How to Deal with Customers

Canity

8 Jul 202211:14

Summary

TLDRThis video script emphasizes the importance of addressing customer disappointment promptly to prevent escalation and loss of business. It suggests active listening, empathetic responses, and offering solutions rather than excuses. The script also highlights the power of testimonials from satisfied customers for building trust and credibility, and the effectiveness of micro-learning for employee training, promoting short, focused lessons for better information retention and application.

Takeaways

🔍 Identifying customer disappointment is crucial to rectify issues and prevent future occurrences.
🚫 Avoid ignoring problems or providing excuses, as this can escalate dissatisfaction to anger and loss of customers.
👂 Listen carefully when a customer expresses disappointment, as it's an opportunity to resolve issues and restore trust.
🛑 Responding defensively to a customer's complaint can lead to further dissatisfaction and potential loss of business.
📅 Acknowledge the issue and assure the customer of a timely response to show commitment and reassure them.
🔄 Focus on providing solutions rather than excuses, which can help in maintaining a positive customer relationship.
🗣 Allow angry customers to vent fully, showing empathy and understanding without interruption.
🤝 Happy customers can become advocates; channel their enthusiasm to obtain genuine testimonials.
📝 Make it easy for customers to provide testimonials by asking in a non-intrusive manner or using their own words.
📈 Testimonials build trust, appear unbiased, and can help overcome skepticism from potential customers.
🎓 Micro learning offers short, focused lessons that are easier to digest and can improve information retention and application.

Q & A

Why is it important to identify a customer's disappointment?
-Identifying a customer's disappointment is crucial because it provides an opportunity to rectify the situation, prevent future disappointments, and avoid turning a disappointed customer into an angry and potentially lost customer.
What does the word 'but' often indicate when mentioned by a customer?
-The word 'but' often indicates that a customer is disappointed. They were initially excited about a product or service but have encountered an issue that needs to be addressed.
What should you avoid when responding to a disappointed customer?
-You should avoid being defensive or making excuses when responding to a disappointed customer. Instead, focus on acknowledging their concern and working towards a solution.
What is a more effective response to a customer complaining about an issue like color discrepancy?
-An effective response would be acknowledging the concern, asking for more information (like a picture), and committing to follow up with a solution within a specified time. This approach shows you are taking the issue seriously and working to resolve it.
How should you handle an angry customer who is venting their frustration?
-Allow the angry customer to vent without interrupting, showing empathy through active listening. Once they have finished, respond with empathy before focusing on finding a solution.
Why are customer testimonials valuable for a business?
-Customer testimonials are valuable because they build trust, provide social proof, and help potential customers overcome skepticism. They are more persuasive than self-promotion because they come from real, unbiased customers.
What is the best way to obtain a testimonial from a satisfied customer?
-The best way to obtain a testimonial is to ask for permission to use a positive comment the customer has already made. You can do this directly in conversation, via email, or over the phone.
Why is it important to acknowledge a customer's positive feedback immediately?
-Acknowledging positive feedback immediately is important because it reinforces the customer's enthusiasm and prevents them from feeling embarrassed or disappointed, ensuring that their positive experience is fully appreciated.
What is micro-learning, and why is it effective in a busy work environment?
-Micro-learning involves short, focused lessons on specific topics, making them easier to digest and more aligned with modern learning behaviors. It's effective in busy environments because it reduces training time while improving retention and application of skills.
How does repetition play a role in micro-learning?
-Repetition in micro-learning helps reinforce the material, making it easier for learners to retain and apply the information. Short, repeated sessions are more effective than lengthy, one-time training courses.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Addressing Customer Disappointment

The first paragraph emphasizes the importance of recognizing and addressing customer disappointment promptly. It warns against ignoring the issue or providing excuses, which can escalate the situation and lead to customer loss. The script provides an example of a poor response and contrasts it with a better approach that involves acknowledging the concern, requesting additional information, and committing to a timely follow-up. The goal is to resolve the issue and restore the customer's faith in the organization. It also touches on the importance of letting angry customers vent their frustrations while showing empathy and understanding, which can help in resolving the complaint effectively.

05:02

📢 Harnessing the Power of Testimonials

The second paragraph discusses the value of customer testimonials in building trust and credibility for a business. It suggests that happy customers can be powerful advocates and provides strategies for soliciting testimonials without directly asking for them. The script offers examples of how to use a customer's own words to their advantage and how to make the process easy for them, such as through email, phone, or social media. It also highlights the importance of focusing on testimonials that substantiate claims, endorse key benefits, and are credible. The paragraph concludes by encouraging businesses to make an effort to extract powerful testimonials from happy customers, as they serve as social proof and can significantly influence potential customers.

10:02

🍰 The Benefits of Micro Learning

The third paragraph introduces the concept of micro learning, which involves short, focused lessons on a single topic, making them easier to digest for busy professionals. It argues that micro learning is more effective in a work environment where time is valuable and attention spans may be short. The script explains how repetition through micro learning can improve understanding, retention, and performance. It also points out that micro learning aligns with modern learning behaviors influenced by smartphones and social media, making it more engaging and preferred by learners. The paragraph concludes by highlighting the benefits of micro learning, such as decreased downtime, increased productivity, and better skill application.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Disappointed Customer

A 'disappointed customer' refers to someone whose expectations have not been met by a product or service. In the video, this concept is crucial as it emphasizes the need to recognize and address customer dissatisfaction to prevent them from becoming angry or lost customers. For example, the video describes how a customer might express disappointment by saying, 'I was so excited to receive my order, but…,' signaling the shift from excitement to disappointment.

💡Defensive Response

A 'defensive response' occurs when a business blames the customer for their dissatisfaction or provides excuses instead of addressing the issue. The video advises against defensive responses because they can escalate the situation, making the customer feel invalidated. An example from the script is when a company deflects by saying, 'the colors on the site are just a guide,' instead of trying to resolve the customer's complaint about the product.

💡Empathy

'Empathy' is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person. The video highlights its importance in customer service, especially when dealing with complaints. By showing empathy, businesses can validate the customer's feelings and work toward a solution. For instance, acknowledging the customer's frustration with phrases like 'I hear exactly what you're saying' helps to de-escalate tension.

💡Golden Opportunity

A 'golden opportunity' refers to the chance a business gets to turn a negative experience into a positive one by resolving the customer's issue promptly. The video stresses that handling a complaint effectively can restore customer faith. For example, after receiving feedback about a disappointing product, offering a quick solution or compensation can prevent customer loss and even improve their perception of the company.

💡Testimonial

A 'testimonial' is a statement from a customer expressing satisfaction with a product or service, often used in marketing to build trust. The video explains how genuine testimonials from happy customers serve as powerful endorsements that can influence potential buyers. An example is when a company asks a satisfied customer for permission to use their positive feedback, such as, 'May I use that feedback on our website?'

💡Social Proof

'Social proof' refers to the idea that people are more likely to trust a product or service when others endorse it. The video discusses how testimonials serve as social proof, helping future customers feel confident in their purchasing decisions. This concept is key to building credibility, as potential buyers see others validating the company's claims.

💡Micro Learning

'Micro learning' is the concept of delivering education in short, focused lessons that are easier to digest and retain. The video describes how this approach, especially through short videos or bite-sized training sessions, can be more effective for employee training compared to longer courses. An example given is training employees to handle difficult customers with repeated short lessons over a week or month.

💡Repetition of Learning

'Repetition of learning' is the process of reinforcing information through repeated exposure. The video explains that frequent repetition of small, focused lessons helps employees retain and apply new skills more effectively. For example, it suggests watching short videos on handling difficult customers multiple times to improve retention and performance.

💡Empathetic Response

An 'empathetic response' is a communication technique where the listener acknowledges and validates the speaker's feelings. The video highlights the importance of using empathetic responses when dealing with upset customers, such as saying, 'Thank you for letting us know' instead of offering excuses. This builds trust and shows the customer that their concerns are being taken seriously.

💡Customer Advocacy

'Customer advocacy' refers to when a satisfied customer actively promotes a company's products or services to others. The video stresses that turning happy customers into advocates can be beneficial for the company, as they offer powerful, genuine testimonials. The example of asking a satisfied customer if their feedback can be used on the website demonstrates how companies can encourage advocacy.

Highlights

Identifying a customer's disappointment is crucial as it provides an opportunity to rectify the situation and prevent future issues.

Ignoring customer complaints or giving excuses can turn a disappointed customer into an angry one, potentially leading to lost business.

The word 'but' in a customer's feedback often signals disappointment and should prompt immediate action to resolve the issue.

A defensive response to a customer's disappointment can exacerbate the situation and damage the customer relationship.

Acknowledge the customer's concern, thank them for the feedback, and commit to resolving the issue within a specific timeframe.

Letting an angry customer vent their feelings fully helps them feel heard and understood, which is essential for effective conflict resolution.

After a customer has vented, respond with empathy and focus solely on finding a solution without offering excuses.

Happy customers can be powerful advocates, and it's important to actively seek and use their testimonials to build trust and credibility.

Make it easy for customers to provide testimonials by using their own words and asking for permission to use their feedback.

Offering incentives or setting up feedback forms can help gather positive testimonials from satisfied customers.

Acknowledging and matching a customer's enthusiasm when they provide positive feedback helps reinforce their satisfaction and prevents potential disappointment.

Microlearning, which offers short, focused lessons, is more effective and engaging for modern learners compared to traditional, longer training sessions.

Repetition is key to retaining information, and microlearning makes it easier by allowing for repeated exposure to short bursts of content.

Microlearning is aligned with modern behaviors shaped by smartphones and social media, making it more appealing to today's workforce.

Microlearning leads to better engagement and retention, with an 8 out of 10 preference rate among learners compared to traditional methods.