3. Problem solving
November 21, 20195. Interpersonal Skills at work!
November 21, 2019
Case study
No matter how much time you spend delivering good customer service, it’s important to remember you can’t please everyone every time. The key is to learn how to make the best of a difficult customer interaction and resolve the situation in a manner that satisfies everyone.
Arrogant clients
One of the most common cases of difficult yacht client is the one who thinks the crew has to fulfil all their whims. Two clients, for example, behaved disrespectfully to the waitresses who carried their food and drink. They did not stop clogging them with claims like “the glasses are not cold enough”, “the cocktail does not have enough vodka,” “I do not like the colour of your lipstick,” and so on. The demands became more and more arrogant, and when one of the clients allowed himself to touch the leg of the waitress, she could not stand and threw in his face the cocktail she was carrying.
Stubborn clients
A wealthy woman who chartered a 213ft yacht to cruise along Tuscany and Sardinia racked up a €350,000 (£256,000 or $380,000) bill for damages due to her stubbornness. While she was on board, none of the crew members were allowed to speak to her, other than her bodyguard. But when the yacht was caught in high winds, they explained that she would have to disembark for her safety.
She demanded that the yacht dock at Porto Rotondo, even after she was told the port is too small for a 213ft vessel and that it can be difficult to enter with a strong Mistral wind.
She defiantly demanded to leave the yacht in Porto Rotondo and refused the captain’s offer to depart on the 39ft tender. After a long discussion with the captain, the woman signed a special agreement to pay for any damage. The captain then entered into the port as it was lashed by 40-knot (46mph) gusts. Silver Star Yachting said he handled the boat excellently, but the wind pressed the yacht onto some rocks, causing huge damage to the hull. The woman disembarked and paid €350,000 in damages to the owner.
Lessons learned
1) Listen to their side of the story
One thing you do not have to do with a client is to ignore it. Customers just want to be heard, and even more, people will find out about their grievances. Listening allows you to connect with an angry customer. Put on their shoes, difficult customers want to understand that someone is listening, so you can nod while listening to their story.
2) Stay calm
Tackling difficult customers and complaints can be stressful. Don`t turn it into a situation YOU against THEM. Typically, this only leads to the escalation of anger. Instead, explain that you want to make the situation better for them and do it. Always the easiest way is to raise the tone, but this will not improve things at all. Try to stay calm and if it’s a physical confrontation, get them to sit down. This approach will also make the client calm down a bit. Do not be angry, remind them that you want to help and that you need their cooperation to do that.
3) Do not take it personally
Most clients who need to solve a problem will not be your friends or acquaintances. Yes, some clients will be negative and will respond aggressively. Also, remember that not everyone can control their emotions and anger. With that in mind, you can do better with the situation.
4) Be natural
Be yourself. Do not act like you’re OK with something if you are not. Anyway, it’s hard to pretend too long. Especially if you work with those people who are hard for you to handle. One lie requires another. So, do not put masks and do not look inconsistent. You can not learn how to handle difficult people if you are not trustworthy. Put your position clearly and be firm without being rude.
5) Try to understand
This could be your client or colleagues at work. Remember that they say – keep your friends close, and the enemies even closer! So, turn to the hard person in your life. Try to see things from his point of view and this will help you communicate better. Find a solution that suits your individuality and environment and work for you.
6) Allow them to say everything
When dealing with a tough client, you should not interrupt him because the man would think you don`t care about his problem, and it would make his problem even worse. Even if this is a problem that often occurs, you should let them say what they want. A good way to quickly close the recurring complication is to listen to everything they need to tell you, direct them to such cases you have done and explain how you will use this attempt to solve their difficulty. In fact, you can understand what the problem is, but there is an aspect of it that you do not “understand”. Difficult clients like to divert and it’s good to allow them to say everything.
7) Do not say they are guilty
Besides, if the case is not so serious as to go to court and legal clash – do not tell the client that he is guilty. Yes, maybe they are not always right, but no one likes to hear it. Difficult customers love attention and it is your job to provide them with a professional way. Do not try to justify your point of view. You would certainly have the opportunity to express your point of view, but do not turn it into battle.
8) Try to agree with them
Deal with difficult clients by agreeing. It is not always wise to use reasonable thinking in a conversation to explain the things to a client – although this should be the case. The tough client does not want to feel like he’s talking nonsense and right here you can join. If it is possible to agree with them, even if it is just a point of view – do it. “Agree!”
9) Ask for their help
Clients who have experienced poor service believe they know two things – the problem and the solution. So ask them for their help, let them tell you how they want this issue to be resolved. It may be something you have already thought of, but when you do it in the way of the client, they will feel that they have done something good for your business. They will think they have been heard, and that is very important.
10) Suggest a solution if theirs doesn’t work
Your client may offer a non-compliant solution. So you must always have another solution and readiness to resolve the difficulty before facing a tough client. This is the ideal end and the ready solutions would help a lot.
A short explanatory Video
You will find the following short video helpful in understanding the subject-matter:
A Simple TEST…
SOURCES & RECOMMENDED FURTHER STUDY
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/dealing-with-difficult-people-at-work-1917903
