That Can't Happen

Is the customer always right? Absolutely not! The real question is; what will you gain by arguing and disagreeing? Your success with an unhappy customer will correlate with your ability to properly communicate and set them at ease. A resolution or negotiation is near impossible to accomplish as long as the tension is high. Some people have certain expectations, wrong or right, anything you do or say that conflict with those expectations will be received as negative. When I speak, I tell a story of a customer calling in to report that the product he purchased was malfunctioning. He was transferred to a technician that was responsible for the manufacturing of this product. When the customer described the problem, he was told, "That can't happen!" The customer responded, "What do you mean it can't happen? I am watching it malfunction as we speak!" The customer became upset and resolving the issue became much more difficult. You may be surprised to find that in many cases you are to blame for your customers anxiety. The first step in resolving a conflict is to empathize and allow them to explain their issue. Let them know you want to do everything you can to resolve their problem. Allowing your customer to vent and feel heard can minimize the stress and lead to a resolution quicker and easier than becoming defensive and argumentative. If you are in sales or your business requires you to deal with people, at some point you will have to deal with an unhappy customer. You can build a great reputation by treating customers well and learning to how to resolve conflict. This can be accomplished when you become a great listener, tell them how important they are to your business, create a realistic resolution and most importantly, do what you say you are going to do in the specific time frame you promised it would be done. Have a great week! Pierce