“The customer is always right”
After learning this chapter, you will be able to understand:
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how to recognize
challenging situations
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how to handle challenging
situations
Think: What challenging situations have you seen or experienced in customer service or sales situation?
11.7.1 Annoyed Customer
There are several reasons why a customer can be annoyed: the wrong price charged, blurred or insufficient marking about the price, a mistake in the advertisement, running out of the product on special offer, a faulty product. Other examples are: an untidy shop, lack of floor space, long queues and slow service, the sales persons’ unwillingness to serve or lack of expertise, insufficient signs to guide him, lack of parking space, or difficult location.
11.7.2 Dealing with Complaints
In face to face communication, a customer servant or a sales person does not interrupt the customer, makes notes about the main points, does not argue, belittle the problem, or try to be smart. He is empathic and sincerely apologizes, thanks the customer for pointing out the defect, and asks about further information to be able to find out the truth.
When a customer makes a complaint, a customer servant or a sales person tries to find out the reason for the complaint, and what the customer actually wants to say. A good customer servant or a sales person does not accuse anyone else about what has happened. He gives the customer information why the mistake has happened, or tells the customer that he will do his best to find it out. A customer servant or a sales person tries to find a solution as quickly as possible and tries to come to an agreement with the customer about a suitable solution and compensation. Sometime it is important that the customer servant´s or sales person´s superior participates in finding a solution.
11.7.3 Threatening Situations with Customers
Challenging situations with customers may sometimes become threatening. Notice the change in the customer’s behavior and trust your instinct, especially if you start feeling yourself uncomfortable with a customer. Threatening situations with customers can appear when a customer is intoxicated, drunk or aggressive. They can also occur in connection with age limit rules, in case of earlier banning from the shop or troublemaking. Threatening situations can occur within a second and that is why it is important to watch the customers and the situation all over the shop. Remember that the customer’s appearance is not the key – you cannot base your attention only on this factor.
11.7.4 Rare Situations
A person working in customer service may sometimes be in a situation of catching a shoplifter, of a robbery or being threatened or attacked by a weapon. In these situations, a customer servant or a sales person has to be very careful and contact the police.
Case: Threatening situation
Alex is in the shop by himself. A group of people come into the shop late in the evening. One of the group members starts to speak to Alex aggressively and the others spread around the shop. Alex feels uncomfortable and unpleasant. After a few minutes the group of people leaves. When the situation is over, Alex calls you and tells what has just happened. He needs your advice desperately. What advice would you give him to avoid this kind of a situation in the future?
Tips for threatening situations:
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Stay calm
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Find out in a peaceful
manner what it is about
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Remember your body
language
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Do not stand between the
person and the exit
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Be calm and show that
you pay attention to the customer