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5-Great-Responses-When-You-re-the-Target-of-Verbal-Abuse
If you deal with customers on a regular basis, chances are, you are going to find yourself on the receiving end of verbal abuse from an irate, demanding, or unreasonable customer. So often, verbal assault comes out of nowhere and we get hit head-on with yelling, cursing, threats, or ridiculous comments from ballistic customers.
A lot of the time we are shocked speechless. And some of the time, we get fired up and wind up verbally abusing the customer.
I don't have to tell you that neither of these responses -being caught off guard and not knowing what to say or, responding on the same level as the unreasonable customer -is healthy.
Allow me to introduce you to five strong, but non- threatening responses you can use when you're the target of verbal abuse.
1. Listen with intent to understand
You may think I've lost my mind with this first tip, but trust me, it works. Allow the ballistic customer time to vent and while they vent, really listen with the intent to understand how the problem they have experienced has affected them. Has the customer experienced embarrassment, inconvenience, or a loss of money or time as a result of this problem? Work hard to uncover the root problem with your listening skills. Your objective is to listen to the customer with the intent to understand their viewpoint - before attempting to get them to understand you.
Anger can be compared to an erupting volcano. A volcano erupts and then it subsides. The intense anger your ballistic customer is experiencing will begin to dissipate once he vents and truly feels heard and understood by you.
2. Deploy the "When Question Technique."
Let's say a customer says to you: "You people at ABC Company care nothing about the customer. All that matters to you is the almighty dollar!" This customer is clearly angry and emotional. He is trying to bait you with these attacking words. If you respond back defensively or emotionally, the customer has won. Instead of responding the way the customer wants you to, deploy the "When Question Technique." Simply say, "When did you start feeling that ABC didn't care about your concerns?" Because this response is NOT what the customer was expecting when he through out the bait, you throw him off guard. If he answers your question, you are now in control of the conversation. Not only that, you will be well on the path to creating a calm resolve with the customer.
3. Apologize
In a recent consumer survey, 50% of customers who voiced complaints to an organization said they never received an apology. If your company is wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically. This will help you disarm your angry customer and reduce defensiveness. I also encourage customer service professionals to apologize even when they are not at fault. An apology does not have to be an admission of fault. It can be offered to express regret. For example, "I'm so sorry for any inconvenience this misunderstanding has caused you."
4. Give this question a shot: "Have I done something personally to upset you? I'd like to be a part of the solution."
Of course, you know you haven't done anything to upset the customer. You ask this question to force the angry customer to think about his behavior. Often, the mere asking of this question is enough to get the ballistic customer to begin to shift from the right brain to the left brain, where he can begin to listen and rationalize.
5. Here's a tip that works like magic - Show appreciation for the difficult person's feedback.
After your difficult customer has ranted and raved, you can regain control of the conversation by interjecting---not interrupting, but interjecting to thank them for taking the time to give you feedback. You can say something like:
*Thanks for being so honest.
*Thanks for taking the time to let us know how you feel.
*We appreciate customers who let us know when things aren't right.
*Thanks for caring so much.
The reason this tip works so effectively is because the LAST thing your irate or unreasonable customer expects is for you to respond with kindness and gratitude. It's a shock factor and many times you'll find that your customer is stunned silent and this is EXACTLY what you want. When the customer is stunned into silence, you get in the driver's seat and steer the conversation in the direction you want it to go.
When you do these things you'll find that being on the receiving end of verbal abuse doesn't have to be threatening or intimidating. You can come across as confident, composed and strong - and most importantly, you'll regain control of the conversation.
For hundreds of ideas for customer service improvement for use in customer service training, visit the customer service training resource portal by going to www.totalcustomerservicetraining.com
Myra Golden is an award-winning professional speaker and principal of Myra Golden Seminars, a customer service training firm serving clients in food & beverage, banking, healthcare, hospitality, and other industries. |
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