HANDLING IRATE CUSTOMERS 102: LASER LISTENING - WHAT ARE THEY REALLY SAYING?

1. Review the Principles Driving Your Team’s Customer Service Mission

2. Introduce the Lesson

SCRIPT: At our last meeting, we focused on one of the biggest challenges you face when confronted by irate customers: keeping your cool. Today we’re moving on to the next challenge: making sure that we’re

clear on the real problem or issue so we can address it quickly and effectively. To do that, we’re going to sharpen our listening skills. [Distribute copies of Handout 4B.]

3. Explain and Discuss the Skill(s) to Practice

SCRIPT: There are two related listening tactics I want you to be aware of and start to practice this week.

These will make you a great listener in every area of your life, not just here at work, and are particularly important to practice when emotions are running high. Basically, they’re the “laser surgery” that cuts through the anger the customer is throwing at you, so you can get to the real problems underneath.

LEADER’S NOTE:

SCRIPT: Those tactics are (1) check for understanding, and (2) repeat or paraphrase the complaint to acknowledge you heard it correctly. These tactics may sound simple, but they’re not easy to put into practice. Let’s take a closer look.

First, check for understanding. Picture an irate customer who is either babbling or saying almost nothing.

In either case, you have no idea what the real problem is. It’s hidden in the fog of the customer’s emotions.

Of course, you keep your cool and acknowledge their feelings—and how are you going to do that? [Elicit responses based on the previous lesson.] Then, you prepare to check for understanding.

LEADER’S NOTE:

SCRIPT: There are several strategies for drawing more information out of the customer. For example, you can simply say, “Tell me more about ...” and fill in the blank with the appropriate words. [Offer examples from your own experience; for instance, “Tell me more about why this product isn’t serving your needs.”]

Or, you can say, “I want to make sure I’ve got this right. Would you repeat what happened one more time?” Another possibility is, “Help me to understand the situation so we can get this resolved quickly.

Would you run that by me one more time?”

Are there any strategies that you have found useful? [Have the team add these additions to the handout.]

LEADER’S NOTE: Show Slide 102.3.

SCRIPT: Once you’ve checked for understanding, go on to the next tactic: Repeat or paraphrase the complaint to acknowledge you heard it correctly. You want to assure customers that you heard them clearly and have

really got it right. This will calm them down and position you as someone who’s there to help, not hassle.

Our lead-in statements are simple. You might say, “Let me make sure I heard you correctly”; or “Let me make sure I understand the problem correctly”; or “Let me see if I have all the facts here.” Then comes the hard

part: “What you’re saying is ...” Depending on your ability at laser listening, what follows makes or breaks the conversation. Did you really nail it? Did you really understand the problem or the situation? And, there’s no doubt about it, most customers will give you immediate feedback to let you know how well you did.

4. Conduct a Team Activity

LEADER’S NOTE: Create several role-plays based on situations in your business that might conclude with these customer statements: • “This store [or business] always messes up!”

• “That’s not what I was told the last time I called [or was in here].”

• “If I don’t get better service, I’m going to call the Better Business Bureau!”

Ask one member to play the irate customer, and call on others to respond using the tactics you just presented. Make this interchange fun and fast-paced.

5. Set Goals for the Week

LEADER’S NOTE: Ask members to look for as many opportunities as possible to practice these tactics with customers and one another during the coming week.

Distribute scorecards—large index cards will do— and a strip of fun stickers. Ask the team to “stick it to” members who are caught handling an irate customer well or who respond effectively to instant practice sessions. Challenge them to do on-the-spot role-plays throughout the week based on their own experiences or on scenarios you and your peer leaders create and distribute randomly. Finally, ask them to bring their scorecards and examples of what did and what didn’t work to the next meeting.

6. Assign Accountability for Follow-Up

LEADER’S NOTE: Everyone on the team is accountable for this assignment.

7. Announce Contest and Prizes

LEADER’S NOTE: The person who has the most stickers by the next team meeting receives a prize or is entered into a drawing.