Customer Dialogue By: Kendrah Wink

Wordle

Types of Customers Argumentative: they look for problems Impatient: customers show verbally and nonverbally that they don’t want to wait Leave-Me-Alone: don’t want any advice or assistance Irritable/Moody: either happy or crabby-you never know their mood Insulting: customers are rough and rude Complaining: nothing makes them happy, they aren’t satisfied Domineering/Superior: they like to take control Suspicious: they are unsure of everything because of previous experiences Slow/Methodical: they take their time and keep to themselves Dishonest: sneaky and don’t seem like they are doing the right thing

Customer Service Situation This summer I had helped work at the concert site by parking cars and picking up garbage. But parking cars was when I had to deal with difficult customers. Abbie and I were in charge of parking handicap people. At first we didn’t have too many people but as the day went on we got more. Once things got a little bit more busy, some of the them were a bit demanding and challenging to deal with, but we managed just fine.

Situation After the customer had parked she came up to me asking, “So I’m handicapped do I get to go the front of the line?” (She only had a walking boot on) I said, “Well I am not exactly sure but I can ask Jerry, the manager, to help you out with your situation.” “But I am a handicap person so it wouldn’t be good for me to wait in line for a long period of time!” exclaimed the customer. I replied, “I am sorry but I am not sure, we were not informed about there being different lines for handicapped people.”

Situation Continued She said, “It just wouldn’t make sense that I would have to wait at the end of the line!” So I went and got Jerry to help her out with her situation and to answer any questions that she had.

Conclusion I had to deal with a complaining and impatient customer. I used to the acronym CONTROL to help myself deal with the difficult customer. With that, I was able to stay calm, observe, find needs, think, reassure, get an opportunity, and listen.

CONTROL C-alm: Speak Slowly and steadily and show calm body language O-bserve: Watch customer, make eye contact, and figure out the message they are sending N-eeds: Find out what your customer’s needs are T-hink: Think about the best way to handle your customer R-eassuring: Let your customer know that you are on their side and help them with their concerns O-pportunity: With each difficult customer that you deal with, think of it as an opportunity. Its helps you practice life skills L-isten: listen to your customers and what they have to say. Also listen to your inner voice to help you make the right decision

Bibliography http://mikemillerart.com/cartoons/images/19_difficult_customers.jpg http://s4.hubimg.com/u/4542943_f520.jpg