When your employees have an angry customer in front of them, their first instinct is to defend. But the fact of the matter is that your customers aren’t interested in the why’s of their problem—they want to know how it’ll be fixed.
Familiarize yourself with these tired excuses so you can recognize them among your own team. Just a few simple changes could make a world of difference.
1. I’m new
When a customer is already upset, learning that the employee helping them is new will only make them feel like they aren’t getting the best possible service. Teach your trainees to take initiative and show confidence, and the customer will believe them.
2. ___ did ___
Chances are your customer already knows what your coworker did wrong, and they don’t need a reminder. Pointing fingers doesn’t just make both employees look bad, it makes the entire company look bad.
3. Let me get my manager
Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but when an employee’s first line of defense is to grab someone higher up, it makes the staff look incompetent. Every employee should be able to try a few things or ask a few questions before looking for help.
4. I’m sorry
There’s nothing wrong with ‘sorry’. It’s just not what your customer wants to hear. They want to know that you understand why they’re upset and want to do something about it. Empathize with them and find a solution before reaching for an empty apology.
So when you’re out of excuses, what’s left to say? All of these examples have a clear alternative in common: Let me take care of this.
Even if you don’t know something, even if you made a mistake, your intent is clear with this statement. There’s a problem, and you plan to fix it.
Now all that’s left to do is the fixing.
