One of the best ways to keep your cool when delivering service is to think about what is important to you when you are the customer.
I never watched the show Breaking Bad while it was running in real time. But everyone kept talking about it and it kept winning awards so I decided I would start recording episodes on my DVR since everyone said you have to watch it from the beginning. After quite a while, I had every episode recorded and began watching it from episode one. I’m not a true binge watcher so it took a little time, but after a while I had watched the first 3 seasons, looking forward to the next 3.
At that time, we did some re-designing in my house and I moved the TV with the DVR from downstairs to upstairs. We re-connected everything but when I went to watch the next episode, it said I had no recordings. What??? Where’s my Breaking Bad!!!! Months of work, gone!
I called Verizon, but instead of making me feel better, they immediately started making me feel more annoyed. I could tell they had customer service training because they were very courteous and kept apologizing, but everything they told me focused on what they could not do for me. “I apologize the DVR broke. I apologize that we can’t retrieve the episodes. I apologize that you had to wait on hold so long, etc.” I actually was transferred to someone and I began by telling them I did not want them to tell me they were sorry, because I had heard that from the 4 people already, and I get that they are sorry. The girl literally told me that she understood that other people had apologized already, but she hadn’t apologized yet, so she just wanted me to know how sorry she was too. Really??
Here’s the thing, I understood that they could not get the episodes I recorded back, but I thought I had a great solution. I noticed that you could buy the seasons from Verizon or rent the episodes on demand, for a cost. I didn’t feel it was fair that I should have to go through any expense because their equipment malfunctioned. So I asked if they could credit my account with the amount of money it would cost to rent or buy the last 3 seasons and I would watch them that way. Again, “I apologize, but we can’t do that. That is a billing issue. We are TECH support, and we can’t credit your account.”
“Can you transfer me to the billing department,” I asked. “Sure, please hold.”
You know where this is going………”I apologize you’re having difficulty, but we can’t give you credit for something you didn’t buy. Our system doesn’t work that way.” By now, I‘m totally exasperated. I want my Breaking Bad! You’re a communication company, and you can’t figure out how to credit my account? Aaarggghh!!!!
Whenever I’m working with a customer who is having a problem with something, whether or not it is my fault, I always take the time to acknowledge what they are feeling before I start apologizing. It may sound counter-intuitive. Won’t people feel better if you apologize? Most times people will accept the apology better if they know you understand what it is they are really upset about. In the Verizon scenario, I was upset that I spent so much time recording all those episodes and because their equipment went down, it was going to cost me money. If they took a moment to acknowledge that before apologizing, I may have been easier to work with. No one ever told me they understood what I was really upset about. A simple acknowledging statement would have gone a long way. “I understand your frustration after having spent so much time recording all those episodes, just to have them disappear through no fault of your own. Then,……. I’m sorry, ……and then let’s see what we can do to get you those episodes.
Something to think about when you’re dealing with a frustrated customer.
Thoughts…….. Contact me at abbe@TECResourceCenter.com