{"id":12462,"date":"2018-02-09T17:30:16","date_gmt":"2018-02-09T17:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/?p=12462"},"modified":"2018-02-13T15:44:12","modified_gmt":"2018-02-13T15:44:12","slug":"customer-service-means-taking-the-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/customer-service-means-taking-the-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Service Means Taking the HEAT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you good at taking the HEAT when your customers lose their cool? Lydia Ramsey explains how you can diffuse even the angriest client<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\"HEAT\n

Have you ever noticed that no matter how hard you try to please and provide good customer service there are people who seem determined to be difficult? These people get downright cranky or out and out angry. Trying to soothe an irate customer is challenging, especially when so many people feel entitled to act as rude as they possibly can.<\/p>\n

Let me suggest a process that I learned from a fellow speaker, Judy Hoffman, the author of ‘Keeping Cool on the Hot Seat’. She also produced an audio program, Dealing with Angry People, where she outlines a method for \u201ctaking the heat.\u201d She uses the acronym \u201cHEAT\u201d for handling troublesome encounters and diffusing tense situations.<\/p>\n

\u201cH\u201d stands for \u201cHEAR\u201d.<\/strong> That one thing we seldom do. We don\u2019t hear because we fail to listen. Some people are hard of hearing; others are hard of listening. We don\u2019t pay attention to what the customer is saying because we are either too busy thinking of what we are going to say next or because we assume that we know what the problem is before hearing the person out.<\/p>\n

Listen. Don\u2019t interrupt. Let the person finish the tirade before you jump in. You\u2019ll be amazed at what you can hear when you keep your mouth shut.<\/p>\n

\u201cE\u201d is for \u201cEMPATHIZE\u201d.<\/strong> The dictionary definition of \u201cempathy\u201d is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. Let your customers know that you understand how they feel and why. Recently I was with friends at a local restaurant. We had reservations, but the table we had requested was not available and would not be for some time. Even though we all behaved like polite adults, the hostess took the initiative to say that she wouldn\u2019t blame us if we had gotten upset. She acknowledged that she herself would have been unhappy. Good call on her part.<\/p>\n

\u201cA\u201d is for \u201cAPOLOGIZE\u201d.<\/strong> Offer an apology even if the problem is not your fault. It is easier for some people to say they are sorry than it is for others. Don\u2019t pull a third-grader and try to blame someone else. Often all the angry person wants is to hear the words, \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d Taking the high road and apologizing, even when you didn\u2019t do it, can calm the most irate customer.<\/p>\n

\u201cT\u201d is for \u201cTAKING ACTION\u201d.<\/strong> Once you\u2019ve heard the person out, empathized with the situation, offered an apology, let your customer know what you will do about the situation and do it. Even if your action is to take the issue to a higher level for resolution or compensation, act without delay and let the customer know how you are handling the problem.<\/p>\n

It is difficult, if not impossible, to remain angry or have an argument with someone who won\u2019t fight back. If you resist the urge to become defensive and confrontational, your unhappy customer will soon lose steam and begin to calm down. Your cool headedness can diffuse a hot situation when you remember to \u201ctake the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n

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

Lydia Ramsey<\/a>\u00a0helps organizations attract and retain clients through the simple practice of modern manners and the basic principles of courtesy, kindness and respect. \u00a9 Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you good at taking the HEAT when your customers lose their cool? Lydia Ramsey explains how you can diffuse even the angriest client..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12462"}],"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\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12462"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12462\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12465,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12462\/revisions\/12465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12462"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12462"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12462"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}