Have you H.E.A.R.D?
Have you
“HEARD”
the joke about the angry customer?
There isn’t one.
Angry customers are no joke!
How many times a day do your customer service representatives take a
telephone call only to find an upset, angry or frustrated individual on the
other end? Something your utility did or did not do has irritated that
customer to the point of emotional distress.
The action and statements your rep makes in the first 10 to 20 seconds of
that call can make the difference between losing or keeping a customer. The
ones you keep, the loyal ones, will continue to do business with you. Those
who leave obviously take their future business with them, but even more
potentially damaging is the fallout from an unresolved conflict.
How many people does one dissatisfied customer tell about their
“poor experience”
and what does that equate to in terms of a
financial loss? What’s the cost of employee turnover because reps can no
longer stand the conflict and leave? The training you provide your reps on how
to handle conflict resolution and irate customers is crucial to retaining your
loyal customers and improving your bottom line.
So when in conflict with a utility, what is it that most customers want? Is
it always to
“get
their way”? Or is it more about
feeling like the utility actually listened to their concern, empathized with
their position and tried to find a solution?
As humans, we have two natural instincts when confronted - fight or flight.
At the most basic level, our natural tendency is to either
“duke it out”
or run away. How we choose to act upon our
natural tendencies can vary greatly. Some choose to take the literal
description while others choose some polished form of that. And your reps get
to deal with all of them! We must all do our best to not personalize
customers’ emotional outbursts.
Are you aware of the
“HEARD” technique? This is a very
simple technique to help those who deal with customer conflict.
H - Hear what your
customer has to say
. Let them
describe the problem or reason for their emotional distress.
Do not interrupt or attempt
to cut them off - that, in and of
itself, is rude. Give them the opportunity to express their feelings about the
situation.
E - Empathize with
their situation
. It’s very calming to
someone who is upset to hear the words
“I appreciate”
or
“I respect.”
By the same token, it’s very irritating to hear
“I understand.”
How can one really understand if they are not in the situation? Train your
employees to stay away from using trigger phrases such as
“company policy”
or
“it’s a computer problem”
or
“we can’t do that.”
Customers don’t want excuses - they want a solution to their problem! Train
your reps to use appropriate phrases that help diffuse the emotion rather than
escalate it.
A - Ask questions to
determine what can be done to create a solution
.
The number one question your reps should ask is
“What can we do to make this
right for you?” It’s one of the
simplest things you can do to understand the customer.
Most management is afraid to empower their staff with that question for
fear the answer will be something ridiculous or costly. Research has proven
that in most situations the customer’s suggestion for resolving the conflict
is less costly than what the company would have offered as the final solution.
R - Respond with a
solution to the problem
. Creating a
solution with the customer on their first telephone call is absolutely vital
to customer retention. Research by
T.A.R.P.
(Technical
Assistance
Research
Program)
has shown that 90 percent of customers with a problem will continue to do
business with the company if they feel the person handling their complaint is
genuinely concerned with resolving the situation.
But in order for that to happen, you must first identify the conflicts your
reps are most likely to encounter and then train them so they have all the
possible solutions. Knowledge is power! But this knowledge will be useless
unless you empower your reps to take the corrective actions. They must know
what the possible solutions are as well as their level of authority to
institute those solutions.
D - Deliver on the
promise made to the customer
. Make
sure there’s a clear understanding with the customer as to what will happen
and when it will happen. Restate these two items in very simple terms.
If you want to truly set yourself apart from your competition, go the extra
mile and call the customer after the problem has been corrected. Ask if they
are happy with the solution. Ask if there is anything else you can do for them
right now.
Let your
customer know that you care!
People are just people. And it is our emotions that make us unique. Have
you trained your reps on how to understand your customers and their needs? Do
your reps understand that your customers are not all the same - and neither
are their needs? Do your reps understand the bottom-line value of a satisfied
customer?
Make sure your customers are being
“HEARD”
because if they aren’t being heard by you, they
may just go find someone who will listen!
(This article originally appeared in EnergyPulse 10-29-02 at
www.energypulse.net)
MEASURE-X
6227 North 15th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014
888-644-5499
www.measure-x.com
The Customer Service Training Experts!
