problems as opportunities. Learn from experience.
Fix customer service
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.
- 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.
- Understand that customer calls are indications they hope the situation can be fixed.
- Share contact information, in case the call gets cut off. Log date, time, who called, contact info, who handled the call, nature of the problem. Leave a place to fill in resolution.
- Reassure callers that you expect to resolve the situation and have the authority to do so in most cases.
- 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.”
- Assuming the customer agrees to stick with you, ask for a brief statement of the problem. Get clarification if necessary. Take good notes.
- Contain the customer’s negative reaction by listening carefully, restating, and asking questions.
Don’t debate. Don’t disagree. Just listen.
- Restate the problem: “If I understand you correctly . . .”. End with, “Did I get that right?”
- Assess the failure to meet customer needs, as well as how that breakdown impacted the customer. Factor impact into your decision on how far to go to rectify the situation.
- 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.”
- Make an offer. Ask the customer if this would satisfactorily resolve the problem.
- If 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.
- 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?”
Offer a solution, give options
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 soothe 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. Problem with how to properly use the product or service? Create an instruction manual for new customers. Repeat breakdowns? Change the way you manufacture and deliver.
Looking for a good book? Managing Knock Your Socks Off Service, by Chip Bell and Ron Zemke.
