Dealing with Complaints and

Difficult Customers

[Photo of Presenter]

C.W. Miller

President, CTC

cw@customtrainingconcepts.com

www.customtrainingconcepts.com

The views expressed in presentations made at International Hearing Society (IHS) educational events are those of the speaker and not necessarily of IHS. Presentations at IHS events, or the presence of a speaker at an IHS event, does not constitute an endorsement of the speaker's views.

From the desk of

our Attorney

The Life cycle of a failed customer relationship

Why difficult customers do what they do

Who’s really got the monkey (the problem)

Emotional Hijacking

The Dynamic loop of a complaint

How to handle complaints for positive outcomes

Q&A

Agenda

Learning Objectives:

After this seminar, participants will be able to…

1. recognize and diminish the impact of emotional

hijacking.

2. apply a five step process to turn complaints into

opportunities.

3. explain why difficult people do what they do and

how they push our buttons.

4. avoid the number one most critical mistake in

handling complaints.

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Four Stages

A good job of presenting ourselves

On our best behavior Carefully watch how they react

to our efforts Try to make them feel special Adjust as necessary to

strengthen the relationship

Everything is wonderful. We celebrate the joy of

coming together. We’re so thankful to have

them. We don’t even notice those

minor difficulties. They’re all ours. (Forever?)

The parties are getting used to each other.

They begin to take each other for granted.

Failures to meet expectations are noticed.

It doesn’t feel special any more.

Unresolved conflicts cause mistrust and resentment.

Patience has been exhausted. They’re no longer willing to

tolerate problems. They begin to long for that

special feeling. They begin to look elsewhere

to regain the magic. Both parties are left

wondering what happened.

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Customer satisfaction is most often lost as the routine develops.

This is when apathy can easily set in for both parties.

Your ability to sustain lasting customer relationships depends on what you do during this part of the cycle.

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Consider a difficult situation you have encountered.

What do customers do that makes them

difficult.

Why do they do that?

They do it because it works

Behavior and actions are a choice

The answer – what’s in it for them

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The bigger question is…

“Why are they difficult for us?”

Separate the people from the behavior.

Decide who has the monkey.

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Pick a customer

What did they do? The behavior?

Why did it bother you? The impact?

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Would you accept this behavior from some people?

Why?

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Who’s Got the Monkey

• Separate person from the behavior

• Consider only the behavior

• Is it the person or our own perception

Are you the only one it bothers?

Do others bother you the same way?

Is the business unaffected?

Question Yourself

You may have the monkey!

Sometimes, people just seem to…

When the answers

are “yes”

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...push our buttons!

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Any event or action that causes a high level of emotion can be called an emotional trigger.

When an emotional trigger occurs, we choose our response.

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When our response seems to occur instantaneously without conscious thought it is

Emotional Hijacking

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Feeling Response Event or Action

Perceptions

And

Paradigms

Judgment

It can all happen in an instant!

Perceptions and paradigms reinforce each other!

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5 Minutes

50 Years

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Arbinger Institute

Hearts are at war

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Jonathan Haidt

Confirmation bias

Get along best with those like us

Most problems with the oppositional

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The key fact is that judgment is not always based on truth.

More often it is based on our view of reality according to our subconscious beliefs.

Unfortunately, past experience, coupled with established patterns can distort judgment causing feelings and responses that are problematic.

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Feeling

Concern

Expressed as

Complaint

Impacts our

Feelings

Choose a Response

Escalate

De- escalate

Feeling Concern

Expressed as

Complaint

Impacts our

Feelings

Choose a Response

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One of 3 Ways Destroyed

Sustained

Improved

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To a great extent, the nature of the exchange, and ultimately the direction the relationship takes, depends on our response.

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This goes for both external and internal customers.

When we get negative feedback; it doesn’t make us or our performance bad.

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You do not need to affirm their rightness, but you do need to affirm their importance and the importance of your relationship.

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What do they want?

To be acknowledged!

Don’t take it personally.

It’s not about you.

It’s really about them.

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“…anything that people hear from us that sounds like an analysis or a criticism, or that implies wrongness on their part prevents us from connecting with them…”

These verbal miscues are what I call “pushes.’

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Be sure your head is in

the right place.

Look at complaints as opportunities.

1) Acknowledge

2) Apologize (without blame)

3) Shift (To Positive)

4) Distinguish ourselves (Why we are special)

5) Resolve (Negotiate Solutions)

5 Step Shift

C.W. Miller

info@customtrainingconcepts.com

www.customtrainingconcepts.com