How to Handle Difficult Customer
Conversations
Your business is rolling. Your products are getting to your customers on time. Everything is working just the way you promised it would..
Your customers pay their bills on time. No complaints. The bond
between you and your customers could not be stronger.
Then something happens. (You knew it would, right?)
Trouble can come from any direction. A delayed product shipment causes a
customer to miss a deadline. A salesperson (maybe even you!) promises more
than your company could deliver. A customer finds a defect in one of your
products that needs replacing right away.
We all know that setbacks are going to occur in business. Setbacks that
strain relations between you and your customer. Setbacks that can cause
anger and mistrust to build. Will this mean the end of a once profitable
relationship? Not necessarily…
When tensions rise between you and a customer, it may be time for a tough
conversation. A time to clear the air and address the problems that are
causing trouble. But how do you keep a difficult conversation from becoming
a full-scale argument that permanently damages relations with your customer?
Here are 4 tips to get you through the hard talks that can make or break
your business.
1. Communicate early and often. Many of us avoid difficult
conversations, hoping that problems resolve themselves. That rarely happens.
But you can keep small problems from becoming big problems by addressing
them quickly. Let your customer know right away that you recognize the
problem, and that you’re working to make it right. Keep them updated so they
know what’s happening. Don’t keep your customer guessing about what you’re
doing to make things right.
2. Look at the situation from the customer’s viewpoint. Your first
reaction will be to assess what the problem means to your company—lost
profits, prestige, or productivity. But your customer has similar concerns.
Approach your conversations with an eye toward solving your customer’s
problems and quieting their concerns. Take responsibility. A company
representative may need to stay at the customer’s site to oversee the
problem’s resolution. Do what it takes to fix things with your customer,
then clean things up at your end.
3. Leave the corporate doublespeak behind. Speak clearly and get to
the point. Don’t say, “Apparently, part X is failing to meet desired
effectiveness quotas in real-world applications,” Instead, try, “Part X
isn’t working right. We’re going to replace it.” People rightly see
doublespeak as an attempt to cloud the issues and avoid responsibility. Say
what you mean. Don’t leave any doubt in your customer’s mind.
4. Leave the door open for more conversations. Remember, the problem
isn’t solved until your customer thinks it is. Even after you’ve had a hard
discussion, your customer is likely to have questions and unresolved issues.
Make it clear that you are available to answer questions as they arise.
Don’t take offense if your customer isn’t pleasant to deal with at the time.
Stress makes all of us do things we wouldn’t normally do. Realize it’s the
situation, not you, that is upsetting the customer.
Of course, the best way to handle difficult times with customers is to avoid
them in the first place. But that’s not always possible. If you remember
these simple tips, you can get through rough patches with your customer
relationships as strong as, or stronger than, they ever were.
About the Author