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Customer Service Information |
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Dealing with Difficult People
1. Don't get Hooked !!! When people behave towards you in a manner that makes youfeel angry, frustrated or annoyed - this is known as a Hook. We can even become "Hooked" by the way people look, how theytalk, how they smell and even by their general demeanour. If we take the bait then we are allowing the other person tocontrol our behaviour. This can then result in anunproductive response. We have a choice whether we decided to get hooked or stayunhooked. 2. Don't let them get to you. We often allow the other persons attitude to irritate orannoy us. This becomes obvious to the other person throughour tone of voice and our body language. This only fuels adifficult situation. When dealing with difficult people, stay out of itemotionally and concentrate on listening non-defensively andactively. People may make disparaging and emotional remarks- don't rise to the bait! 3. Listen - listen - listen Look and sound like you're listening. - When face-to-faceyou need to look interested, nod your head and keep good eyecontact. Over the 'phone - you need to make the occasional"Uh Hu - I See" If the other person senses that you care and that you'reinterested in their problem, then they're likely to becomemore reasonable. 4. Get all the facts - write them down. Repeat back (paraphrase) the problem to ensure yourunderstanding and to let the other person know that you arelistening. 5. Use names A persons name is one of the warmest sounds they hear. Itsays that you have recognised them as an individual. It is important not to overdo it as it may come across aspatronising to the other person.Make sure they know your name and that you'll take ownershipfor the problem. 6. DON'T blame someone or something else. 7. Watch out for people's egos " Don't interrupt " Don't argue " Don't jump in with solutions " Allow them to let off steam " Don't say, "Calm down". 8. See it from the other person's point of view Too often we think the "difficult" person is making too muchfuss. We think - "What's the big deal; I'll fix it rightaway". It is a big deal for the other person and they wantyou to appreciate it. You don't necessarily need to agree with the person howeveryou accept the fact that it's a problem for them. 9. Be very aware of your body language and tone of voice We often exacerbate a situation without realising it. Ourtone of voice and our body language can often contradictwhat we're saying. We may be saying sorry however our toneand our body language may be communicating our frustrationand annoyance. People listen with their eyes and will setgreater credence on how you say something rather than whatyou say. It's also important to use a warm tone of voice when dealingwith a difficult situation. This doesn't mean being "nicey-nicey" or behaving in a non-assertive manner. 10. Words to avoid There are certain trigger words that can cause people tobecome more difficult especially in emotionally chargedsituations. These include: "You have to" - "But" - "I want you to" - "I need you to" - "It's company policy" - "I can't or You can't" - "Jargon" or "Buzz" words - "Sorry" - "I'll try" - 11. Stop saying Sorry Sorry is an overused word, everyone says it when somethinggoes wrong and it has lost its value. How often have you heard - "Sorry 'bout that, give me thedetails and I'll sort this out for you." Far better to say -"I apologise for ?." And if you really need to use the "sorry" word, make sure toinclude it as part of a full sentence. "I'm sorry youhaven't received that information as promised Mr Smith."(Again, it's good practise to use the person's name). There are other things you can say instead of sorry - 12. Empathise The important thing to realise when dealing with a difficultperson is to: Deal with their feelings - then deal with their problem. Using empathy is an effective way to deal with a person'sfeelings. Empathy isn't about agreement, only acceptance ofwhat the person is saying and feeling. Basically the messageis - "I understand how you feel." Obviously this has to be a genuine response, the person willrealise if you're insincere and they'll feel patronised. Examples of an empathy response would be - "I can understandthat you're angry," or "I see what you mean." Again, theseresponses need to be genuine. 13. Build Rapport Sometimes it's useful to add another phrase to the empathyresponse, including yourself in the picture. - "I canunderstand how you feel, I don't like it either when thathappens to me" This has the effect of getting on the otherpersons side and builds rapport. Some people get concerned when using this response, as theybelieve it'll lead to "Well why don't you do something aboutit then."The majority of people won't respond this way if theyrealise that you are a reasonable and caring person. If theydo, then continue empathising and tell the person whatyou'll do about the situation. 14. Under promise - over deliver Whatever you say to resolve a situation, don't make a rodfor your own back. We are often tempted in a difficultsituation to make promises that are difficult to keep. Wesay things like - "I'll get this sorted this afternoon andphone you back." It may be difficult to get it sorted "thisafternoon". Far better to say - "I'll get this sorted bytomorrow lunchtime." Then phone them back that afternoon orearly the next morning and they'll think you're great. You don't win them all Remember, everyone gets a little mad from time to time, andyou won't always be able to placate everyone, - there's nomagic formula. However, the majority of people in this worldare reasonable people and if you treat them as such, thenthey're more likely to respond in a positive manner. Some more thoughts These notes are primarily designed to help deal withdifficult people when we have made a mistake. We often haveto deal with other people where we have not made a mistakehowever the people we're dealing with often prove to bedifficult and unwilling to accept what we say. We therefore need to demonstrate assertive behaviour thathelps us communicate clearly and confidently our needs,wants and feelings to other people without abusing in anyway their human rights. Some books to read A Woman in Your Own Right - Anne Dickson Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway - Susan Jeffers Irresistibility - Philippa Davis Why Men don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps - Allan & Barbara Pease Alan Fairweather is the author of four ebooks in the "Howto get More Sales" series. Lots of practical actions youcan take to build your business and motivate your team.-http://www.howtogetmoresales.com
MORE RESOURCES: AI Chatbots Are Ready to Talk to Customers. Sort of. The Wall Street Journal Pricing, AI, DPA, Customer Service Tools; Bill Emerson Interview; Training This Week; STRATMOR CD Workshop Mortgage News Daily Samsung Electronics Canada Customer Service Wins Bronze in ‘Best Use of Omni Channel' at International CX Awards 2024 Yahoo Finance Qme secures $3M funding to streamline customer service across Africa Techpoint Africa Building Competitive Advantage in Customer Care Through AI The Business of Fashion 311 Customer Service Center City and County of San Francisco FTC Finalizes Order with H&R Block Requiring Them to Pay $7 Million and Overhaul Advertising and Customer Service Practices for 2025 and 2026 Tax Seasons Federal Trade Commission News Ikea expands integration with assembly services platform Chain Store Age JEA is inviting bids for 19-story downtown tower that used to be its headquarters The Florida Times-Union Consumers Demand Enterprises Modernize to Improve Ailing Customer Experience, Says Research Business Wire American Lamprecht Enhances Visibility for Air and Ocean Shipments Using Descartes Solution Supply Chain Dive Women in Fintech: A Conversation About Loyalty Ecosystems in Financial Services with Becky Hill Finovate Neterra Enhances Its Customer Service Monitoring System Total Telecom Gladly Named a Leader in Constellation ShortList™ for Digital Customer Service and Support PR Newswire QueueKiosk™: Saving Thousands of Active-Duty Man Hours & Improving Customer Service at the MPF Office Kiosk Marketplace Finally, hard data on a real-world AI business use case: It’s huge for customer service Sherwood News Liverpool reinvents customer service through digital platform ComputerWeekly.com CSPI & Nutrition Action Customer Service CSPI Newsroom Firm to expand customer service in Yorkshire with new service centre Golf Business News Textron Aviation to Open New Service Facility at Essendon Fields Airport, Expanding Capabilities in Australia Pittsburg Morning Sun Help Department of Taxation and Finance Six Game-Changing AI Customer Service and CX Strategies Hospitality Net Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) New York State Department of Health Cigna's customer-centric strategy could ripple across the sector Modern Healthcare Major AI Success Story: Giftify Achieves 40% Faster Customer Response Times with Enterprise AI StockTitan Contact Us About Your Bill myclearwater.com Customer Service Center apps.tampagov.net 311 - Birmingham’s Customer Service Center City of Birmingham (.gov) Palm Coast Utility Department Celebrated for Enhanced Customer Service City of Palm Coast DESCO's meeting held to enhance customer service and power reliability The Business Standard 70% of customer service to rely on AI by 2028: Gartner Outsource Accelerator Customer Service & Support Hillsborough County (.gov) My experience as a Customer Service and Sales Intern Toby Shapiro's Experience at A.D. Sutton and Sons Chapman University 3 Ways To Quickly Make $50 GOBankingRates Delta’s annual profit-sharing day spotlights ‘people first’ strategy The Atlanta Journal Constitution Welcome to Riverside Public Utilities City of Riverside (.gov) Celebrate Customer Service Week City of Riverside (.gov) Which companies have the best customer service? Amazon, Shein, Costco among top-rated brands USA TODAY Con Edison Proposes Investments to Meet Growing Demand for Clean Energy, Enhance Customer Support T&D World Fulton County Recognized as a 2024 National Customer Service All Star Fulton County Government Contact Reverb Support Reverb Charter Names Robyn Tolva Senior Vice President, Customer Service Reliability | Charter Charter Communications America's Best Customer Service 2025 Newsweek 8 strategies for using AI for customer service in 2025 Sprout Social Attorney General Bonta Demands Better Customer Service for Californians California Department of Justice AI for Customer Service Market worth $47.82 Billion by 2030 - Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™ PR Newswire Can artificial intelligence rescue customer service? The Economist Permits–customer services King County Lifeline Support for Affordable Communications Federal Communications Commission Shep Hyken, HPU Customer Service Expert, Mentors Students and Staff High Point University Department of Transportation Governor Tom Wolf President Biden Announces New Customer Service Actions, Targets Subscriptions and ‘Doom Loops’ CX Today 11 key elements of excellent customer service Business.com Launch of New Districtwide Customer Service Platform The School District of Philadelphia Summer EBT | Department of Human Services Governor Tom Wolf Video Quick Take: Intercom’s Brian Donahue on How AI Agents Can Be Your First Tier of Customer Service Support HBR.org Daily |
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