Defuse emotion by being proactive, not reactive.

Deal with the complaint immediately.

Thank them for bringing the situation to your attention. You cannot fix what you don't understand.

One of the best ways to diffuse anger from another person is to listen to them. Much anger and frustration stems from people feeling misunderstood, ignored or not cared for. Then let them know that you regard this as very important and take such matter seriously.

If you are face to face with a customer take the customer away from the general public to deal with the matter privately. Then ask them to describe their problem.
Once you have heard the issues relay it back to the customer and ask them to confirm if that is correct. Make sure they know you understand their problem clearly and the problem can only be solved if you understand it first.

Train your team what to do and have a formal system for complaint handling.

Seek first to understand and only then to be understood.

Attack the problem, not the person. Once you have a clear understanding of the problem, look for areas of agreement before addressing the differences

Abandon the concept of winning and losing. Instead, when faced with conflict, adopt a strategy of resolution

Avoid negative or confrontational language. Rather than "buts" and "you're wrongs," try using positive language that disarms rather than confronts, such as: "I understand your position..." or "I can see your point and here is where I'm coming from ..."

Look for similarities in your positions rather than focusing on your differences.

Deal with confrontation immediately.

A complaint dealt with probably can lead to a future long and good business relationship with your customer. This is part of great customer services.

Supplied by Amicable Business Coaching – Business Growth Specialist

Tel 0800 781 0414

http://www.effectivebusiness.info


patrick@effectivebusiness.info

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