| |
 |
| |
| |
| |
Handling Telephone
Abuse ( Customer Service!)
|
Customer service as its
affectionately known revolves around the telephone. You have
to be very particular when delivering customer service over
the phone. Since they can't see you, your voice and style is
pretty much all you have.
Problem is, people are animals. I'm not referring in any
evolutionary sense -just the behavioral. Once an animal
senses you are afraid of it, it's likely to attack you.
Angry people on the phone are pretty much the same:
|
|
Customer: "YOU
PEOPLE ARE *&$#@@#!! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU DID THIS!"
(Here the caller's testing the water, to see whether the
listener's afraid or not?)
Customer Service Rep:
'Oh, Oh, I'm sorry, oh..umm..hmm..sir...ummm,
I'm sorry'
(Voice trembling with fear. Guess what? Green light
- Attack me!)
"YOU'RE SORRY!? I DON'T WANT YOU TO BE
SORRY! I WANT YOU TO FIX THIS &^$%^%&^ PROBLEM!"
(Attack mode!)
|
|
Hmm, sound familiar?
If this has happened to you I bet you felt really
insulted by the put-down. Probably so spooked that every
time the phone rings now, you're haunted by the memory of
that call. On the other hand, you may have argued back and
thought to yourself "HA! I showed him! No way is someone
going to talk to me like that!"
And it made you feel a whole lot better right? And the
customer never buys from you again and tells 10 others how
much you suck. So - Wrong!
Here are some handy tips on how to handle phone abuse and
turn the caller into a loyal customer. Customers who have
their complaints solved quickly and satisfactorily, are more
likely to become loyal than ones who didn't
|
|
1. |
Realize the anger is not directed
at you, personally. I've seen people literally in
tears because customers yelled abuse. They were
angry with the situation they faced and were
coming to you for a solution. They didn't call to
abuse you. They don't know you! They called you
for a solution. Don't take it personally.
|
| 2. |
DON'T
dispute the claim; DON'T re-direct
the blame - When the customer is charged and yelling,
stay silent. Or verbally "nod", by giving
an "uh-huh", "OK", "right",
"I see", or some such, whenever they reach
the end of their sentence.
|
| 3. |
Don't
talk over them! LISTEN. This lets them pour out
all their negative thoughts and they soon realize
that yelling isn't going to work.
Don't say "No, I don't think
so, you must have your account confused, our systems
simply don't do that". You'll add fuel
to the fire by doing this and they'll end up shouting
"YOU'RE CALLING ME A LIAR NOW?!!?".
And don't blame someone else - or
another department in the company - for the mistake.
"Oh gosh, I'm sorry, must be accounting
again, they haven't gotten anything right all year".
This makes you and your company
look unprofessional and incompetent. LISTEN to the
customers problem.
If they continue to yell and scream,
using bad language, and so forth, don't say: "LOOK
IM NOT TAKING THIS!" and hang up. No.
"Hmm, Mr. Taylor, I really would like to help
you. I think it would be a good idea if we talked
about this when we've BOTH cooled down". This
takes the focus off his behavior.
|
| 4. |
Once
you've clearly understood the problem, repeat it
back to them in their own words. Write down what
they say and underline what's relevant to the situation.
Something like this, perhaps:
"OK, Mr. Taylor, I want to make sure I’ve
understood you correctly and please correct me if
I'm wrong. OK, so what we need to work out is why
your account balance is missing a $4000 payment
you made last month (their own words), right?"
|
| 5. |
Once the customer agrees with you (you should always
ask questions that get a YES response), empathize
with them. Not sympathize, EMPATHIZE.
I've heard some pretty pathetic examples of this!
People whom you know (just from their tone of voice)
don't give a damn about your problem.
You can just picture them chewing on a toothpick
with their feet up on the desk and surfing the Internet
while you're talking! Then all of a sudden they
say "Oh, that's terrible isn't it?" Its
insulting.
Instead, comfort them by letting them know what
they're feeling is absolutely normal.
"Mr. Taylor, you have every right to raise
this issue with us. (avoid using 'complaint' or
'problem'). And I know very well I would feel the
same way if this happened to me. That's why I insist
on fixing this." (insist is powerful - you
won't stop until its done).
If the problem can be fixed there and then, tell
them right away. And don't just hang up. Finish
with a: "Thank you so much Mr. Taylor,
is there anything else I may help you with?"
|
| 6. |
If
you need time to look into the problem, tell them
just that. Under promise and over deliver. If it
takes 30 mins to fix, tell them you'll get back
to them in an hour. Then call them in 30 minutes.
Better that, than the opposite. Follow up. After
a few days, either send them a letter or call them
to ensure they are 100% satisfied.
|
|
FINALLY:
ALWAYS hang up last. How many times did you suddenly remember
a question you wanted to ask and got as far as the:
"Oh! Hello, are you there...?" just
as... "Click" ...... the phone hangs up. Make sure
they're finished.
Follow these quick tips and watch your
complaint levels drop. You will also be surprised how many
people apologize once their problem has been handled. Proof
yet again the anger is directed at the problem and not you. |
| Sammer Hakim
is a Dallas-based copywriter serving clients worldwide and
helping them with their sales materials. He can be reached
at www.marketing-commando.com
or drop him an e-mail: sammer@marketing-commando.com
|
|
| |
|
Copyright © 2001-2007 Marketing-commando.com
6400 Independence Pkwy #3008, Plano, Texas 75023 | Tel: (469) 682-1798
| sammer@marketing-commando.com
All Rights Reserved. All Wrongs Avenged. |
|
|
|
