Have you ever had a customer who came in angry before you even had an opportunity to help? It can be difficult to get through a transaction when customers have already decided that the interaction will be a bad experience and are determined to prove themselves right. So how do you prepare to handle these customers with care?
Training is Key
Excellent customer service doesn’t happen by accident. It’s important to ensure the team knows the definition of great service and that training is provided on how to be successful. Employees in our office are provided with annual employee expectations that define what customer service looks like to us. This covers what is expected from the time they greet the customer until the transaction is complete. In addition to defining customer service, all new and existing employees are required to attend an annual class on customer care. This serves as a refresher on the importance of customer service and provides an opportunity to learn new tips on how to handle challenging situations. The more training opportunities provided to the team, the more successful they will be in consistently providing great service.
Let Them Be Heard
When dealing with an upset customer, it’s our job to look past the emotions of the situation and focus on the facts so we can work to find an acceptable solution to their problem. Here are a few tips that help de-escalate challenging customer interactions.
- Listen to what they are saying without interrupting. Sometimes customers just need to vent their frustration about the situation, and a listening ear can be just what is needed to help them recenter. When listening, it’s important to make sure to give them small verbal and non-verbal clues that you are hearing them. This can be a head nod or a simple “ok” or “I understand” to reassure them that you are engaged with what they are saying.
- Restate what is heard and display empathy for the situation. Once a customer has shared all of the details, provide a quick recap of what was heard, allow the customer to correct anything that may have been misunderstood, and then acknowledge his or her frustration. Validating someone’s feelings not only assures the customer that the message was understood, but it also helps to build trust and demonstrate genuine care and a desire to help. Additionally, if the issue was the result of an experience the customer had in the office, offer a sincere apology for the negative experience.
- Try to make things right. Demonstrate a commitment to help resolve the issue and provide alternative solutions. Unfortunately, sometimes what the customer wants is not possible because the complaint involves a law or some other rule that cannot be altered. Acknowledging the frustration with the situation and offering simple gestures, such as not having to wait in line again if the customer must leave and come back or providing direct contact information if there are additional follow-up questions, can go a long way toward validating a sincere dedication to helping with the problem.
Control What You Don’t Say
Have you ever heard anyone say, “It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it?” There’s a good chance that they were referring to body language. Some 93 percent of communication is body language, voice, and expression. When speaking with an upset customer, don’t let what is not being said set the tone for the interaction. Work to maintain neutral body language and facial expressions during interactions to allow your words to be louder than your actions. Some examples include:
- Maintain eye contact to show you are listening.
- Keep a relaxed, calm facial expression.
- Avoid crossing your arms or turning away from the customer, which may be interpreted as not being interested in what they are saying.
- Avoid rolling your eyes or sighing. While this seems obvious, these small gestures can happen unintentionally, so make it a habit to be mindful of them.
People remember how you made them feel, not what you said. By taking control of your body language, you increase your opportunity for success to help the customer hear what you can do to help them.
It’s Not You, It’s Life
More times than not, customers are probably upset because of the situation they are experiencing, and you just happen to be the outlet for that frustration. While it can be hard to not take it personally, there are a few things you can keep in mind when the heat is on.
- See the customer as a person, not a task. We work in customer service. The customer is not interrupting our job; they are our job, regardless of his/her temperament. By adjusting our mindset when helping an upset customer from “I have to talk to them” to “How can I make their experience better,” we place ourselves in a better position to stay calm and helpful.
- Allow room for bad days. Sometimes, what seems like a small thing can create a big response in someone who brought the circumstances of their life with them into the office. You never know what is going on in someone’s life, like grief or health conditions, that can alter how people handle relatively ordinary tasks. Stay calm and leave plenty of room for grace, which may be just what the customer needs in that moment.
Tax Office customers don’t have a choice on where to go to take care of their transactions, but that doesn’t mean that their experience has to be negative. Setting expectations for the team, training, and seeing customers as people who may just need a little grace can go a long way to successfully navigating difficult interactions. The goal is for the customer to leave thinking, “Wow. That was easier than I thought it would be.” Achieving this goal will make things better for you and leave a positive impression of County Government in the customer’s mind.
