Seven Steps to Protect Your Employees From Verbal
Abuse
The saying is that “the
customer is always right;” and most of the time this is true – except when it
comes to verbal abuse. Neither you nor
any of your employees should have to deal with an abusive customer: it’s bad
for everyone, not just for your business. You can protect yourself from this
kind of unpleasantness, by implementing these seven steps:
1.
Exceptional Customer Service – Though it may seem like a given, the key to
preventing unhappy or abusive customers is to commit your business to giving
exceptional customer service at all times.
No matter what products or services you offer, customers need to know
that there are you number one priority. This
sort of trusting relationship can take time to build up, and can only be
accomplished with a staff dedicated to giving exceptional service. It goes a
long way toward preventing the kinds of problems that cause customers to become
abusive.
2.
State Your Policies Up Front - Make sure that any policies are stated up front by
staff and are posted clearly where the customer can easily read them. Return policies,
for example, are a common source of dispute for many retailers. Clearly explaining
and posting your policies leaves little room for customers to argue in the
event of a problem.
3.
Open and Clear
Communication – Not only between you and the customer, but also between you and
your staff, good communication can go a
long way toward preventing abusive customers. Listening to customer concerns
and complaints is only half the battle. These
problems need to be explained to all your employees, to make sure everyone
is on the same page. Good communication is the key to preventing verbally
abusive situations.
4.
Competent Management Staff – Depending on
the nature of your business, the number of managers present at any given time
may vary. You have to make sure that staffing and budget constraints don’t leave
you without managerial staff on hand at any time. Employees need a place to
turn if there is a problem, and abusive customers need to know there is manager
on duty to take care of their disputes.
5.
Negotiation Stills – Keep in mind that you need to brief employees on just how to deal
with abusive customers. Teaching them basic negotiation skills will make them
feel more confident in the event of a dispute, and will help keep the problem
from escalating. Like good communication,
negotiation is as much about listening as it is about talking, and it takes a
cool, calm head to get through the dispute smoothly.
6.
Better Training for Employees – More important than anything else you can do to
prevent abusive customers is getting better training for your employees. Make sure they’re aware of all policies and
regulations, and know how to communicate these clearly to the customer. Running
scenarios and role-playing are often very helpful in teaching employees the
most effective ways to deal with potential problems.
7.
Consistency –
in both policy and action, you as a business leader need to be consistent. If you
refund one customers purchase without a receipt, be prepared to do it again for
another – or face a possible confrontation. In the event of a dispute, your
actions should reflect the policies that your employees outline to
yuorcustomers, and be consistent with your company’s commitment to service.
Verbally
abusive customers are something most retailers and merchants would rather not
think about – but they are a self-created problem that can be prevented simply
by making some changes to the way you do business.
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