You know you’ve wanted to. We all have. “You want customer service, I’ll give you customer service”. Pow!
Let’s face it, unless you have the moral fiber of Mother Teresa or Mahatma Gandhi, you’ve had a moment where you’ve wanted to pop a customer. I know I have.
But we don’t actually do it. Well, most of us don’t.
According to a story on CNET.com, a Radio Shack employee was charged with punching a customer, rather than letting him talk to the store manager, as he requested.
I don’t know the details. I don’t know exactly what happened. Maybe the customer deserved a good smack. But that doesn’t mean you should hit them. Violence is not the answer.
So, what is the answer?
There are many things you can do to resolve difficult customer situations. Here are a few reminders.
- Remember you are there to help the customer.
- Apologize if the customer feels they’ve been wronged.
- Listen and let them vent. (Don’t interrupt.)
- Get help from your manager or another employee.
- Do not explain, defend or justify.
- Find a solution. (Get the customer’s input as you do this.)
- Assure them you’ll fix the problem so it won’t happen again.
- Thank them for their feedback.
- Remember you are there to help the customer.
No, you’re not seeing things. Yes I wrote the same reminder first and last. Because it’s that important. If we ever forget we’re here to help our customers then we’ll never get it right. This has got to drive everything we do.
So what about you?
As a manager, how do you help your employees deal with challenging situations? Or, as a customer facing employee, how do YOU handle these situations? I’d like to hear your thoughts.
Other articles you might like:
- How to Handle Customer Complaints: Tip 2
- Never explain defend or justify (part 1)
- How to Handle Customer Complaints
- Don’t justify your policies from your perspective
- Don’t Interrupt Your Customer
