SEQUENCE FOR HANDLING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS NOTES
Eight Strategies to Deal With Difficult Situations
In any business our customers are one of our most important assets.
Unfortunately there are days when not all customers want to be friendly
or pleasant. On days like this, try these effective tips to help you
handle those difficult customers.
- Don’t take it personally – remember when a customer complains they
are unhappy with the product or your company – not you. - Remember you are good at your job – remind yourself of the skills
you have and why you are working there. Don’t allow customers to
make you feel inadequate. - Write down their complaint or concern – show the customer you are listening by recording their problem and if you are on the phone, tell the customer you are writing down all the details.
- Ask a supervisor to join you and be part of the transaction – if the
customer is becoming more difficult, invite a supervisor to join you
and the customer will notice you are treating them as important by
seeking additional help. - Debrief the situation with someone else when the customer leaves –
sometimes you may need to talk to someone about your difficult
customer to debrief and get rid of any negative thoughts and
emotions you may have – this is a very important step. - Learn stress management techniques – this may help you stay calm if
a customer raises their voice or becomes emotional. By learning to
breath deeply, focus on the positives and also ensure your body
doesn’t carry stress you will be able to handle these difficult
customers easily. - Recognise and accept you will work with customers who have bad days
– understand when you are working with the public some people take
their bad days out on you – it is not personal. - Consider what you could do differently next time – if the customer
is complaining about a company system or process, take some time to
review this and determine if this might need to be changed. Think
about the way you handled the customer and note
anything you would do differently next time.
Dealing with Difficult Customers
It is easy to work with people you like, and it is even easier to work
with people who like you. But that’s not always the case. Sooner or
later, you’ll have to deal with a difficult customer. Difficult
customers come in a wide variety. There are those whose personality rubs
you the wrong way. They may not be difficult for someone else, but they
are for you. And then there are those who are difficult for everyone:
Picky people, know-it-alls, egocentrics, fault-finders, constant
complainers, etc. Every salesperson can list a number of the types.
But perhaps the most difficult for everyone is the angry customer. This
is someone who feels that he or she has been wronged, and is upset and
emotional about it. These customers complain, and they are angry about
something you or your company did. There are some sound business reasons
to become adept in handling an angry customer. Research indicates that
customers who complain are likely to continue doing business with your
company if they feel that they were treated properly. It’s estimated
that as many as 90% of
customers who perceive themselves as having been wronged never complain,
they just take their business elsewhere. So, angry, complaining
customers care enough to talk to you, and have not yet decided to take
their business to the competition. They are customers worth saving. Not
only are there benefits to your company, but you personally gain as
well. Become adept at handling angry customers, and you’ll feel much
more confident in your own abilities. If you can handle this, you can
handle anything. While any one can work with the easy people, it takes a
real professional to be successful with the difficult customers. Your
confidence will grow, your
poise will increase, and your self-esteem will intensify.
On the other hand, if you mishandle it, and you’ll watch the situation
dissolve into lost business and upset people. You may find yourself
upset for days. So, how do you handle an angry, complaining customer?
Let’s begin with a couple tools you can use in these situations.
- RESPECT. It can be difficult to respect a person who may be yelling,
swearing or behaving like a two-year-old. I’m not suggesting you respect
the behavior, only that you respect the person. Keep in mind that 99
times out of 100 you are not the object of the customer’s anger. You are
like a small tree in the path of a swirling tornado. But unlike the
small tree, you have the power to withstand the wind. What is the source
of your power? Unlike the customer, you are not angry, you are in
control, and your only problem at the moment is helping him with his
problem. If you step out of this positioning, and start reacting to the
customer in an emotional way, you’ll lose control, you’ll lose your
power, and the situation will be likely to escalate into a lose-lose for
everyone. So, begin with a mindset that says, “No matter what, I will
respect the customer.” - EMPATHY. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes, and try to see the
situation from his/her perspective. Don’t try and cut him off, don’t
urge him to calm down. Instead, listen carefully. If someone is angry or
upset, it is because that person feels injured in some way. Your job is
to let the customer vent and to listen attentively in order to
understand the source of that frustration. When you do that, you send a
powerful unspoken message that you care about him and his situation.
Often, as the customer comes to realize that you really do care and that
you are going to attempt to help him resolve the problem, the customer
will calm down on his own, and begin to interact with you in a positive
way. Here’s how you can use these two tools in an easily-remembered
process for dealing with angry
customers.
CRACK THE EGG
Imagine that you have a hard-boiled egg. The rich yellow yolk at the
center of the egg represents the solution to the customer’s problem, the
hardened white which surrounds the yolk represents the details of the
customer’s situation, and the hard shell represents his/her anger. In
order to get to the yolk, and resolve the situation, you must first
crack the shell. In other words, you have got to penetrate the
customer’s anger. Then you’ve got to cut through the congealed egg
white. That means that you understand the details of the customer’s
situation. Finally, you’re at the heart of the situation, where you can
offer a solution to the customer’s problem.
So, handling an angry customer is like cutting through a hard-boiled
egg. Here’s a four-step process to help you do so.
- LISTEN.
Let’s say you stop to see one of your regular customers. He doesn’t even
give you time to finish your greeting before he launches into a tirade.
At this point, about all you can do is LISTEN. And that’s what you do.
You don’t try and cut him off, you don’t urge him to calm down. Not just
yet. Instead, you listen carefully. And as you listen, you begin to
piece together his story. He ordered a piece of equipment three weeks
ago. You quoted him X price and delivery by last Friday for a project
that’s starting this week. Not only is the equipment not there, but he
received an invoice for it at a different price than was quoted. “What
kind of shoddy operation is this?” he wants to know. Do you understand
how important his project is? Do
you know how much time and money is at stake? If he doesn’t get his
equipment and something happens to this project, you’re going to pay for
it. He knew, he just knew he should have ordered the equipment from your
competitor. What are you going do about it? Now you have the basic
story. Hopefully, after this gush of frustration, there will be a pause
while he comes up for air.
More often than not, once the customer has had an initial chance to vent
his rage, it’s going to die down a little, and that’s your opportunity
to take step in. Even if he has started calming down on his own, there
comes a moment – and I can almost guarantee you’ll sense it – to help
calm him down. Try something along the lines of: “It sounds like
something has gone wrong, and I can understand your frustration. I’m
sorry you’re experiencing this problem. Let’s take a look at the next
step.” Try to calm yourself first, and then to acknowledge his feelings.
Say, “I can tell you’re upset…” or, “It sounds like you’re angry…” then
connect to the customer by apologizing, or empathizing. When you say
something like “I’m sorry that happened. If I were you, I’d be
frustrated, too.” It’s amazing how much of a calming effect that can have.
Remember, anger is a natural, self-defensive reaction to a perceived
wrong. If there is a problem with your company’s product or service,
some frustration and disappointment is justified. This is so important,
let me repeat it. First you listen carefully and completely to the
customer. Then you empathize with what the customer is feeling, and let
him or her know that you understand. This will almost always calm the
customer down. You’ve cracked the shell of the egg. Now, you can proceed
to deal with the problem.
- IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM.
Sometimes while the angry customer is venting, you’ll be able to latch
right on to the problem because it’s clear-cut. Something is broken. Or
late. Or he thinks a promise has been broken. But sometimes in the
middle of all that rage, it’s tough to comprehend the bottom-line issue.
This is a good place for some specific questions. Ask the customer to
give you some details. “What day did he order it, when exactly was it
promised. What is his situation at the moment?” These kind of questions
force the customer to think about facts instead of his/her feelings
about those facts. So, you interject a more rational kind of
conversation. Think of this step of the process as
cutting through the white of the egg to get to the yolk at the center.
It’s important, when you think you understand the details, to restate
the problem. You can say, “Let me see if I have this right. You were
promised delivery last Friday, because you need it for
an important project this coming week. But you haven’t received our
product yet. Is that correct?” He will probably acknowledge that you’ve
sized up the situation correctly. Or, he may say, “No, that’s not right”
and then proceed to explain further. In either case the outcome is good,
because you will eventually understand his situation correctly, and have
him tell you that “Yes, that’s right.”
And at that point you can apologize. Some people believe that an apology
is an acknowledgment of wrongdoing. But you can appreciate and apologize
for the customer’s inconvenience without pointing fingers. Just say,
“Mr. Brady, I’m sorry this has happened.” Or “Mr. Brady. I understand
this must be very frustrating. Let’s just see what we can do fix it, OK?” - AVOID BLAME.
You don’t want to blame the customer by saying something like “Are you
sure you understood the price and delivery date correctly?” This will
just ignite his anger all over again because you are questioning his
credibility and truth-telling. And you don’t want to blame your company
or your suppliers Never say, “I’m not surprised your invoice was wrong.
It’s been happening a lot.” Or, “Yes, our backorders are way behind.” In
general, you AVOID BLAME. Which is different than acknowledging
responsibility. For example, if you know, for a fact, a mistake has been
made, you can acknowledge it and apologize for it. “Mr. Brady, clearly
there’s a problem here with our performance. I can’t change that, but
let me see what I can do to help you out because I understand how
important your
project is.”
- RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. Now you’re at the heart of the egg. You won’t
always be able to fix the problem perfectly. And
you may need more time than a single phone call. But it’s critical to
leave the irate customer with the understanding that your goal is to
resolve the problem. You may need to say, “I’m going to need to make
some phone calls.” If you do, give the customer an idea of when you’ll
get back to him: “Later this afternoon.” Or “First thing in the
morning.” Then do it. Make the phone calls. Get the information. Find
out what you can do for this customer and do it. Then follow up with the
customer when you said you would. Even if you don’t have all the
information you need, call when you said you would and at least let him
know what you’ve done, what you’re working on and what your next step
will be. Let the customer know that he and his business are important to
you, that you understand his frustration, and that you’re working hard
to get things fixed.
Managing & Exceeding Customer Expectations
Difficult people do exist at work. Difficult people come in every
variety and no workplace is without them. How difficult a person is for
you to deal with depends on your self-esteem, your self-confidence and
your professional courage. Dealing with difficult people is easier when
the person is just generally obnoxious or when
the behavior affects more than one person. Dealing with difficult people
is much tougher when they are attacking you or undermining your
professional contribution.
Difficult people come in every conceivable variety. Some talk constantly
and never listen. Others must always have the last word. Some coworkers
fail to keep commitments. Others criticize anything that they did not
create. Difficult coworkers compete with you for power, privilege and
the spotlight; some go way too far in courting the boss’s positive
opinion – to your diminishment. Some coworkers attempt to undermine you
and you constantly feel as if you need to watch your back. Your boss
plays favorites and the favored party lords it over you; people form
cliques and leave you out. Difficult people and situations exist in
every work place. They all have one thing in common. You must address
them. No matter the type of difficult situation in which you find
yourself, dealing with difficult people or situations is a must.
Why You Must Deal With Difficult People
Your situation won’t get better; left unaddressed, it usually gets
worse. Unaddressed and necessary conflict simmers just below – and often
erupts counterproductively above – the surface at work. Initially,
people go into shock when they are treated unprofessionally, so if you
take some time to understand exactly what is happening to you, you are
not alone. Once you are fully aware of what is happening, deciding to
live with the situation long term is not an option. You become so angry
and feel so much pain that your efforts to address the situation become
irrational. It’s far better to address the difficult person while you
can maintain some objectivity and emotional control. Constant
complaining about the coworker or situation can quickly earn you the
title of whiner or complainer. Managers wonder why you are unable to
solve your own problems – even if the manager’s tolerance or
encouragement of the situation is part of the problem.
Worse Case Scenario If You Fail to Deal With Difficult People
Most importantly, if you are embroiled in a constant conflict at work,
you may not only get blamed for being “unable to handle the situation
like a mature professional,” you may be labeled as a “difficult” person,
too. This label is hard to escape and can have devastating consequences
for your career. Finally, if the situation continues to deteriorate over
time, the organization and your boss may tire of you. The boss may
decide you are a “high maintenance” employee, easily replaced with a
more professional or cooperative person, and you could lose your job.
