Figuring out how to more
effectively handle upset or angry customers is a growing concern. Negative
word-of-mouth advertising can be incredibly damaging. It’s your reputation
that’s at risk and this can have a huge impact on both existing and potential
customers.
Do the math . . . how do
poor customer experiences impact your bottom line?
-
The average customer who
has had a problem with an organization will tell nine to ten people about
it.
-
Thirteen percent of the
people who have had a problem with an organization retell the experience to
more than 20 people.
-
A customer who has had a
positive experience with an organization or has had a complaint resolved
positively will tell three to five people. To make up for just one negative
experience, it will take at least three or four positive customer service
experiences.
-
Only 4% of unhappy
customers bother to complain. The remaining 96% never say a word! When
possible, they’ll just quietly go away and simply take their business
elsewhere.
Do You Know Your Anger
Style?
In the last thirty days, did
anything get you really angry? What caused it? How did you handle it? Did
your expression of anger get you the result you were looking for?
Several
anger styles are below – see if you can identify with one.
EXPLODE—Screaming,
breaking things, punching a hole in the wall...etc.
BE ASSERTIVE—Affirming
yourself while expressing anger clearly while respecting the other person.
This is the only style that deals with the underlying causes of anger.
STUFF IT—Your motto
is, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” No matter how
angry you are, you hold it in and say that things are all right.
IGNORE IT—You ignore
the situation thinking it will go away or decide that there’s nothing you can
do about it anyway.
BLAME—If there’s a
problem, it’s always someone else’s fault, not yours!
WITHDRAW—You walk
away from relationships when you’re angry. You hold a grudge and give people
the silent treatment hoping they’ll feel guilty and do what you want.
TRIANGLE—You talk
about your anger with everyone else—friends, family, co-workers, the
refrigerator repairman, anyone but the person with whom you’re angry.
How to Express Your
Anger
Learning to express your
anger is challenging, as you need to take responsibility for your anger, learn
to understand it and deal with it. Anger is an opportunity to better know and
understand yourself, and to learn how to resolve conflict in an appropriate,
non-destructive manner.
Here are a few tips on
dealing with this challenging emotion:
1.
Say what happened. Be
specific about what, when and where.
2. Say
how you feel about it in a calm way. Say how you feel about the situation, not
about the person.
3.
Say exactly what you
want the other person to do. Only request a small change and ask for something
the other person can actually do.
4.
Tell the other person why. Say exactly how
their change in behavior can help you or them.
Next
week we will give you a simple methodology that will help you to not only
resolve any conflicts with customers, but to also build positive relationships
with your customers.
MEASURE-X
6227 North 15th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85014
888-644-5499
www.measure-x.com
The Customer Service Training Experts!
