20
Diplomatic Phrases to Help You Regain Control in 7 Common
Situations with Difficult Customers
By
Myra
Golden
What to say to the
yelling or cursing customer.
“I’m
trying to help you, but if you continue to yell and swear,
I am going to ask that you call back another time. It’s
up to you…which would you prefer?”
“I’m
sorry. It isn’t possible to help while listening to that
language. If it stops, I can help.”
“If
a few minutes helps you calm down before we continue, that
would be fine. You can certainly call me back.”
“I
want to help you, yet the language is getting in the
way.”
Note:
Your tone is critically important with the above statements.
You must come across calm, neutral, and non-threatening.
What to say to the
customer who wants to speak to asupervisor
“I’m
sorry you feel you need to speak with someone else, but
that’s the reason I’m here. I have been given full
authority to help resolve your concerns. May I have the
opportunity to resolve this first?
“Please
give me an opportunity to try and resolve this for you.
That’s why I’m here.”
What to say
when you cannot honor the request for refund due to consumer
error.
“It
is our company policy that we cannot pay a claim that
involves consumer error. We have a responsibility to the
company to uphold the integrity of our products. When a
product performs as expected and has no deficiencies, we
cannot take responsibility and accordingly can offer no
financial assistance.”
“Although
you might not agree with my decision, I’d like to
explain it so you can at least understand.”
“We
appreciate hearing about your experience, but we cannot
compensate you in this matter because you failed to follow
instructions/did not read instructions/misused the
product.”
What to say to the
rambler or storytelling customer
“Before
we hang up I want to be sure to tell you…” This
statement psychologically leads the customer toward the
end of the conversation.
“I
don’t want to take up anymore of your time so let me
give you…” You can make this statement even when the
customer has called you.
“One
last thing I need to tell you….”
“I
have all the information I need so I’ll now….”
What
to say when you need to convey empathy
“The
problem you experienced is no more acceptable to us than
it was to you.”
“It
must have been very frustrating for you to get the Widget
home and discover it doesn’t work properly.”
“It
must seem like these things take forever.”
What
to say when you need a graceful exit
“We
see this differently and I am going to have to put more
thought into the perspective you have shared with me.
It’s helpful for me to understand how you see things. In
the meantime, here is what I can do to solve the immediate
problem.”
“I’m
sorry that I have not been able to help you. If you
don’t object, I would like to let a colleague/manager of
mine attempt to better meet your needs.”
What
to say when you want to “safely”
apologize
“Please
accept my sincere apology for any frustration this may
have caused you.”
“I
am sorry for any misunderstanding you may have
experienced.”
These
powerful phrases are from Myra Golden's Handle Difficult
Customers Like a Diplomat webinar. Get your people the training
they need now, or you'll hate yourself later. Learn
to handle difficult customers like a diplomat now!
##
Together, these handling difficult customers tips may come in
handy this week. If you like these tips, please forward this
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Golden’s seminars are captivating and resourceful in
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the world!”
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Coca-Cola
“It
was outstanding. I could relate to Myra
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Collier
McDonald’s
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Michelin
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A
Special Message
From
Myra Golden
As
one of my customers and/or subscribers, you know
by
now that I don't dance around the subject, so I'll get
If you have any serious interest at all in turning your
customer
complaints into more goodwill and loyalty than
you ever thought possible, then take a watch
this 4-minute overview videoimmediately:
Do
yourself a favor. At least take a look, and thendecide
for yourself.
Myra
Golden is one of the service industry’s most prominent
trainers and a highly regarded business growth strategist.
Companies hire Myra and her team to help them achieve
measurable growth by building, recovering, and strengthening
customer relationships.
In
1999 Myra established Myra Golden Seminars after identifying
the need for customer service professionals to be equipped
with specific skills for responding to complaints and
difficult customers in such a way that they completely regain
goodwill and even strengthen loyalty after any service
mishap.
Her
interactive customer recovery training programs and e-Learning
programs have gained international attention and have made her
an in-demand speaker at annual Society of Consumer Affairs
Professionals conferences, Government Consumer Affairs
conferences, and company annual meetings.
She
is a frequent contributor to the Customer Relationship
Management Journal, publisher of a weekly eZine, author of
Beyond WOW, and more than 200 articles.
