The Customer Service Survival Kit
Page 1
Advance praise for
The Customer Service Survival Kit
“Rich Gallagher explores the daunting task of dealing with your most difficult customers in The Customer Service Survival Kit. This invaluable book provides service professionals of all levels with a clear framework of how to anticipate customer expectations and turn customer service nightmares into winning situations—every time!”
—Carolyn Healey, Publisher, SupportIndustry.com and RecognizeServiceExcellence.com
“When the worst-case scenarios happen, as they often do when serving customers, this book is a lifesaver! Knowing what to say, when to say it and how to say it will be the difference between having a former customer and a loyal customer!”
—Randi Busse, President and Founder of Workforce Development Group, Inc.
“What is the key to great customer service? Rich Gallagher shows how to confidently handle even the worst customer service issues!”
—Barry Moltz, author of Bounce! and Small Town Rules
“Just when I thought I had seen it all and learned as much as I could from Rich, he proves me wrong. The examples alone will give you reason to pick up the book time and time again.”
—Phil Verghis, Chief Everything Officer, The Verghis Group, and author of The Ultimate Customer Support Executive
“If you’ve delivered any sort of service to customers, you know bad things sometimes happen to good customers. But there’s never been a guide to handle these problems—until now. Rich Gallagher penned THE ultimate guide to what happens when things go wrong—and they will go wrong! This book is filled with useful insights even the most experienced customer service professional can learn from. Run—don’t walk—to get your copy today.”
—Phil Gerbyshak, Chief Connections Officer and author of four books and over 2,000 articles on customer service, social media, and more
“Rich Gallagher is a customer service rock star!”
—Prof. Susan Stafford, Chair of Hotel and Restaurant Management, SUNY TC3
THE
Customer Service
Survival Kit
THE
Customer Service
Survival Kit
What to Say to Defuse Even the
Worst Customer Situations
Richard S. Gallagher
Foreword by Carol Roth
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gallagher, Richard S.
The customer service survival kit : what to say to defuse even the worst customer situations / Richard S. Gallagher.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8144-3183-2 (pbk.)—ISBN 0-8144-3183-6 (pbk.) 1. Customer services. 2. Customer relations. I. Title.
HF5415.5.G3468 2013
658.8′12—dc23
2012040797
© 2013 Richard S. Gallagher
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
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Printing number
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Colleen, my joy and my soul mate
Contents
Foreword by Carol Roth
Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART I WHY WORST-CASE SCENARIOS MATTER
Chapter 1 Understanding the “Uh-Oh” Moment
Why Worst-Case Scenarios Are Important
Good Intentions Are Not Enough
PART II TOOLS FOR DEFUSING A CUSTOMER CRISIS
Chapter 2 Leaning Into Criticism
Step 1: Hand Their Complaints Back to Them
Step 2: Use “Wow” Words
Step 3: Steal All Their Good Lines
Step 4: Never Defend Yourself First
Why Leaning In Is So Hard
Putting Learning into Practice
Chapter 3 Achieving Deep Acknowledgment
Why We Don’t Acknowledge Demanding Customers
The Four Powerful Levels of Response
Acknowledgment: Your Key to Handling Any Situation
Putting Learning into Practice
Chapter 4 Avoiding Trigger Phrases
The Other Golden Rule
Trigger Phrases and How You Can Avoid Them
Less Is Often More
Putting Learning into Practice
Chapter 5 Divide and Conquer: The Safe Way to Deliver Bad News
Step 1: A Good Introduction That Prepares the Customer
Step 2: A Proactive Summary That Moves the Customer Toward a Solution
Step 3: An Empathetic Response to the Customer’s Reactions
Putting Learning into Practice
Chapter 6 Powerful Problem Solving: Beyond “Yes We Can” and “No We Can’t”
Step 1: Clarify the Other Person’s Needs
Step 2: Frame Your Response
Step 3: Create Incentives
Step 4: Respond to Objections
A New Way to Solve Problems
Putting Learning into Practice
Chapter 7 Reframing Your Message
How Reframing Works
When Reframing Is a Bad Idea
A New Perspective
Putting Learning into Practice
Chapter 8 Grounding an Angry Outburst
Understanding Customer Anger
Step 1: Use the Highest Acknowledgment Level Possible
Step 2: Ask Assessment Questions
Step 3: Shift the Discussion
Working in the Red Zone
Putting Learning into Practice
Chapter 9 Becoming Immune to Intimidation
Angry Customers vs. Toxic Entitlement
The Basics of Nonreactivity
Putting Nonreactivity to Work
Can Entitled Customers Change?
Putting Learning into Pr
actice
Chapter 10 The Wrap-Up
Understanding Good Closings
The Right Ending: A Good Beginning
Putting Learning into Practice
PART III YOUR WORST CUSTOMER SITUATIONS—SOLVED!
Chapter 11 You’re the Boss
Lean Into the Customer’s Biggest Concerns
Ask Good Questions
Respond to Threats with “Can-Do” Language
The Law of Reciprocity
Chapter 12 Don’t You Know Who I Am?
Mirror the Customer’s Emotions
Explore the Options
Use the LPFSA
Show a Personal Interest
Chapter 13 The Concert That Never Was
Talk with the Customer First
Practice Creative Service Recovery
Respond to the Public
Chapter 14 I’ll Be Suing You
Do Not—Repeat, Do Not—Defend Yourself First
Explore Solutions
Frame the Benefits
Chapter 15 Quelling a Social Media Firestorm
Be Real
Be Quick
Reach Out to the Person Behind the Keyboard
Trust the Will of the Crowd
Chapter 16 Just Plane Terrible
Be Present
Deliver the Bad News in Stages
Reframe the Situation
Don’t Take It Personally
Chapter 17 Anger Management
Frame the Situation
Acknowledge Bruno
Frame Your Response
Execute the Endgame
Relationship Building
Chapter 18 Not So Smart
Meet the Customer Where He Is
Explore the Deeper Question
Make the Customer Feel Good
PART IV BEYOND THE WORST CASE
Chapter 19 When Talking Isn’t Enough: Keeping Yourself and Your Customer Safe
Situational Awareness: Trusting Your Gut
Reacting to Risk
Don’t Go It Alone: Have a Safety Plan
Chapter 20 From Customer Crisis to Excellent Service: Lessons for the Whole Organization
Creating a Service Culture
Managing Internal Conflict
Personal Growth
Communicating as an Organization
The Bottom Line
Appendix Solutions to Putting Learning into Practice Exercises
References
Index
About the Author
Foreword
COMMUNICATION IS AN ART as well as a science. In our modern world of texts, tweets, and emails, coupled with a general oversaturation of information, I believe that communication has actually become a lost art. However, that lost art is about to be reclaimed.
In The Customer Service Survival Kit: What to Say to Defuse Even the Worst Customer Situations, Rich Gallagher masterfully helps you conquer this lost art form, which will not only help you turn around virtually any customer issue but also give you the nuanced skills to be able to communicate effectively with just about anyone.
While communication as an art form may be lost, it has become more important than ever. Today’s crowded business landscape is extremely competitive, and although it may be easier to superficially reach customers, they are bombarded with so much information that it is difficult to break through the noise. In addition, it is easy for customers to affect your business with their opinions. Myriad outlets, from blogs to review sites to social media, allow customers to share their thoughts about your business, regardless of whether that feedback is accurate or warranted. So your ability to solve issues quickly and effectively—and to plain avoid them in the first place—is one of the greatest assets you and your team can leverage for success.
I’m a tough customer when it comes to books (well truthfully, to just about anything), and I loved this book. Rich Gallagher is one of the best communicators around, and he has a deep, credible background as a writer, communications skills expert, and psychotherapist. The Customer Service Survival Kit is everything you would want in a business book: It’s well written, easy to understand, and, most importantly, relevant and helpful. Plus, I think it’s more than a business book, as the communication lessons within can apply to almost any personal or professional situation.
I’m always amazed at how much of what we say gets lost in translation, especially in a world where everyone seems to be tuned in to their favorite radio station, WIIFM (What’s in It for Me). However, what’s so powerful about communication and the lessons in this book is that the same information can resonate differently with a slight tweak in approach and perspective, clever rephrasing, or just extending some desired empathy.
If you are anything like me, you may have a burning desire to want to explain and show to people what is “right.” But to be successful in any relationship—personal or business-oriented—it is critical to remember the goals. Unfortunately, being right as a goal rarely gets you the best outcome. The Customer Service Survival Kit gives you a framework to set beneficial goals up front, as well as the tools to meet those goals successfully.
I don’t make recommendations often, because I take them very seriously, but I can confidently say that you’ll get a significant return on investment from reading and implementing the advice and strategies in this book, and will likely refer back to it for years to come. Wishing you continued success,
CAROL ROTH
Recovering investment banker, business strategist,
and New York Times bestselling author of The Entrepreneur Equation
www.CarolRoth.com
Twitter: @CarolJSRoth
Acknowledgments
THIS BOOK WAS TRULY CO-CREATED with the help of a lot of great people. Here are just a few of them:
Fellow business author Carol Roth, for whom I am a contributing blogger on CarolRoth.com, went far above and beyond the call of duty to help make this book happen. She was more than generous in offering her support, the resources of her blog community, and even her cousin (airline manager Jeff Greenman, mentioned in Chapter 1), as well as writing this book’s foreword. I owe her great blogs for at least the next decade.
Carolyn Healey, publisher of leading customer support portal site SupportIndustry.com as well as customer service site RecognizeService Excellence.com, has been my partner in crime for many years. Much of the idea for this book came from her survey research on critical customer scenarios and effective training approaches, and our joint webinars have been a valuable testing ground for sharing my ideas with thousands of customer support professionals.
Of all the people I have the pleasure of presenting for, I have to single out Todd Lewis, Veronica Puailoa, and the entire team at Citrix GoToAssist for regularly providing me with a great public platform in front of service-industry leaders worldwide. They are visionaries, and I feel honored to partner with them.
Bob Nirkind, my editor at AMACOM Books, has been a phenomenal cheerleader for this project since its inception and a delight to work with. It was his idea to crowdsource many of the examples in this book using social media. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with the entire team at AMACOM on our fourth book project together. And a special thanks to my longtime literary agent, Diana Finch, who first planted the seed for this project, for a great working relationship.
Numerous people contributed their expertise and/or examples of challenging customer situations, including Lieutenant Chauncey Bennett III of the New York State University Police, retired Cornell University police officer Janice Pack, communications-skills author John Kador, colleague and speaker extraordinaire Julie Kowalski, psychologist Dr. Nancy Davis, FBI chaplain Dennis Hayes, Gina Schreck of SynapseConnecting, Professor Jeremy Cooperstock of McGill University, Sara Schoonover of TicketKick, Janet Christy of Leverage and Development LLC, Karlene Sinclair-Robinson of KSR Solutions LLC, Jim Josselyn of the Academy of Music and Drama, Stacy Robin of The Degania Group, and Ryan Crichett of RMC TECH Mobile Repair.
Thank you all for being part of this project.
My wife, Colleen, has always been my editor, my sounding board, and the person I am madly in love with. You are the light of my life. Thank you for being you.
Finally, I would like to tip my hat to the organizations I have worked for in my own career in customer service and support, and the thousands of people I speak to every year. The things I have learned from you over the years have been a precious gift, and this book is a small attempt to return the favor. Enjoy!
THE
Customer Service
Survival Kit
Introduction
I LOVE worst-case scenarios.
Why? Because they hold the key to creating truly incredible service.
Think about it. There is a lot of bad service out there. And most of it happens because people who serve the public constantly fear the worst, and then react to everyone from a defensive posture. Scratch the surface of most disengaged people who serve the public, and more often than not you will find fear lurking there. They feel alone and vulnerable on a very public stage, worrying about when the next customer will leave them twisting defenselessly in the wind.
When service providers don’t bother to ask you what you want, it is often because they are afraid they won’t be able to handle what you tell them. When they tell you “no,” they are hiding behind their policies because they have no idea how to negotiate with you. Even though they wear name tags that say “Hi, Can I Help You?” they are silently praying you will just go away creating as little damage as possible. And when you demand to speak to a manager, they often pass you off to someone who is as frightened and as clueless as they are.
So how do you change this fear? By teaching people the skills that hostage negotiators, crisis counselors, psychotherapists, and police officers use in their worst situations. When people learn these skills, everything changes. They become supremely confident in any situation. They can really engage customers, because they know they are able to lean back on these communications skills for anything someone might throw at them. It is here, in this zone of incredible confidence, that greatness takes root.
I know this works because I have watched it happen over and over.