TOOLS FOR DEALING WITH DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS (Internal or External)
Barbara A. Glanz, CSP, CPAE
1. Stay Reasonable. Breathe deeply. Remember the exercise, “The holes in the soles of my feet.” Take a deep breath and as you do so, think about breathing in goodness, joy, and peace. Then as you exhale, imagine pushing all the stress out from the “holes” in the soles of your feet. Repeat several times and you will find the stress dissolving. You can do this exercise at your desk, in your car, or with your family. It will help keep you from getting hooked into anger and defensiveness.
2. Listen and empathize. Put yourself in their shoes. Remember that everyone has a story, and you have no idea what has gone on in their lives before they came to you.
3. Remember their HUMAN need. Even if you can’t, with creative thinking, meet their business need, you can always meet their human need for dignity and understanding.
4. Offer Options. Perhaps you cannot meet their exact business need or request, but with creative thinking, you may be able to offer some options that are even better for the customer. Say, “I’m not able to do _________; however, here are three things that I CAN do.” Always focus on what you CAN do, not what you can’t do. Offering options gives the customer a choice and allows them to keep their dignity in the process.
5. Let people vent. Sometimes they simply need to let off steam to someone. Agree with them every chance you get, even if it is only a “yes,” or “uh-huh.” If you listen long enough without arguing, often they will run out of steam and end up apologizing to you or explaining they have had a bad day.
6. ASK QUESTIONS. This buys you time to keep calm and puts the ball in their court.
7. Use Selective Agreement. No matter how upset they are, find something in what they say that you can agree with. You may have to use this skill 6 or 7 times, depending upon how upset the customer is, before they calm down so you can get to the business at hand. Using it will help you to keep more objective and not take the attack personally.
8. Don’t take things personally. When a customer is upset, he or she is upset with the organization or the circumstances, not with you as an individual. Remember YOU ARE THE ORGANIZATION to them!
9. Above all, DON’T GET HOOKED! If you become argumentative or defensive, you will always lose. The way the customer sees it is the way they see it. Acknowledge how they see it and then find some ways you can compromise or come to some sort of mutual agreement.
BARBARA GLANZ BIOGRAPHY
For free articles you can use in your company newsletters and an archive of dozens of immediately applicable “Ideas of the Month,” go to www.barbaraglanz.com/articles. Barbara Glanz, CSP, CPAE, works with organizations that want to improve morale, retention, and service and with people who want to rediscover the joy in their work and in their lives. She is the author of The Simple Truths of Service Inspired By Johnny the Bagger; Building Customer Loyalty: The Simple Truths of Appreciation; Balancing Acts; Handle with CARE—Motivating and Retaining Employees; CARE Packages for the Workplace–Dozens of Little Things You Can Do to Regenerate Spirit at Work; CARE Packages for Your Customers; CARE Packages for the Home and What Can I Do? Ideas to Help Those Who Have Experienced Loss;. As an internationally known speaker, trainer, and business consultant who has a Master’s degree in Adult Education, Barbara lives and breathes her personal motto: “Spreading Contagious Enthusiasm™.” A member of the prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame, she has presented on all seven continents and in all 50 states since 1995. For more information, she can be reached directly at 941-312-9169; Fax 941-349-8209; email: bglanz@barbaraglanz.com; website: www.barbaraglanz.com.
