Identifying escalated calls
Sometimes a customer can get very upset with the solution bought, or the support received from the vendor when a request was made. In that case, it is common to hear "I want to speak to the manager".
Some will say "the customer is always right but in this case..." others may say "we never promised that". The reality is that we live in the social media and review days and any opinion can be rapidly propagated, and a negative opinion of some clients may cause heavy damage to your brand. A complaint should always be carefully addressed to improve the customer experience.
There are technics that when properly applied can help a sensitive situation
to be defused, avoiding: churn increase, a decrease of the net promoter score, decrease in recurrent revenue, decrease customer lifetime value and other metrics managed by the customer success team.
If you ever take this type of call, use these steps and you will be on the right track to improve customer satisfaction.
1. Ownership
Inform the customer that you will be responsible for finding an adequate solution for the case. That will certainly reduce the frustration of not being heard.
2. Apologize
Show sorrow for the bad experience this customer is having, regardless of who's at fault. If the solution and/or the service are at fault, apologize specifically for the faulty outcome(s), followed by the way it was expected to behave, and what is being done about it.
3. Listen
Many times, the frustrated customer is venting emotions rather than facts. Wait for the speaker to pause, and ask clarifying questions. Try to collect a story that has all the elements needed to map the problem and find a solution.
4. Acknowledge
Make sure you verbalize the fact that the issue is important for the company. Remember that the call only got escalated because someone felt the claim was being ignored, or downplayed.
5. Rephrase
Restructure the information in a way that is factual and workable. At this point, try to subtract any of the feelings attached to the story, and make it as objective as possible, and say it back to the customer. It will help to make the case workable.
6. Investigate
Check all the facts with the tools and information you have at hand. Verify, as much as possible if the reported facts were accurate. In case they are not, just ask probing questions. Do not confront the customer version with the truth. It might re-escalate the situation.
7. Solutions
Sometimes there is not a simple and immediate solution. In that case, offer ways to solve the problem. At least two but never more than three. Sometimes at this point, there is an opportunity for an upsell. The claim can be related to an expectation that the original solution was not initially intended to solve. A different solution or an upgrade may be able to solve the issue and
8. Commitment
Each one of the solutions has to come with pros and cons considered and shared with the customer, demanding this way active co-participation of the customer in working on a solution and compromising with any eventual outcome.
9. Execute
Whatever was agreed upon, now it has to be implemented, in order to get the issue solved.
10. Follow up
Hopefully, the desired outcome for both, customer and company is achieved, and you inform the customer. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Then your diplomatic skills become more important than ever.
A complaint can be an excellent opportunity to turning around a negative impression into a beneficial customer experience by the way it was handled.
Photo by Alex Green from Pexels