Transcript 1.08

1.08
Resolve conflicts with/for
customers to encourage repeat
business
Handle Difficult Customers
3 Main Types of Difficult Customers
1. Disagreeable
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Unpleasant and hard to help
2. Domineering/ Superior:
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Feel they know more and are better than the
average person
Overly confident
3. Dishonest:
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Intentionally attempt to avoid paying part or all of
the price for a good or service
Categories of Disagreeable Customers
• Argumentative:
– Seem to look for problems and disagree
• Impatient:
– Show verbally and nonverbally that they do not want
to wait
• Leave-me-alone:
– Don’t want any assistance or advice
Categories of Disagreeable Customers
• Irritable/Moody:
– Display any attitude that is difficult to deal with
• Insulting:
– Make unpleasant remarks or use foul language
• Complaining
– Think everything is wrong
Categories of Disagreeable Customers
• Slow/Methodical:
– Hesitant to make buying decisions
– Require a lot of time to decide
Categories of
Domineering/Superior Customers
• Suspicious:
– Want facts and proof before making the final buying
decision
– Question everything you tell them
– Has had previous bad experiences with other businesses
Ways Customers are Dishonest
• Always trying to take advantage of employees
• Do not pay for products
– Theft, pilferage or shoplifting
• Purchase goods–use them–and return them
• Switch or alter prices in store
• Damage goods in store and then ask for discounts
Situations when
Customers become Difficult
• Problems with merchandise
– Broken or damaged items
• Changed mind
• Problems with company
• Rude treatment by an employee
Why Attempt to Handle Difficult
Customers?
• “The Customer is ALWAYS right”
• Strong Customer Service (aka successful handling of
difficult customers) =
– Loyal customers who will spend money again
– Advantage over the competitors (steal away their customer)
– Word of Mouth
No
Customers
No Sales
No Profit
Out of
Business
General Guidelines for Handling
Difficult Customers
• Be a good listener
• Think before you respond
– Be detached and professional
– Do not offer excuses
• Involve senior management if needed
• Be aware of the rules
– Know your company’s customer-facing processes inside-out
• Empathize
– Show the customer you understand their situation
• Resolve the issue
– Actively initiate a process to tackle the customer’s complaint
– Tell the customer the steps you propose to take
“We Do”
1. Review the Specific Guidelines for Handling Different Types of Difficult Customers
(HANDOUT)
1. You will be role-playing a situation with a difficult customer.
2. Mrs. Byers will be the difficult customer who will either be:
– disagreeable, dishonest, domineering/superior, slow/methodical, or suspicious.
3. To prepare for the encounter, review the techniques that are supposed to be used with
each type of difficult customer and the business’s policies. They are:
– Products will be accepted for exchange or refund only when accompanied by a sales
receipt.
– Refunds are given up to 30 days after a purchase.
– A credit to a customer’s account will be issued for charge-sale items that are returned.
– You cannot make cash refunds. Those must be obtained through the manager or credit
office by presenting the sales receipt and product.
– Goods which indicate obvious wear and tear cannot be returned.
– Salespeople should contact security when they suspect a customer of shoplifting. They
should watch the customer closely but not accuse the customer of shoplifting.
– Customer satisfaction is our goal!
4. Handle the situation, ending the interaction with a satisfied customer.
Handle Customer Complaints
Complaint
A customer’s dissatisfaction expressed orally, silently
or in writing
– Some customers actually express the true reasons
– Others do not tell the real reasons
• These customers normally conceal the real complaint
• Example:
– Customer returns a pair of shoes due to the “color of the shoe” but
the real reason was the high price
– Salesperson must skillfully question and inspect the product to
discover the real complaint
3 Main Reasons for Customer
Complaints
Some complaints are justified, while others aren’t
1. Products
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Poor quality
Improper buying decisions (lack of assistance from salesperson)
2. Personnel
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Pushy and rude salespeople
Gives incorrect information
3. Business
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Type of business offered or lacking
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Example: Refusing to accept a credit card
Don’t follow policy
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Examples: Don’t take back a return
Costs of Customer Complaints
• Loss of sales
– Present and Future
– One dissatisfied customer may tell 10 other potential customers
• Damaged Brand Image
• Additional Recordkeeping and Paperwork
– Equals TIME
• Markdowns on Returned Goods
– ½ of returned goods are resold but at a reduced prices
Benefits of Customer Complaints
1. Goodwill
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Properly settling complaints will promote goodwill (positive
feeling towards the business)
2. Increased sales
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Repeat customers and may tell others
3. Buying information
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Use previous complaint information to prevent future complaints
IMPORTANCE OF APPROPRIATELY
HANDLING CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS
• Should:
– Be immediate
– Be effective
– Offer customer satisfaction
– Follow company policy
– Follow company procedure
Handling Customer Complaints:
POLICY
• Develop Company Policy
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General rules followed by personnel
Avoids misunderstandings
Fair & consistent treatment of customers
Flexible for interpretation by management
Based mainly on customer satisfaction
Handling Customer Complaints:
PROCEDURES
• Develop Company Procedures
– Step by step processes for performing specific tasks
when handling a customer complaint
1. Listen for the reason of the complaint
2. Thank the customer for bringing the problem to your
attention
3. Restate the Complaint to make sure you are on the same
page
4. Investigate the problem
5. Explain company policy to the customer
6. Take action to solve the complaint
WHEN HANDLING COMPLAINTS A
SALESPERSON MUST REMEMBER:
• Take action based the solutions that are possible within the
business's policies
• Prevent customer complaints by accurately determining each
customer's needs
– Suggesting appropriate products to meet those needs
• General Steps to successfully handling a customer complaint
1.
2.
3.
Salesperson must fully understand a customer's complaint
Decide if the complaint is justified
Investigate the problem to determine how the situation can be handled within
company policy
“We Do”
1. Get in groups of two
2. Pick who is the employee and who is the
customer with the complaint
3. What is the complaint?
4. What are the procedures to appropriately
respond to the compliant?
5. Write out the complaint and the procedures
to be turned in for a grade
6. Perform role play to the class
7. Grade each other’s role plays