Why Customers Get Upset and Why You’re Likely the Problem

When you deal with customers on a regular basis you are going to have issues come up. Customers not happy with your service. Your frustration can compound when despite your best efforts to help, customers seem as though they don’t want to be helped.

Who Are These People?

They can act rude, bossy, picky, difficult and downright crazy. Actually, customers are just regular people like you that want their needs taken care of. Likely you have been an unhappy customer. Your needs were not met. Were you justified in being unhappy? Likely you would say that you were. With that in mind we must check our attitude toward customers when they are not happy.

The Natural Response

When someone gets upset with us due to the service that we have provided we respond in two ways that turn issues into difficult problems:

• We defend ourselves and others in our company. 
• Identify the customer as the problem. When you react in this way it becomes very difficult to resolve the issue. Instead you get into a mode of justification of your own actions and focusing on the problem instead of the solution. If you find that many customers are difficult to deal with, you are the common element in each situation and likely you and your thinking are the problem.

Customer Experience Goal

Keep in mind our goal: ‘Do whatever it takes to get the check!’ No this is NOT our goal. That is a bad thought process to start. 

Our real goal is: ‘Leave Every Customer Wanting to Refer Friends and Family.’

DO NOT:

• Rehash Details of The Problem 
• Defend Yourself Assuming the Customer Is at Fault 
• Position Yourself in Opposition to the Customer 
• Reduce Your Goal to Just Getting the Check

DO:

• Focus on Our Goal 
• Focus on Solutions 
• Listen to The Customer 
• View Customer Issues as Legitimate

Be Solution Oriented Not Problem Oriented

Customers are going to have valid issues. Even though they may get irritated, they are just normal people who want their properties fixed properly. Keep in mind that even when issues come up our objective is still to leave them wanting to refer us to friends and family. 

When we keep this as our objective in every case and execute accordingly, we often can turn a customer who has brought up an issue into a more loyal customer than one who never had a problem to begin with. 

Why Think ‘Solutions’ Instead of ‘Problems’?

You will never win an argument with a customer. No one in the history of customer service has ever won an argument with their customer. Arguing is a symptom of a focus on the problem at hand instead of a solution. It is flawed thinking to believe that we need to defend our position, first establishing that we weren’t wrong before proceeding with a solution. 

Proper thinking is to immediately begin focusing on a solution. That is the purpose of the customer approaching you in the first place. They are never interested in finding out what caused the problem, they just want it to go away. That is what you want as well. You want the problems gone. So, focus on the solution instead of the problem.

Contrast Solution and Problem Focused Thinking

Note that problem-oriented thinking takes you away from the objective of finding a solution. It is negative. Unfortunately, this is the natural response since our customer is bringing a problem to us.

Contain the Issue

Contain problems within your organization. This means not allowing the customer to escalate issues to parties outside your organization. When issues are contained within your organization, they are much simpler and easier to resolve. When an additional party is involved complexity will be added. 

People feel the need to escalate issues when they feel a lack of confidence that a problem will be resolved, perceive a lack of concern on the part of the representative or if it is not being handled in a timely way. Sometimes this occurs despite your best efforts.

There are two things that successful companies do to contain and resolve issues:

• Verbally explain to the customer that since you know the most about their claim, you are in the best position to address any questions they may have. Additionally, state that you will work to quickly resolve all issues that arise in connection with the restoration of their property. And then do it! 
• Give them an issue escalation plan. You must develop confidence in the customer that you can and will successfully restore their property. If you are finding that customers regularly call their adjuster or agent instead of calling you, they lack confidence in you.

A written escalation plan is extremely successful in keeping issues within your organization. As an example, the escalation plan could arrive as a letter addressed to the individual from the owner or principles in the organization. The letter welcomes them as a customer, thanks them for trusting you with their property and assures them of the interest you have in seeing their property fully restored. Then the owner gives his or her cell phone number and email address and expressly states that if there are any issues that arise that are not being handled as expected, they should please contact the owner immediately 24 hours a day and he or she will make sure that they are immediately fixed. 

By giving the customer a way to escalate things within your organization you will have much greater success in containing issues. When issues are contained you have a much greater chance of creating loyal customers that want to refer you to friends and family members.

Own the Solution

When a customer approaches you with an issue, it is your responsibility to see that issue to resolution. It is all too easy to just say you had nothing to do with the issue and forward them on to someone else, but this is very frustrating for the customer. You must Own the Solution! 

When resolving issues there are often emotions involved. Since it is difficult to overcome an issue when someone is very upset our first objective is to help calm the situation. Once the situation is calmed down, then quickly offer a solution that is agreeable to the customer. 

In the process of being faced with this volatile situation we have to be careful not to get over taken by our own emotions, becoming angry or frustrated. Keep in mind that this is not personal. Don’t allow it to become personal. One technique that is successful in keeping our emotions in check is to have a clear process for issue resolution.

Solutions Process

A simple acronym for remembering this process is WALRAS. Sounds like ‘walrus’ but spelled differently. 

When an issue arises… 

Apologize immediately to calm the situation. Ask kindly the person to carefully explain the situation. 

Listen intently without interrupting. Let them vent. Do not attempt correct them on any points. 

Repeat the specifics of the issue as you understand them. You must understand the issue before you attempt to create a solution. Be careful not to sound doubtful or questioning in any way. You just want to make sure you understand the issue. 

Apologize again with the problem in mind. It is good to include a specific or two that you just agreed upon in the apology. 

Solve the problem. If a solution is obvious and you are authorized to offer that solution, do so immediately. If a solution is not readily apparent ask what they believe to be an acceptable solution. If after attempting you cannot solve the problem set a specific time later that same day to call them back with a proposed solution. 

Follow Up It is important to follow up after a solution has been agreed upon. Once the solution is put into effect, we need to be sure that it has solved the issue. It is necessary to schedule yourself a phone call or visit the day of, or at most a day or two after the solution is put in place. The purpose of this call is to be sure that we are achieving our objective of developing a loyal customer. If the individual is happy with our solution, ask if at this point, they would feel comfortable referring us to friends and family members. If yes, we have been successful. If not, determine why not. Start over with the solutions process above. Thank them for bringing the issue to you and let them know that you are available if any other issue were to arise. 

Emails Never respond to a customer issue by way of an email! It may seem like a quick easy way to move forward, but issue resolution is often emotional. Emotion cannot be properly conveyed by email. You may write a note in a kind manner, but because the customer is upset, they read frustration into your email that was never intended and it can make the situation worse. 

Email may be used after the situation is under control and a solution is obvious. Minor details at this point may be conveyed by email. Be

Proactive Think of ways to WOW the customer. Exceed their expectations. Be friendly, respectful and considerate of the customer and their property and you will likely avoid issues or at the least make them easier to solve. When you notice a change in the demeanour of the customer, approach them and ask them how you can help even if they haven’t addressed an issue. This type of proactive, solutions-oriented approach will make issues rare and easy to repair when necessary.