part

7

3

1.Define what a service breakdown is.

2.Apply knowledge of behavioral styles in difficult customer situations.

3.Recognize different types of difficult customers and effectively deal with them.

Building and Maintaining Relationships

Service Breakdowns and Service RecoveryLearning Objectives

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Service Breakdowns and Service Recovery Learning Objectives,

Continued

4. Use the emotion-reducing model to help keep difficult situations from escalating.

5. Explain why customers defect.

6. Develop effective strategies for working with internal customers.

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7. Identify strategies for preventing customer dissatisfaction and problem solving.

8. Explain the six steps of the problem solving model.

9. Implement a front-line service recovery strategy, and spot roadblocks to service recovery.

Service Breakdowns and Service Recovery Learning Objectives,

Continued

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Understand Service Breakdowns:What are service breakdowns?

Service breakdowns occur daily in all types of organizations.

Definition:

Situation when customers have expectations of a certain type or level of service that are not met by a service representative.

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Behavioral Preferences Play a Major Role

The Role of Behavioral StyleThe more you know about style preferences, the better you will understand your customers. See Ch. 6 to review the behavioral preferences if you have need to confirm their patterns and strategies for dealing with them.

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Difficult Customers

Various types of difficult customers will be faced.

Demanding or demeaning

Be professional, respect the customer, be firm and fair. Say what you can do.

Indecisive customers

Be patient, ask open-ended questions, listen actively, suggest options, guide decision making

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Difficult Customers, continued

Other types of difficult customersDissatisfied and angry customers.

Be positive, acknowledge customer’s feelings, reassure, remain objective, listen actively, reduce frustrations, negotiate solutions and follow up.

Rude or inconsiderate customers.

Remain professional.

Don’t retaliate.

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Talkative Customers

Tips for dealing with talkative customers

Remain warm and cordial, but focused

Ask specific open-ended questions.

Use closed-end questions to control.

Manage the conversation.

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The Emotion-Reducing Model

Review each area of the model. Use the model for reducing customer emotions.

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Customer Defection

Reasons to Defect• Poor service and complacency.• Inappropriate complaint resolution.• Unmet needs.

Failure to be sensitive to diversity may set you, your company, and your customer on a collision

course.

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Internal Customer Relations

Relationships—Internal customers are special also

• Stay connected• Meet all commitments• Don’t sit on your emotions• Build a professional reputation• Adopt a good-neighbor policy

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Strategies to Prevent Dissatisfaction:

Use problem solving

Ways to deal with a service breakdown is to prevent it:

Think like a customer Exceed expectations

Pamper the customer Respect the customer

Focus on the customer

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Prevent Dissatisfaction: Focus on the Customer

Take the following actions to focus on the customer:React to remarks or actions.

Empathize.

Take action.

Reassure or reaffirm.

Follow-up.

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The Problem-Solving Process

Steps to Problem Solving

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Implementing a Service Recovery Strategy

The five phases of the service recovery process are:1. Apologize, apologize, apologize again.

2. Take immediate action.

3. Show compassion.

4. Provide compensation.

5. Conduct follow up.

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Service Recovery Process, Fig. 7.7

Use the form to format the discussion easier

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Examples of Service BreakdownsReview each with an eye to solving

the problem.