Don't Make the Customer Wrong, Make Them Right!
7 Sep, 2010
By: Aaron W. Taylor,Judy McKeeIt happens all the time...
Billing issues, technical support or purchasing a new product. Rarely does a week go by these days when we do not find ourselves contacting a call center. Unfortunately, we go into these situations with no expectation of being ‘wowed by the experience’ and, lately, it is becoming harder and harder to encounter these ‘wow’ moments. Yes, the representative went through the approved, often mechanical motions, but there was nothing ‘above and beyond,’ no experience that built our loyalty as a customer and nothing that would inspire us to call back again, unless we must. Chances are that somewhere along the way, the representative tasked with helping you actually made you feel ‘wrong & stupid.'
You know what I mean; I am sure you have experienced it. It’s that awkward point in the call where the representative rubbed you the wrong way, that unintentional comment that made you feel like you didn’t do your homework before calling, the subtle question that made you feel like you missed something and that the problem you are calling about is really your fault.
For those of us in call center leadership positions we easily recognize these poor calls, but, truth be told, we are often the culprits. Poor policy decisions, mandates from our corporate office, pressure to retain customers, initiatives to be more efficient, scripting and even poorly designed incentive programs can all foster an environment that manifests itself by creating an unsafe customer environment. Our intentions and motives were all in the right place (protect the company, retain revenue, stand behind our policy, etc.), but, ultimately, we need to take a step back, listen to our calls with a new set of criteria and start all over.
Let’s make them wrong!
Ever wish you could just tell a customer what you really think? The customer that just moments ago entered their credit card, clicked “I Agree”, confirmed their e-mail address, filled out a profile, used your service, but now they have no idea who you are and are threatening to file a bank dispute. Yeah, we all know this customer. What if you could just tell them what you really think, wouldn't it feel great to ‘make them wrong’?
Enter a bit of righteous indignation that shows up in all aspects of life and our front-line agents who field calls in our call centers are not exempt. Along the way, the agents were probably trained in company rules and policy and now use those same rules to make the customer feel less than satisfied, while attempting to make the company, and themselves, feel right. Let’s face it, there are many occasions when the customer is wrong, but, at the least, we need to make them feel 'right and smart' for doing business with us. There is always a path that will allow the agent to not only protect the company, but to also smooth the edges and save the customer embarrassment.
Both Judy McKee and I have years of experience building, developing and training world-class customer care organizations. In a recent training session with a banking client, Judy had the opportunity to observe some of her class attendees in action prior to their training session. She encountered a bank teller who in a very friendly way, repeatedly pointed out to a customer how he had not read the fine print of a contract. The teller said, “Sir, it says right here on your form that it takes ten working days for us to deposit an out of state check. You signed that document when you opened the account.” While the teller sounded friendly and was merely standing behind the policy of the bank, she made the customer feel ‘wrong.' The teller did not do this intentionally, because after all, she was just doing what she was trained to do by protecting the bank’s interest and standing behind the bank’s rules. Ultimately however, the customer walked out of the door feeling ‘wrong and stupid’ for not reading or remembering the details of the fine print and wishing he was banking somewhere else. I would like to think that we can train our agents to handle a difficult situation without saying things that make the customer feel ‘wrong’ or make the customer roll their eyes and shake their heads as they walk out of the bank or hang up the phone. What’s more important, the teller being ‘right’ and standing behind policy or the customer feeling ‘smart’ to be banking at that particular institution?
The ‘upset is never the upset’ when you create a safe-environment!
It is not easy to build a relationship over the phone in just a few minutes, especially when the customer is calling in to cancel their membership or return a product. Asking the standard opening questions like “why do you want to close your account?” or “what didn’t you like about the product?” may seem like decent probing questions, just like standing behind a wall of policy may appear to be a good line of defense. However, in reality all they do is put the customer on the defensive, ready to ‘fight’ for their refund or argue for a better solution. When we do not create a safe environment, customers go into what we call ‘deep thought mode’ and it makes them think “is there something wrong with me for wanting to return this item?” or “stupid me, I must have not have seen that fine print.” Instead, try using an approach that not only acknowledges the customer but one that invites a response. Opening questions such as “May I ask what led you to your decision today?” or “What initially piqued your interest in our product/service?” not only empowers our customers to make decisions but allows front-line agents to dig deeper and discover the true reason for the customer’s upset. Over the years, Judy and I have found that the upset typically disguises itself as a monetary issue when in reality it’s about something else, some unfilled expectation. If we can simply make it safe for the customer to tell us the true reason for the upset, we can earn an opportunity to tailor a solution that may re-engage the customer and build a loyal follower.
Open a new door…
Now imagine that same banking scenario that we described above. What if the teller said something like this instead… “Mr. Customer, we are so sorry this will be inconvenient for you. You are right; we should make that statement about out of state business checks more prominent on the form. Your business really does mean a lot to us and I see you have been a valued customer for many years. How about I speak with my manager to put a rush on clearing that check and then call you as soon as it clears? Would that be helpful?”
Everybody is looking for those ‘wow’ moments in customer care! Corporations talk about it, trainers and leadership give lip service to it but have few ideas on how to deliver these moments. What I really want more than anything else as a customer is a simple acknowledgement that I am important to the company I want to do business with and an assurance that they are going to do everything they can to find a resolution to my situation. The answer may not always be what I wanted, but if handled in a way that makes me feel valued and smart, I will walk away thinking, “Wow, they sure did everything they could to help me and they gave me a lift by not making me feel wrong or stupid.”
Judy and I have learned over the years that ‘standing behind policy’ as your single line of defense never pays off and, in most cases, will end with your front-line agent boxed in a corner and in need of a supervisor to come to the rescue. Of course, we have to have rules, guidelines and credit/refund procedures, but they need to be used as a component of an overall customer care strategy that truly embraces dialog with the customer, acknowledges the customers ‘pain points,’ finds a creative and proactive solution and, ultimately, creates a safe environment for our customers. If you can successfully weave all these components into your overall customer care mindset, the policy debate disappears and the rules will simply become a small piece of the puzzle. This approach will effectively arm the agents with the necessary tools in order for them to deliver those ‘wow’ moments that we often miss!
The choice is always yours. We challenge you to offer your agents new ways to say things so that they can support the company with words and phrases that will make the customer ultimately right and smart to do business with you and your company. Do you just want to be right or will you be the agent of change?
