By Jim Beuoy, Director, Quality Assurance & Corporate Compliance, OKS-Ameridial, Inc.
Sooner or later, chances are high that you’re going to have to deal with an upset (perhaps even irate) customer. There may even be days when you get hit with a barrage of them. As in many situations, the better you prepare for dealing with these kinds of situations, the less stressful it will be for you.
What you might not know is just how important it is to be successful at this interaction. It’s not unusual for a business to lose money on client acquisition initiatives. It’s not until the consumer comes back to buy the for the 2nd and 3rd time that lots of businesses begin to make a profit. So what’s the major determining factor in customer returning? According to a Customer Focus, Inc 2005 study, only 14% of customers leave for product reasons. 68% leave because of poor treatment by employees. According to the 2006 Gensys USA Customer Study by Lightspeed Research, 48% of the respondents said customer service was the biggest influence on their loyalty, 68% said that the last time they stopped doing business with a company was based in part or wholly due to a bad customer service experience, and 44% said a poor call center experience was the sole reason for stopping to do business with a company. There’s also an early Sprint study that concluded that consumers who had a problem resolved efficiently and professionally spent more and stayed longer than customers who never had a problem!
Consequently, professional, efficient customer service makes a significant to the financial health of many organizations. Customers who feel like they are treated with indifference simply leave and don’t tell you why. They want whomever they talk with to be an advocate for their problem and for their future business. Every single call counts because one experience of indifference can drive them away. The following should be a good model for keeping your sanity and protecting those valuable customer assets.
1. Be prepared. Particularly if you just had a rough call, it’s important to brush yourself off and get back into the right frame of mind. Ever see a call center with written reminders for people to smile? I’ve seen a number that actually have mirrors in the booths! As funny as it may sound, putting a smile on your face comes though in your voice. Also try taking a really deep breath. What happens to your body physically when you take a really deep breath. It naturally relaxes you, right? It would be silly to suggest that you will be smiling all day long but if you force yourself to smile after a difficult call and then take a really deep breath, you’ll be less stressed going into the next call. Try it, it works!
2. Put on your teflon coating. One of life’s important lessons is to not let the words of others define who you are. Obviously that’s easier said than done. Otherwise no one would respond by losing their cool. You just have to keep in mind that you represent the company so of course they are going to take it out on you. But they’re not really upset with you. They’re upset with the situation, the policy, and often times with themselves! You have to realize (as Dr. Phil says) it’s not about you. Try your best to let their anger slide off.
3. Listen! Let them vent and get it off their chest. Trust me, they are prepared to give it to someone when they make the call so let them get it out. It’s also important to take good notes so that you can come back with questions that you may have later. If you try to interrupt by asking questions, you can come across as preparing to do battle. You can be interpreted as calling the consumer a liar or as sounding patronizing. You might also be tempted to counter some claims during this phase. Being right or justified doesn’t make you a winner at this point. It’s best to take good notes and let them vent, saving your questions until after they have diffused.
4. Establish Empathy. It’s insufficient to just say you’re sorry that they are having this experience. If you’ve ever seen a charge on a credit card statement that you didn’t recognize or ever bought a product that broke immediately or didn’t work as advertised you should be able to relate to just how angry the consumer feels. The only way it will really be conveyed in your voice is to put yourself in their shoes and to truly be sorry for them!
5. Get the facts from both sides. Remember the lesson: there’s always two sides to every story? This is the point where you do your research. You may need to look at the customer’s records. Or, you may need to look at the published policy and procedures. In any case, do your homework. Being ill prepared could lead you down the wrong path.
6. Take ownership. You probably already gave your name when you answered the call but I always try to give my name again at this point. Making sure that they have it (again) makes a statement that you are going to be their champion and that you are going to do your best to resolve the situation.
7. Offer solutions. Obviously, you’ll always have constraints. Your company doesn’t expect you to break the rules or do the impossible. But, rather than telling the consumer what you can’t do, tell them what you can do! Better yet, if there are options, give the consumer those options. No one wants decisions forced on them. Giving the consumer options empowers them to take responsibility for the outcome. Chances are, they will be happier if they take part in the resolution.
8. Reassure them that you want their continued business. Again, the studies say that how we service our customer makes more of an impact on their repeat business than virtually all other factors combined. A bad situation is a golden opportunity to create an emotional bond with the consumer. If you can become a pro at resolving problems, you can make a significant contribution to your company’s bottom line and to the protection of your livelihood.
For more information or to learn more about OKS-Ameridial services, please contact Steve Trifelos, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, OKS-Ameridial, Inc., 800.445.7128 x260