8
Handling Difficult Customer Situations
Learning Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:
• List a variety of difficult customer situations.
• Handle difficult customers more effectively.
• Describe techniques for dealing with customers who are disabled, have language differences, are talkative, indecisive, complaining, or angry.
When anger rises, think of the consequences.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SERVICE EXCELLENCE
The customer service profession offers you an opportunity to deal with a cross-culture of today’s society. In dealing with customers, you will encounter the good, the bad, and the ugly. Based on your service attitude, these interactions can either be positive and a learning experience, or negative and an unpleasant experience for all involved. Depending on your background and level of knowledge and experience in working with a variety of people, you may find a situation easy while others might identify the same circumstances or customers as hard to handle.
One thing to remind yourself of is that you are the organization to your customers. If you fail to conduct yourself positively and in a manner that shows concern for every customer you may send the wrong message about yourself and the organization. This can be true even when a customer does not complain. Remember 50 percent of dissatisfied customers simply go away without telling you why.
HANDLING DIFFICULT CUSTOMER SITUATIONS
Difficult customers come in a variety of forms. The key to dealing with them is to try to remain professional, objective, and not let them stress you out (see Chapter 10 for ideas for stress reduction). Here are some of the more common customer types (situations) with which many customer service representatives have difficulty:
• people with disabilities
• language differences
• talkative
• indecisive
• complaining
• angry/emotional
Think About It ...
What types of customer situations do you consider to be difficult to handle? Why?
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CUSTOMERS WITH DISABILITIES
In 1990, the U.S. Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which guaranteed people with disabilities the right to access products and services as well as many other rights. Since then the courts have handed down many interpretations of this law, which have impacted organizations and the way service is delivered. Additionally, all states and many local jurisdictions and other countries have passed similar laws.
In 1990, there were an estimated 43 million people with disabilities in the United States. In 1999 that number had moved to around 55 million and it is projected to continue to rise as the members of the baby boom generation (people born between 1946 to 1964) age and begin to develop disabling medical conditions.
Part of being able to professionally interact with customers who have disabilities is to become self-educated on the capabilities of people with impairments. Also, in communicating with someone with a disability you should focus on the person and not their disability. This includes the way in which you refer to someone with a disability. For example, the term handicapped has a negative meaning since it comes from an old English term applied to beggars meaning cup in hand. Instead, use person with a disability or impairment. In doing so, you focus on the person as being more important than the disability. It demonstrates respect for the person as an individual rather than lumping him or her into a category (e.g., deaf people).
To prepare yourself to deal with customers with disabilities you can search the Internet by typing in the word “disabilities” or a specific category (e.g., sight impairment, hearing loss, or mobility impairment). There are hundreds of advocacy groups and Websites targeting those with disabilities and providing education for others on how to best assist them. From a call center perspective, you will normally need to be able to interact with people with hearing and speech impairments. From time to time, you may also have face-to-face interactions with internal customers who have a variety of other types of disabilities. You should therefore educate yourself on various disability strategies for successful relationship building.
xhibit 8–1
Techniques for Communicating with a Hearing Impaired Customer
If you are speaking with someone on the telephone who identifies that he or she has a hearing impairment, try the following techniques in order to deliver better service:
• Speak loudly. If someone keeps saying things such as, “I’m sorry what did you say?” or “I’m having difficulty hearing you,” you should speak louder, increase the volume on your headset (if possible), and check your posture and headset positioning to ensure that they are both in an optimal position for projecting your voice.
• Use short sentences. As in communicating with many types of customers, shorter is better. Also, use simple language and avoid technical terms (jargon) that might confuse or be difficult to understand.
• Pronounce words clearly. As you read in Chapter 3, take the time to enunciate each word properly.
• Check for understanding. Periodically ask open-ended questions to determine if your customer is receiving your intended message.
• Reduce background noise. Wherever possible try to lessen or eliminate noises. This may mean moving to another telephone where you can do so (if this is possible) and calling the customer back.
• Remove items from your mouth. Hopefully, you would never eat or chew anything when speaking to a customer; however, this is especially important to avoid when speaking with someone who has a hearing loss. They need clarity and you cannot provide that with something in your mouth.
• Possibly let someone else handle the call. Depending on the type and degree of hearing loss, some people can understand one voice easier than another can. Often many people with impairments do better with male voices due to the pitch and vocal quality.
• Repeat verbatim. If someone asks you to repeat what you just said, do it verbatim (word for word), at least the first time, since they may have only missed a portion of the message. If you paraphrase or say it differently you many confuse them.
• Send a written copy. In some situations it may be helpful to provide the information you need to relay to a person with a hearing impairment in written form. This is easy if the customer has e-mail or fax capability.
People with Hearing Impairments
Some people only have partial hearing loss and are able to use a telephone if the volume is loud enough. Often they have amplification devices attached to their telephones or switches to increase the volume (similar to those placed on many public telephones in compliance with ADA). While these devices can assist, it is often up to you to use a variety of other strategies to ensure that your customer hears your message (see Exhibit 8–1).
Many people with more severe hearing disabilities can access your call center through a Teletypewriter (TTY), also sometimes referred to as a Telephone Device for the Deaf (TDD), provided in accordance with the ADA. To do this, the call center must have a receiving unit that collects the customer’s message in written form. You can then respond likewise. While some initial training is needed, you can operate these devices relatively easily. There are also telephone relay systems set up through the telephone company where someone with a hearing impairment can send a written message to the operator who in turn relays over a standard telephone line to you.
Think About It ...
Consider all the people that you have known who were hearing impaired or who had decreased hearing capability.
1. How did you know of their hearing loss?
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2. When communicating with them, what was your biggest challenge in getting your message across?
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3. How did you handle that challenge?
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xhibit 8–2
Techniques for Communicating with a Speech Impaired Customer
When communicating with someone with a speech impairment:
• Be patient. Recognize that it may take him or her longer to speak. Do not rush.
• Pause before speaking. To ensure that the person has finished speaking, pause before responding to him or her.
• Use validating phrases. As the customer speaks make small statements to let him or her know you are listening and are following the message (e.g., “I see,” “Okay,” Hmmmm,” or “I understand”).
• Ask him or her to repeat. If you did not understand something, ask that he or she repeat the message. You cannot deliver effective service if you do not understand the issue. Paraphrase frequently. Periodically, repeat the customer’s message back in your own words to ensure that you understood correctly.
• Keep small talk to a minimum. While you typically want to include some degree of small talk to show interest in a customer, keep this to a minimum with someone who has a speech impairment. Talking excessively may be tiring or painful for him or her. Be courteous, but stick to the business at hand.
• Ask if there is someone else to relay the message. If it is obvious that you just cannot understand the customer after trying some of the above techniques, apologize and ask if there is someone else with them who can relay their message for them or if they have a way to e-mail or fax their issue/question to you.
People with Speaking Impairments
Speaking impairments can be frustrating for those who have them and those with whom they communicate. Speaking impairments also occur in a variety of forms (e.g., the person may have difficulty speaking loudly or quickly, speak with an artificial larynx [tube device] that helps generate speech, or may have a voice that tires quickly).
To ensure that you receive a customer’s message when there is a speech impairment, it is important for you to go to extra efforts to understand him or her (see Exhibit 8–2).
Think About It ...
Recall people that you have known who were speech impaired or who had decreased hearing capability.
1. What behaviors did they exhibit when speaking?
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2. When communicating with them, what was your biggest challenge in understanding their message?
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3. How did you handle that challenge?
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LANGUAGE DIFFERENCES
U.S. Census figures indicate that there are an estimated 26 million foreign-born people in the United States (9.7 percent of the population). Add to this the fact that the minority population is growing at an unprecedented rate and the ease of travel between countries of the world, it is a certainty that you will deal with customers who do not speak English as their primary language. Even though many school systems in other countries require English as a subject for students, those in the United States do not. There are still many people in the United States who do not have a sound command of the English language or speak English at all. This fact puts pressure on you to search for alternative ways of communicating with these customers when they contact you (see Exhibit 8–3).
Think About It ...
When communicating with people, who do not speak English well, what have you done in the past to ensure effective communication?
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xhibit 8–3
Techniques for Communicating with Non-English Speaking Customers
The following are some basic techniques that can help in effecting communication should you speak with a customer who is not fluent in English.
• Identify coworkers who speak other languages. Others in the call center or the organization may speak other languages. Work to develop or obtain a list of these people along with their telephone extensions and keep it near your desk for quick reference.
• Listen carefully as they speak.
• Patiently allow the customer to guide the conversation. You may have to politely interrupt to paraphrase or ask questions as they speak.
• Speak clearly and at a slower pace, if necessary.
• Do not raise your voice. Many people tend to raise their voice when someone does not understand English. Remember that they do not speak the language, they are not hearing impaired.
• Pause frequently. By pausing you allow yourself and the customer time to reflect on what was said. Remember that you both have to encode and decode each message effectively to ensure understanding.
• Use short open-ended questions. This type of questions requires customers to respond with more than yes or no. Open-ended questions can be helpful since people in many cultures (Japan, Korea, and many Asian countries) will not say “no” out of respect or to prevent the other party from “losing face.”
• Get an interpreter. If necessary, ask if there is someone else with them who speaks English and who can interpret for them.
• Communicate in writing. If all else fails, ask them to e-mail, mail, or fax in their question or issue.
TALKATIVE CUSTOMERS
In a call center environment, your role is to provide quality service to as many customers as possible during a given shift. To measure this delivery most call centers use a variety of formulas to track talk time and/or revenue generation. Because of this accountability, and the fact that failing to provide service quickly when customers call or e-mail can result in reduced service to other customers. For this reason, you must attempt to address customer issues and needs as quickly as possible.
Occasionally, you will have a customer who for whatever reason (e.g., friendly, lonely, or simply likes to talk to others) may drag a call out by talking about nonbusiness related issues. While some of this type of conversation is acceptable and can go a long way to foster rapport with customers, excessive conversation can be counterproductive. It is your responsibility to try to control customer conversations as much as possible so that you can get to any waiting customers. While there are many ways to accomplish this, Exhibit 8–4 contains some of the more effective techniques. The key is to remain professional and not offend a customer.
xhibit 8–4
Handling Talkative Customers
Some people have a tendency to talk about nonbusiness related issues when they call. To more efficiently serve them, try the following techniques:
• Identify the customer’s needs/issues quickly. Use open-ended questions to determine why the customer called. After you identify yourself and gain some basic customer information ask something like, “What can I do to assist you today?”
• Stay focused on the issue. Once you identify that a person is the overly friendly type, remain cordial and keep them focused. You can do this by acknowledging comments they make, possibly responding briefly and then asking a closed-ended question to redirect their conversation. For example, assume a customer calls about a service problem and after you identify yourself she comments about your last name adding that she has a friend with that name. She then goes on to talk about where she grew up and asks you where you are from. To redirect her, politely answer her questions (e.g., “I’m from ... thanks for asking.”) and then ask something like, “Now, to help me understand your service situation, can you please give me your account number?” Once she stops to do so, take control of the conversation by asking questions and providing related information towards solving the issue.
• Manage your conversation. Work toward concluding the call by asking questions that will get the information you need and move the customer toward satisfaction. Once it becomes obvious that you have handled the customer’s situation, ask a closing question, such as, “Mr/Ms.________, it has been a pleasure speaking with you. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?”
INDECISIVE CUSTOMERS
Some customers have a difficult time making a decision when faced with multiple options. To make it easier for them and to expedite service, you may have to eliminate some options or help them make a decision. You can do this by trying the techniques outlined in Exhibit 8–5.
Think About It ...
1. When you have a choice or decision to make, what process do you go through?
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2. How can you use your strategies to help customers make a decision?
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xhibit 8–5
Dealing with Indecisive Customers
For people who have difficulty making a decision, try the following strategies:
• Be patient. Remind yourself that everyone does not move or think at the same pace. The customer may have a mental disability, speak English as a second language, or have a behavior style that creates a need for him or her to double and triple check details before making a decision. Whatever their reason, you do not want to offend the customer.
• Listen carefully. Listen for not only the words that the customer uses, but also for the manner in which the words are spoken (e.g., tone of voice). If you detect disbelief, curiosity, doubt, confusion, or anything else, stop and address that issue before proceeding.
• Use open-ended questions. Just as with other customer situations, this type of question gets you more information and allows you to better determine what you are dealing with and how to proceed.
• Limit available options. After asking questions and getting customer input, use the Problem-Solving Model you read about in Chapter 7 to identify the best two options for presentation to the customer. Be prepared to answer any questions the customer has and provide additional information that will aid decision making. You could even guide the customer to the option you feel best suited by using open-ended questions such as, “How do you think ... will work for you?” or “What do you think would be the result if we did ...?” Such questions potentially help focus customer thinking while expediting the decision. However, be careful not to sound aggressive or pushy.
An additional possibility related to slow decision making in a sales situation could be a trust factor—the customer does not know you or your organization, or may have been defrauded in the past, so he or she may proceed with caution until a comfort level is felt. Still another possibility is that the customer may simply be “shopping” or comparing services, products, and prices for a later decision. Whatever there reason, be careful not to appear pushy. That could scare the customer off or anger him or her.
COMPLAINING CUSTOMERS
In some instances a customer might have a legitimate complaint because a product or service was not delivered as promised or did not live up to advertised expectations. On the other hand, some customers will complain about virtually anything. Often such customers simply have unrealistic expectations or are pessimistic about life in general (they look at the glass as half empty). In any instance, it is your job to use the Problem-Solving Model to help resolve the issue to the best of your ability and to the customer’s satisfaction (see Exhibit 8–6).
xhibit 8–6
Handling Complaining Customers
To better resolve customer complaints, try the following techniques:
• Remain positive. Complaining customers, especially emotional and irrational ones, can take a toll on you throughout the day. Try to avoid letting your feelings about negative customers carry over with others. For example, this can occur when you get an extremely demanding and rude customer who is using profanity and is unrealistic. As soon as the call ends, you get another complaint call and you let your frustration from the previous call fuel your frustration in voice tone, words, or actions with the second caller. This will normally escalate that customer’s emotions and soon you find a trail of frustrating callers because you inadvertently escalated their emotions by your approach. If necessary (and possible) following a rough call and take a quick mental or physical refreshment break. Go get a drink of water, take some deep breaths, or just think of something pleasant.
• Listen patiently. Take the time to quietly listen to the customer’s story without interrupting (other than to clarify a point or get additional information).
• Don’t make excuses. Apologize and accept responsibility for your actions if you were at fault or on behalf of your organization.
• Empathize with the customer. Try to put yourself in the customer’s place and recognize how they might feel. Phrases such as, “I see your point,” “I recognize how frustrating this must be,” I believe that I understand how you might feel,” or “That has got to be irritating” can go a long way to helping the customer bond with you. Once this occurs, you can proceed to assist the customer.
• Reassure the customer. Tell the customer as often as necessary during your conversation that you are working to help resolve the issue and that you are going to assist. Avoid tentative language, which can escalate emotion and cause the customer to doubt your authority or ability (e.g., “I’ll try ...,” “I think I can ...,” or “Let me see if I can ...”).
Exercise. Causes of Dissatisfaction
Consider some of the reasons that a customer might be dissatisfied and list those factors here. Use this list to identify and eliminate similar factors when dealing with your own customers.
ANGRY/EMOTIONAL CUSTOMERS
Some service providers have difficulty dealing with emotional or angry customers. Keep in mind that you need to remain objective and in control of your emotions to be able to assist your customers. This can be really difficult when someone is being irrational, cursing at you, or in other ways being offensive and uncooperative. The key to dealing with anger is to determine the cause by listening and then attempt to eliminate it. Exhibit 8–7 has some specific techniques for dealing with angry customers.
xhibit 8–7
Handling Emotional Customers
When people are emotional or angry, they often fail to listen well and may act irrationally. To help reduce emotion and better resolve customer problems, try the following techniques.
• Listen carefully. It is important to allow an emotional or angry customer to vent and say what is bothering him or her without interruption. As with other difficult customer situations, listening is a primary tool at identifying a customer issue, its cause, the customer’s expectations, and much more valuable information.
• Acknowledge the customer’s emotion. It is important to let the customer know that you recognize his or her anger or frustration. This can be done by stating something like, “I can hear that you are upset Ms. Hamilton ...” Follow this by a statement of empathy.
• Partner emotionally. Try to put yourself in the customer’s place without sounding condescending or patronizing. Be careful of word choice if someone is upset. If you use the wrong terminology you might escalate the situation further. For example, assume a customer has just explained to you that his daughter’s wedding was ruined because the photographer your organization send did not show up on time and when he did arrive he had the wrong equipment. Your next comment in an attempt to empathize is, “I know how you must feel.” At that point the customer launches into an emotional tirade by saying, “There is no way you know how I feel.” If you really have never experienced a similar situation, do not say or imply that you have. Instead, try something like, “I can appreciate why you are angry, I’d be angry too ...” By doing this you are not giving the customer anything to argue with. In fact you are putting yourself on his side. While it may not make him feel better, he at least has no more fuel to add to his emotional fire.
• Remain objective. No matter what the customer says to you, try to remain unemotional. If you feel yourself getting angry or upset, ask them to hold, take a deep breath and if necessary, have someone else take the call.
• Focus on resolution. Be positive and proactive in your tone and approach to the situation. Tell the customer what you can do, not what you cannot do. If the customer has offered a viable solution, compliment him or her on it by saying something like, “Your idea of contacting the manufacturer to see if other people have complained about this problem is a good one, Mr. Jiminez, I’ll do that as soon as we end this call. In the meantime, what I can do is ...” Handling the situation in this manner helps show that you value the customer and are really working toward a solution to the issue.
• Reassure the customer. Let the customer know that you will work toward a resolution. For example, “Ms. Foy, I assure you that we will resolve this issue to your satisfaction.”
• Offer alternative solutions. Based on what the customer tells you or what you know of the situation, decide on available options and present them to your customer. By letting him or her choose an option, they are more likely to be satisfied than if you simply offer one in what the customer might perceive a “take it or leave it” approach.
• Conduct a follow-up. If it is possible and feasible after a problem has been resolved, do a follow-up to ensure that the customer is satisfied. Many organizations have a quality control department that does follow-up customer calls or sends out satisfaction surveys. Either way, make an attempt to ensure that the action taken was suitable to the customer or he or she may simply go away.
One way to ensure service excellence is to remember that you are a representative of your organization in all customer interactions. As such there will be opportunities to deal with a variety of customer types and situations. In each of these contacts, you will need to apply specific positive techniques in order to identify and resolve customer issues, questions, and problems.
With over 55 million people with disabilities and 26 million foreign-born people in the United States, there will be many opportunities for you to deal with people who have hearing and speech impairments as well as those who speak English as a second language. Additionally, you will encounter people who are talkative, indecisive, complainers, and angry/emotional. Each of these types of situations will require sound listening, patience, and a multitude of other strengths. Remain professional in each of these situations.
1. The year the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed is: |
1. (c) |
(a) 1964. |
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(b) 1975. |
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(c) 1990. |
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(d) 1999. |
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2. Which of the following would be appropriate language when referring to a customer with a disability? |
2. (d) |
(a) Deaf person |
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(b) Sight impaired person |
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(c) Handicapped |
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(d) Person with a hearing impairment |
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3. When communicating with a talkative customer, one technique to efficiently regain management of the conversation is to: |
3. (b) |
(a) interrupt whenever possible and take control of the conversation. |
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(b) stay focused on the issue. |
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(c) say, “Could you please stop talking for a second so I can get some information?” |
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(d) provide only one option for resolution of his or her issue. |
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4. When dealing with an indecisive person you should: |
4. (d) |
(a) refer the customer to another customer service representative so you can take other calls. |
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(b) identify the customer’s needs quickly and encourage him or her to make a decision. |
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(c) put him or her on hold and ask a supervisor for advice. |
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(d) limit options offered. |
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5. With emotional customers it is important to: |
5. (c) |
(a) let them know that their emotions are not going to help resolve the issue. |
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(b) ask them to stop being so emotional so you can help them. |
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(c) partner emotionally. |
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(d) listen only long enough to get an idea of their issue and then interrupt with possible solutions. |