Four Cs - Customer Service Training to... · Web viewHOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER ... improve...

How To Handle the Irate Customer

Workbook

30 Hollenberg Court • St. Louis, MO 63044PHONE: 314.291.1012 • 800-882-9911 FAX: 314.291.3710 www.telephonedoctor.com

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOK

CONTENTS

Getting The Most From The Participant Workbook.................................................................................................................... 3Before-and-After Skills Inventory................................................................................................................................................ 4Key Point #1: It’s Nothing Personal........................................................................................................................................... 6Key Point #2: The ASAP Technique.......................................................................................................................................... 7Key Point #3: You Can Satisfy Most People Most Of The Time................................................................................................8Key Point #4: Use Our Swear Stopper...................................................................................................................................... 9Bonus Tip: No Excuses........................................................................................................................................................... 10A Quiz on How To Handle The Irate Customer........................................................................................................................11A Closing Word........................................................................................................................................................................ 12Key Points................................................................................................................................................................................ 13Before-and-After Skills Inventory Answers............................................................................................................................... 14Answers to Quiz Questions...................................................................................................................................................... 15Answer Keys............................................................................................................................................................................ 16Participant Notes...................................................................................................................................................................... 17

About Telephone Doctor® Customer Service Training...Telephone Doctor® is a St. Louis based customer service training company which offers products and techniques designed to improve the service skills of customer contact employees. This video program is presented by Nancy Friedman, our founder and president. Through videos, CD-ROMS, web-based courses, books, audio programs and instructor-led workshops, Telephone Doctor® has helped tens of thousands of organizations increase revenue, improve customer satisfaction ratings, and reduce employee turnover. For additional information, please visit www.telephonedoctor.com.

And now some legal stuff…

We aim to be the nicest customer service training company in the world. :-) However, even the nicest company needs to diligently protect its intellectual property. Please respect the terms of our license and the copyright of our intellectual property.

This material is licensed solely for display by the licensed organization to its employees. It is illegal to loan, rent, or sell this material outside the licensed organization. It is illegal to display this material to train persons outside the licensed organization without a separate agreement for that purpose. Please contact 800.882.9911 or [email protected] to inquire about additional uses of our material.

Telephone Doctor® works to educate, detect, pursue and prosecute copyright violators using every civil and criminal remedy available. We offer a reward for information which leads to a recovery from individuals and/or organizations who pirate our content. Please contact 800.882.9911 or [email protected] to report an act of copyright piracy. Telephone Doctor, Inc. assumes no patent liability with respect to the use of the information contained herein. While every precaution has been taken in preparing this material, the publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions, or for any damage or injuries, resulting from use of the information contained herein.

Telephone Doctor is a registered trademark of Telephone Doctor, Inc.

Licensed for internal use only ©Telephone Doctor, Inc., St. Louis, MO

2


Getting The Most From The Participant WorkbookIn order to receive the maximum benefit of this Participant Workbook, a clear understanding of the value of training is necessary.

Why Training? No matter what you call your customers (citizens, members, students, clients, taxpayers or #*&@!), when you think

about it, they’re the ones who are providing your organization with its income. Your interaction with a specific customer will likely be the basis for that customer’s entire

impression of the service your organization offers. The single greatest way a company can distinguish itself from its competition is by the level of service it offers and

the higher level of service your organization offers, the more successful it will be. Successful firms are better able to compensate employees and increase the growth of their businesses.

Thus, it is vital to the success of your organization that you provide the most positive customer service communication with each and every customer.

What’s In It For You?This Telephone Doctor® course will provide you with simple, yet effective, skills and techniques which, when used exactly as directed, will improve your customer contact situations. The benefits to you are: Increased confidence from having the right tools. Reduced stress by better handling challenging situations. Increased job satisfaction from doing something well. That great feeling you get inside from helping others. Increased value to your employer.

Using The Participant Workbook With A Facilitator If this Participant Workbook is part of an instructor-led classroom setting, the facilitator will instruct you as to what

portions of the Participant Workbook will be used. Be sure to complete the exercises and participate fully. The more participation, the more rewarding the experience.

This Participant Workbook will help you learn and retain the important skills taught in this course. It is also valuable as a future reference source.

Using The Participant Workbook As A Self-Paced Study The Participant Workbook is designed to help process the information found in the video “How to Handle the Irate

Customer.” It serves as your guide and each Participant Workbook section is self-explanatory. Everything you need, besides a pen or pencil and the video, is included.

Before watching the video, complete the Quiz for “How to Handle the Irate Customer.” Retaking this Quiz after watching the video and completing the Participant Workbook will allow you to measure your own improvement.

Now, it’s time to view the video. We suggest first watching the entire video. Then watch it again, this time in small bits.

As you watch, take notes on designated pages in the back of the Participant Workbook.

When you’re confident you understand the skills presented in the video, begin answering the Review Questions in this Participant Workbook. Don’t rush. Take time to relate each Key Point to yourself and your job.


3


Before-and-After Skills InventoryBefore watching the program - HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER - answer the questions below to the best of your ability. Do not score your answers yet. Wait until you complete the second part of the Before-and-After Skills Inventory at the end of the course. Then score both your “Before” and “After” responses. You’ll find the correct answers on page 15 of this workbook. The difference between the two scores will show you how much you’ve learned in the course.

Before After

1. While 80% of your time with an irate customer will be spent solving the problem, □ □you will have to spend about 20% soothing the person’s feelings. (T or F)

2. You will be able to help most irate customers successfully, but there are certain times □ □ when the most appropriate course of action to take is simply hanging up on the customer.

(T or F)

3. In order to do a good job handling irate calls, it’s important to remember that the customer: □ □a. probably doesn’t know what he/she is talking about;b. is not angry at you personally, but at the company; or c. may not be satisfied no matter what you do.

4. When a customer is irate about a problem, offering a sincere apology: □ □a. could get your company into legal trouble; b. should wait until you know whose fault it is; orc. is the first thing you should do.

5. Because most irate customers understand that you didn’t cause their problem, yourself, □ □

a sincere “I’m sorry” is apology enough. (T or F)

6. Even if you’ve apologized, it’s important to sympathize with the customer’s anger and □ □frustration. (T or F)

7. Sympathizing with the feelings of an irate customer: □ □a. indicates disloyalty to the company;b. is always a good idea; orc. should only be done in severe cases.

8. Accepting responsibility for the irate customer’s problem: □ □a. is a recommended technique;b. should be left to upper management; or


4


c. is optional in each case.

Before After

9. By answering a call on behalf of your company, you automatically accept responsibility □ □for an irate customer’s problem. (T or F)

10. Most irate customers will be satisfied: □ □ a. if you apologize and sympathize, even though you can’t help; b. if you help them, even though you don’t apologize or sympathize; c. only if you apologize, sympathize, and help them.

11. Once you’ve apologized for the problem and sympathized with the irate customer’s □ □feelings, the best thing to do is:a. change to a less controversial subject; b. ask if the customer is feeling better now; or c. prepare to help solve the problem.

12. Dealing with irate customers means that, occasionally, you’ll need to put up with □ □abusive or offensive language. (T or F)

13. If an irate customer becomes abusive or begins swearing, the first thing you should do is: □ □a. take control of the call; b. refuse to help until the customer stops swearing; orc. hang up the phone.

14. Offering an excuse to an irate customer is the same as telling him/her you’re □ □ not going to help. (T or F)

15. With the proper skills, you can satisfy most customers most of the time, □ □even if they’re irate at first. (T or F)

Total Correct Answers: □ □Telephone Doctor®

Check-Up Report

- ÷ × 100 = After Before Before % Improvement


5


How Did You Do?


6

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKKey Point #1: It’s Nothing PersonalReview Questions:.

Have you ever taken a call and been greeted by a blast of angry words? How did you respond? What happened?

2. Most irate customers will begin to unload their anger before you get a chance to say anything more than your greeting. Why would a customer, to whom you’ve barely had a chance to say anything to, be angry with you?

3. If the customer is actually angry with the

company, why are you getting blasted?

4. When confronted by an angry customer, what are some things you should definitely not do?

TELEPHONE DOCTOR®PRESCRIPTION:1. Don’t hang up. It’s never okay to hang up on

a customer.2. Don’t be rude.3. Remember - it’s not personal.


7

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKKey Point #2: Use The ASAP TechniqueReview Questions:1. You know what not to do when dealing with an irate

customer, and that’s important. But what about something more positive? What can you do? What specific steps should you take with these customers?

2. What are the steps to be followed in using the ASAP technique to help an irate customer?

3. In many cases, the cause of a customer’s anger isn’t clear at first. Why is “Apologize” first on the list? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Why “Sympathize,” especially when you’ve just finished apologizing? Aren’t they almost the same? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. More often than not, you are not the one who caused the customer’s problem. So, why “Accept Responsibility?”____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6. Why include “Prepare to Help” on this list? Isn’t that true for any call? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE DOCTOR® PRESCRIPTION:1. Apologize. 3. Accept responsibility.2. Sympathize. 4. Prepare to help.


8

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKKey Point #3: You Can Satisfy Most People Most Of The Time

Review Questions:

1. How will the steps in the ASAP technique enable you to deal effectively with every irate call you receive? _______________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What should you do if you’ve followed the ASAP steps and the customer is still not satisfied? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. On those rare occasions when you’ve done your best and the customer still is not satisfied, then what? What is your company’s procedure for referring these calls to your supervisor or other manager?_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE DOCTOR® PRESCRIPTION:

1. Remember: You can satisfy most people most of the time.2. Know your company’s procedure for referring irate customers when necessary.


9

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKKey Point #4: Use Our Swear Stopper

Review Questions:

1. Have you ever had to deal with a customer who used profane or abusive language in voicing a complaint? How did you respond? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. What are some of the reasons why a customer might take this unfortunate approach?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. You already know that it’s never okay to be rude or to hang up on a customer. Does that mean you’re at the mercy of an abusive customer?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4. Without answering rudeness with rudeness or hanging up on the customer, what can you do to stop a customer who is being abusive or offensive?__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. Once you’ve taken control of the conversation and stopped the offensive language, then what? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


1. Interject immediately. Say, “Excuse me . . .”2. Assure the customer you can help. Say, “ . . . I can handle your problem, that’s not an issue . . .”3. Address the offensive language directly. Say, “ . . . I’m not able to handle your abusive language.”4. Keep control of the call. Begin asking follow-up questions immediately.


10

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKBonus Tip: No Excuses Review Questions:

1. When you’re dealing with a customer who is upset about an error your company made, do you try to “explain away” the mistake? Why do you think people tend to do that?

2. If it just seems natural to offer an excuse, why is it not a good idea? What problems can it cause?

3. If excuses aren’t allowed, what should you do?


1. Don’t offer excuses.2. Offer help.

A Quiz on How To Handle The Irate CustomerLicensed for internal use only

©Telephone Doctor, Inc., St. Louis, MO11

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKNote: Now that you have completed the activity pages in this workbook, take a few minutes and use this quiz as

a review of what you have learned. You’ll find the answers to these questions on page 16.

1. In order to handle irate calls effectively, it’s important to remember that you: a. are the target of the customer’s anger; b. are merely the channel for the customer’s anger; or c. must put up with whatever the customer says.

2. In handling an irate call, you may have to spend as much as 80% of your time soothing the customer’s feelings. (T or F)

3. Which of the following are the first steps to be taken in giving the best possible service to an irate customer? a. Place the customer on hold and notify your supervisor. b. Ask specific questions about the problem. c. Apologize for the problem.

4. Once you’ve taken that first step, what should you do next?a. Sympathize with the customer’s feelings; b. Listen to the customer’s account of the problem; or c. Tell the customer who caused the problem.

5. In reality, you accept responsibility for the customer’s problem the moment you:a. answer the phone on behalf of the company; b. apologize to the customer; orc. offer to help.

6. Offering a sincere apology to the irate customer and sympathizing with his/her feelings isenough to satisfy most people, even if you don’t actually help them. (T or F)

7. Using correct techniques will allow you to satisfy:a. the occasional irate customer;b. about half the irate customers you talk with; orc. most people most of the time.

8. Realistically, we have to expect that a certain percentage of irate customers are going toswear, and there’s nothing we can do about it. (T or F)

9. Offering irate customers an excuse for their problem is the same as telling them: a. “We wouldn’t do this to you without a good reason”;b. “You’re not the only one with problems”; orc. “I’m not going to help you.”

10. It’s okay to hang up on a customer who swears or becomes abusive. (T or F)


12


A Closing Word

On the next page, you’ll find a summary of the key points made in this course. They’re crucial because they can make a real difference to you and to your future. We urge you to do three things with them:

1. Memorize them;

2. Keep them in mind every time you use the telephone;

3. Practice them.

The last of the three is by far the most important. Knowing how to use the telephone effectively isn’t good enough. You need to put what you know to use. You need to make it work for you. If you do, you’ll get what we promised at the start of this course - more satisfaction from your job . . . and a brighter future for your company and for yourself.

● You’ve got the skills.

● You’ve got the knowledge.

● You’ve got the purpose.

● THE REST IS UP TO YOU.

Good Luck!

And Remember . . .

IT’S FUN TO BE GOOD!

Note: Don’t forget to complete the second part of the Before-And-After Skills Inventory on pages 4 and 5. Then score both your “Before” and “After” responses, using the Check-Up report on page 5. When you’ve finished, you’ll have a good indication of how much you’ve learned in this course.


13

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKKey Points: How To Handle The Irate Customer

1. It’s Not Personal

● Don’t hang up. It’s never okay to hang up on a customer.

● Don’t be rude.

● Remember - it’s not personal.

2. The ASAP Technique

● Apologize

● Sympathize

● Accept Responsibility

● Prepare to Help

3. You Can Satisfy Most People Most Of The Time

● Remember: You can satisfy most people most of the time.

● Know your company’s procedure for referring irate customers when necessary.

4. Use Our Swear Stopper

● Interject immediately. Say, “Excuse me . . .”

● Assure the customer you can help. Say, “. . . I can handle your problem, that’s not an issue . . .”

● Address the offensive language directly. Say, “. . . I’m not able to handle your abusive language.”

● Keep control of the call. Begin asking follow-up questions immediately.

5. Bonus Tip - No Excuses

● Don’t offer excuses.● Offer help.


14

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKBefore-and-After Skills Inventory Answers

Note: If you haven’t completed both the “Before” and “After” portions of the Before-and-After Skills Inventory, do not score your responses yet. Refer to page 5 for instructions.

1. F

2. F

3. b

4. c

5. F

6. T

7. b

8. a

9. T

10. c

11. c

12. F

13. a

14. T

15. T

Fill out the Check-Up Reporton page 5 and see how you did!


15


Answers to Quiz Questions

1. b

2. T

3. c

4. a

5. a

6. F

7. c

8. F

9. c

10. F


16


Answer Keys


17

HOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER WORKBOOKParticipant’s Notes:


18



19



20

Four Cs - Customer Service Training to... · Web viewHOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER ... improve...

Documents

Transcript of Four Cs - Customer Service Training to... · Web viewHOW TO HANDLE THE IRATE CUSTOMER ... improve...