Customer Dialog

1. Customer Dialog Layne Cran

2. Types of Customers and Their Guidelines • Argumentative- Asking simple questions with options keeps most situations under smooth control. • Impatient- Agreeing first on common points goes a long way in handling situations with difficult customers. • Leave me alone- Patience works wonders. Never press customers for sales or decisions. • Insulting- Go neutral. Serve customers promptly, and nonemotionally. You’ll feel an energizing power. And power, properly used, is a good thing. • Domineering/Superior- Let customers have their say. But in the end, make sure that the right thing is done. • Complaining- Understand and respect what the customers are thinking. Your job is to help them overcome obstacles that prevent them from trusting you and your company. Keep in mind, also, that when you work for and represent a company, you are that company to your customer.

3. Types of Customers Continued • Irritable/Moody- Do your job well. Be consistent in your positive behavior. You’ll have a natural, calming effect on customers and fellow employees. • Suspicious- Explain and demonstrate good service as many times as you need to. Some customers just “get it” more slowly than others. • Dishonest- Don’t jump to quick conclusions. If you say no and your assistant manager says to accept the return, you’ll look bad in front of the customer. Remember that compromising and negotiating are part of normal procedure in serving customers. • Slow/Methodical- Be patient with customers who need it. Mirror their methodical behavior. Help them along by not overwhelming them. They’ll come around when they trust your good intentions.

4. Irritable/Moody Customer • An irritable/ moody customer is someone that is always off and on with their mood. They are usually someone who is crabby, and nothing will please them until they get what they want.

5. Introduction on the Difficult Customer. My Mom works at Midwest Spine she deals with patients that have had procedures done, and who are in a lot of pain. One patient called about their insurance not covering an injection. Because the patient didn’t meet the requirements such as physical therapy, and the patient was swearing and screaming at my mom. My mom had to call insurance company to get it straightened out, and called patient back. She told him the requirement's, and he proceeded to get angry. So she had to hand over the caller too the Human Resource department because he was starting to insult her.

6. The Phone Call… Purple= Tina (my mom) Blue= Difficult customer Tina- “Hello, this is Tina with Midwest Spine how may I help you?” Customer- “ I am calling in regards to my authorization.” Tina- “ Sir, What is your name and date of birth?” Customer- “ Why do I need to do this again?! I have only done this 500 times already!” Tina- “ This is a new department, name and date of birth please.”

7. Phone Call Continued… Customer- “ Why is it taking you guys so long to get this authorized!? I am sick and tired, I am in pain, and agony, and I would like someone to compensate me for my time.” (With lots of swear words in between.) Tina- “ Sir I understand that you are frustrated and in pain, but I need to get all of your information in order to follow up.” Customer- (interrupts) “well since I need to do your job for you. None of you understand what is going on there.” Tina- “I am sorry you feel that way. If you just give me your information we can come to some resolution and figure out what the status is.”

8. Phone call Continued, Again Customer finally gives his name and date of birth. Tina- “Thank you for your cooperation. I see the nurses have an authorization, and someone will be calling you for an appointment.” Customer- “naughty word, good bye” Customer hangs up the phone.

9. Conclusion I think that my mom did a good job in handling this irritable/ moody customer. She stayed calm during this phone call while this man was cussing and swearing at her. She stayed positive, and apologized when it was needed. The customer also got what he needed in the end.

10. Citations • Making Mad Glad (g-drive) • Tina Cran

11. The End