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Customer Service Information |
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Mastering Challenging Service Situations
During the course of everyday business, many of you encounter unsatisfied customers. How you and your staff handle these situations, will shape your service image and ultimately your bottom line. How can you best handle challenging situations? I have developed and practiced a simple method for just such encounters. If you follow the steps listed below, you will greatly improve the likelihood of achieving positive resolutions to challenging situations. Make a Connection Shake hands and introduce yourself. An introduction will add a personal aspect to the situation that can alleviate some hostility or anger that might surround the interaction. Acknowledge concern and show understanding. Get engaged in solving the problem. Respond only in a positive manner to negative feedback. Ask for information Clarify the issue. Ask probing questions,gather information and clarify the issue. Show understanding of the problem. What can I do for you? Discover what the customer needs to be satisfied. Suggest Offer a solution not an excuse. Shift from the problem to the process for resolution. Offer a choice between several options. Involve the customer in determining the solution. Explain any limitations if there are any. Check for Agreement Offer the preferred option and ensure customer understanding and support of the agreement. Explain the next course of action. Take Action and Deliver Produce the agreed upon solution. Look for ways to provide a meaningful extra touch and turn a poor memory into a positive one. Evaluate How could this situation have been avoided? How could it have been handled better? What skills can be trained as a result of this interaction? Reconnect Follow up with the customer. Ensure that the customer is satisfied with the resolution. Solicit feedback for improving service. Offer a sincere "thank you" to your now satisfied customer. Superior customer service is one of the most difficult deliverables facing the business world today. Why? Because employees do not take service personally and your customers do! Shift your perspective about service and make it personal. Ask yourself and your staff, "How many customers can we afford to lose today?" I am confident that if you train and instill my simple steps to "mastering" challenging customer situations, you and your business will see tremendous results. Remember, service is more than just a word, it is a necessity! © Anthony Mullins Anthony Mullins is the President and Coach for The Elite Coaching Alliance. He specializes in leadership development, strategic planning, 1-on-1 coaching, facilitation and inspirational speaking. He is the author of the upcoming book "Leadership Links." Anthony can be reached by e-mail: anthony@elitecoachingalliance.com Visit his website http://www.elitecoachingalliance.com
MORE RESOURCES: SIGNED INTO LAW: Senators Hassan and Marshall’s Bipartisan Legislation to Improve Government Customer Service Maggie Hassan CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom SailPoint Recognized as a 2024 Gartner Peer Insights™ Customers’ Choice for Identity Governance and Administration Business Wire Ace Hardware Earns Top Spot on Forbes Customer Service List Hardware Retailing Valvoline Ranked Among Best in Customer Service AftermarketNews.com (AMN) Vontier’s Driivz extends its offering to provide Call Center and Network Operation Center (NOC) Services GlobeNewswire What’s the future for customer service and hospitality in coffee? Perfect Daily Grind Understanding Current, Potential Laundry Customers Better (Part 1) American Laundry News Cents Launches Cents Assist, the First AI-Powered Call Center Built for Laundry Businesses PR Newswire Liberty Flagpoles Joins Salute to America 250, Guarantees Best Customer Service, Prices & Quality on US Flags & Flagpoles Markets Insider Is a hybrid AI-human model the key to superior customer service? Interesting Engineering My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) Fulton County Recognizes National Customer Service Week Fulton County Government Conway Corp employees win MACTA Customer Service awards Log Cabin Democrat America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside, California (.gov) Fulton County Recognized as a 2024 National Customer Service All Star Fulton County Government PROFILES IN BUSINESS: King's Finest Vintage focuses on restoration, organization and customer service The Herald Journal Attorney General Bonta Demands Better Customer Service for Californians California Department of Justice Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside, California (.gov) Customer Assistance Programs DC Water 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2024 Sprout Social Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Department of Transportation | Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist Video Quick Take: Intercom’s Brian Donahue on How AI Agents Can Be Your First Tier of Customer Service Support HBR.org Daily I CARE VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs SUN Bucks: Pennsylvania’s Summer EBT program Governor Tom Wolf Opinion: If it’s not dead already, customer service is certainly on life support Asheville Watchdog Updated Customer Service Hours - Several Departments Downtown Riley County Official Website What Your Business Can Learn From Southwest Airlines Business.com Office of Developmental Programs Governor Tom Wolf Contact Us - Yosemite National Park (U.S. National Park Service) National Park Service BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE Forbes Banglalink launches AI chatbot for customer service newagebd.net bizfile California Secretary of State IRS Should Ensure Customer Service Enhancements Are Accessible for Taxpayers with Disabilities National Taxpayer Advocate 4 examples of how Cigna Healthcare’s customer service team goes above and beyond to help members Cigna Newsroom View/Pay Your Utility Bill City of Tucson Social Security Is Improving Our National 800 Number and Reducing Call Wait Times Social Security Matters Worcester unveils new 311 Customer Service Center Spectrum News 1 RTX's Pratt & Whitney Expands India Operations with Customer Service Center in Bengaluru Raytheon Technologies Q&A: Focus on customer service a priority for Strat executive CDC Gaming Reports Fare-Free Service for Customer Appreciation and Try Transit Week charlottenc.gov Generative AI for Customer Service and Support - Use Case NVIDIA Daily News Report Top 6 social media customer service tools for your brand Sprout Social Video Quick Take: Intercom’s Brian Donahue on How AI Customer Service Agents Are Delivering Massive Value HBR.org Daily 8 customer service trends to know in 2025 Sprout Social Airline conducts customer service review Royal Gazette Permits King County Running our contact centers on Azure Microsoft |
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