As part of our commitment to help you provide better customer service we are releasing excerpts from Perfect Phrases For Customer Service via our blog. Of course we hope you buy the book since it’s such a low cost resource, and it’s suitable for any industry. I think you will see that the content of this book is way more useful, applicable and powerful compared to any other books on the market. Enjoy!
When you deal with an angry or difficult customer, it’s important to prove to him or her that you understand the facts surrounding the situation that is upsetting and the feelings the customer is experiencing. The catch is that “what you focus on, you get more of”—and you don’t want to encourage the customer to continue being difficult or continue angry behavior that interferes with helping the customer. Acknowledging Without Encouraging really involves the combination of two techniques.
The first set involves using both empathy statements and refocus statements together. First, you acknowledge the feelings in a short sentence and, without stopping, you refocus or steer the conversation back to the problem and away from the customer’s emotions.
Similarly, you can do the same thing around demonstrating your understanding of the facts of the customer’s situation by combining active listening with refocusing. Reflect back your understanding of the customer’s situation and then refocus back to problem solving.
The important thing to remember is the principle. You need to acknowledge the facts of the situation and the emotions, but you don’t want to dwell on them. Focusing on them results in longer interactions that tend to be more emotional.
