should be to arrive at a solution that will be a win for both your company and the customer. If you are successful, you will retain the customer, exceed the customerÆs expectations, and provide a very positive customer experience so that he/she will want to continue doing business with your company. Step 2 û Acknowledge The acknowledgement is essential to communicating in challenging situations. Use phrases like, ôI understand how you feelö, ôI seeö, ôI apologizeö, ôI am sorryö, ôI can see how you might feel that wayö so that customers feel that they have been heard and that we respect them. It clears the way for us to move forward by helping diffuse the emotion and placing us on the side of the customer. Step 3 û Clarify Sometimes we mistakenly proceed to resolve a problem based on what we THINK the customer was saying. This third step of the process allows us to clarify and draw out information to make sure that we understand the customerÆs true concern. Examples of clarifying might include: ò ôWhat I hear you saying isààis that right?ö ò ôCan you tell me more aboutà..?ö ò ôHow may I help youà.?ö ò ôWhat were you hoping would happenà?ö Clarifying leads us to the appropriate solution in a more efficient manner. Step 4 û Present Resolution The fourth step is to present a resolution. Presenting a resolution is not a challenge if weÆve done the first three steps properly. As we present the resolution, we want to state specifically what we are going to do for the customer. We may also offer alternatives. Note: As we discussed in Step 1: Strategize, it is critical to understand your parameters û what you CAN do for the customer and what you CANÆT do. Step 5 û Checkback The checkback is our opportunity to make sure that the customer is satisfied and feels good about the resolution. Examples of checkbacks include: ò ôHow does that sound?ö ò ôWhat do you think about x?ö ò ôAre you with me?ö ò ôDoes that make sense?ö ò ôWill that meet your needs?ö ò ôWould that be satisfactory?ö Applying the Five-Step Process The following example illustrates a customer-focused approach, using the Five-Step Process. Step 1: Strategize: Our strategy is to retain the customer whenever possible. We want to provide the customer with a positive experience while balancing both the business and customer needs. We donÆt want to simply accept return merchandise since we know we will lose the customer. A customer calls to complain about the quality of the product he received. Step
piece
is
an
abstract
triptych
that
I
found
while
I
was
in
Atlanta
buying
religious
paintings
The
piece
was
called
Guardian
Angel
and
I
love
it
My
patrons
fell
in
love
with
it
as
well
They
have
asked
me
to
track
down
the
artist
and
see
if
he
has
anymore
religious
paintings
available
The
only
religious
paintings
that
I
actually
do
not
buy
are
ones
that
reflect
the
image
of
Jesus
on
the
cross
I
don’t
have
a
problem
with
them
some
of
them
are
extremely
well
done
and
would
more
than
likely
sell
well
but
my
investors
made
it
very
clear
when
they
financed
the
gallery
that
I
would
not
put
that
image
into
it
PPPPP
683
Ajello
Candles
The
motto
of
the
Ajello
Candle
Company
is
“It’s
better
to
light
a
candle
than
to
curse
the
darkness”
This
candle
making
company
has
been
in
business
since
1775
The
business
has
been
family
owned
for
seven
generations
The
candles
from
Ajello’s
are
well
known
for
their
beauty
and
quality
While
they
make
more
candles
now
than
in
1775
their
dedication
to
quality
and
to
customers
has
never
changed
The
Ajello
Candle
Company
was
founded
by
Rafael
Ajello
an
Italian
painter
He
was
also
a
beekeeper
so
he
tried
his
hand
at
using
bees
wax
to
create
candles
He
worked
hard
to
create
a
formula
that
worked
well
The
formula
combined
with
his
outstanding
artistic
ability
lead
to
the
birth
of
the
Ajello
Candle
Company
In
1785
the
company
earned
the
honor
of
creating
all
the
candles
for
the
Vatican
He
and
his
wife
ran
the
business
keeping
their
children
involved
in
the
processes
from
an
early
age
As
time
went
on
their
children
and
grandchildren
kept
the
business
running
as
well
as
passed
the
family
business
on
to
their
children
By
1862
the
company
had
established
itself
as
a
leader
among
the
candle
making
industry
They
had
also
added
perfumes
and
many
.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.
Related Post
