{"id":11720,"date":"2017-08-25T17:01:59","date_gmt":"2017-08-25T17:01:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/?p=11720"},"modified":"2017-08-25T17:22:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-25T17:22:12","slug":"5-ways-to-break-bad-news-and-still-keep-customers-happy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/5-ways-to-break-bad-news-and-still-keep-customers-happy\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Ways to Break Bad News and Still Keep Customers Happy"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Businessman\n

Once when my youngest daughter was about twelve she had a plan in mind for an upcoming trip. I don\u2019t remember the details, but it was not a very realistic plan.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d I told her as she was laying it out for me. \u201cRight,\u201d she sneered in the way that only a tween girl talking to her clueless father can. \u201cDad, I know you, \u2018we\u2019ll see\u2019 always means, \u2018no.\u2019\u201d She was right, of course, \u201cwe\u2019ll see,\u201d is what I said to her when I didn\u2019t want to disappoint her by saying, \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an understandable and natural reaction to try and protect people, and ourselves, by not delivering bad news. \u201cKill the messenger,\u201d is a saying for a reason. But when dealing with customer service, delaying the bad news is exactly the wrong way to go.<\/p>\n

In my claims<\/a> work I deliver bad news to people all the time, from those who owe my clients money to my clients themselves. I have seen many collections cases that could have been solved with less rancor, and at less cost, if those in debt had learned how to deliver bad news effectively.\u00a0Obviously, bad news will upset people, but keeping these five tips in mind should help you deliver unfortunate information, without losing your customers or clients.<\/p>\n

1. Talk in person (when possible)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It may be uncomfortable, but it\u2019s best to deliver bad news in person. This approach demonstrates to the customer that you are taking the situation seriously and also allows you to clearly express empathy. Too often intention and tone of voice are lost in email, and even in phone calls where people cannot read body language.<\/p>\n

We all know the stereotype of the cad inviting his girlfriend to a fancy restaurant to break up, because he knows she won\u2019t make a scene. There\u2019s some logic to that behavior. You don\u2019t have to take a customer out for a fancy lunch to explain a late delivery, but delivering bad news in person allows you to control the setting and decide when the conversation is over. This is especially helpful if you expect an ongoing argument about the situation.<\/p>\n

If you cannot meet with someone in person, a phone call is definitely preferable to text or email. Frequently, people fail to prepare properly for phone calls, instead attempting to squeeze it into a busy day. This is not a smart move when delivering bad news. When calling to deliver bad news, have all the information necessary at your fingertips and make sure you are in a place free of distractions.\u00a0Imagine how disrespectful it would feel being given bad news by someone who was simultaneously checking Facebook or driving a car. If you are having trouble reaching someone by phone, try a text or email to let them know that you need to speak with them about an important matter.<\/p>\n

2. Be clear and honest<\/strong><\/p>\n

By not simply telling my daughter \u201cno,\u201d I had actually begun to erode her trust in me. The truth is \u201cwe\u2019ll see,\u201d didn\u2019t really always mean \u201cno,\u201d but I had said it often enough that she no longer trusted me to really listen to her suggestions. The same is true of your customers.\u00a0If you say that you can deliver goods by a certain date, knowing that actually you can\u2019t, you will erode their trust in your ability to ever deliver. On the other hand, if you tell someone upfront, \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I won\u2019t be able to make the due date, but here\u2019s how I can make the situation better,\u201d they will trust you to work with them.<\/p>\n

3. Take responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the reasons customers overreact to bad news is because they expect that the bad news will be followed by a series of excuses and frustrating conversations. By immediately taking responsibility for a situation you can actually diffuse this tension and put the customer on your side. \u201cWe failed to consider the possibility that there would be a typhoon this time of year,\u201d can result in sympathy for your plight rather than anger. No one holds you responsible for the weather.<\/p>\n

4. Offer a solution<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ultimately, your customer doesn\u2019t care about the problem; he or she cares about the solution. Coming to the conversation with a solution in mind lets your customer know that you\u2019ve thought about things from their point of view. You should always have a solution in mind before you give someone bad news, but you should also be prepared that they may ask for a different resolution to the problem.<\/p>\n

5. Be empathetic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Delivering bad news is an uncomfortable position to be in. When delivering bad news it can be tempting to gloss over the feelings or distress of the other person. Putting yourself in the other person\u2019s shoes and not rushing them through the time they need to process the information can go along way towards retaining your customer\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n

Occasionally you may have to deliver news so bad that there is no way you can retain the customer; sometimes you may not even want to retain the customer. Even in those situations delivering your news honestly, clearly, and with empathy can help preserve your reputation and help you handle the situation in a way with which you can be comfortable.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dean Kaplan is President of The Kaplan Group<\/a>, a commercial collection agency specializing in large claims and international transactions.\u00a0 He has 35 years of international business experience, traveling to over 40 countries to negotiate over $500 million in mergers and acquisitions and other business deals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Once when my youngest daughter was about twelve she had a plan in mind for an upcoming trip. I don\u2019t remember the details, but it was not a very realistic plan.\u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ll see,\u201d I told her as she was laying it out for me. \u201cRight,\u201d she sneered in the way that only a tween girl talking […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":352,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[56],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/352"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11720"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11725,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11720\/revisions\/11725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11720"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11720"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11720"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}