These days many organizations have finally caught on to the value of taking a consultative approach to sales. Instead of just pushing products, reps are learning to listen to customers and understand how they feel and what they really need. In this way, the final sale will deliver something the customer truly values and is glad to have, all of which may lead to many more happy transactions in the future.
Of course, this is all well and good, but why stop there? The sales process has gotten so complex these days that is no longer at all unusual for the sales end and the fulfillment end of the transaction to be handled by different people, probably working out of different departments. This is almost universally true in anything involving sophisticated mechanical, technical or IT products. After the sale is completed, the order is turned over to someone who has the professional expertise to carry out the installation and burn in stages. That is where the fun begins!
Don’t be surprised if the order itself is flawed in some way. Perhaps the salesperson misunderstood the customer’s situation, or the customer lacked the understanding to represent his situation correctly. In such instances, the company rep who arrives to install the product will likely discover that the product ordered will not work in the way that the salesperson promised it would. To complicate matters even further, these technical geniuses are very good at dealing with complex technical installations and esoteric theoretical processes; they are not always so great at handling people, especially unhappy people. At such times, these reps are likely to dig into a defensive position, blame the ignorance of others, throw up their hands and claim to be unable to fulfill the contract. And this disquieting message might very well be delivered to the customer through a barrage of technical jargon -- pawned off as an explanation -- that is totally unintelligible to the layperson.
The solution here is simple. Even technical experts far removed from the sales process must still be trained and skilled in the art of consultative problem-solving processes. So the salesperson blew it. So the customer has unrealistic expectations based on a basic lack of understanding of the technology involved. So what? Your job now is to do whatever it takes to solve the problem, satisfy the customer and save the account for the company. You are at ground zero and your job is to prevent a meltdown. Where do you begin? Here are three simple suggestions
First of all, deal with the Feelings. The customer may be disappointed and upset. How hard can it be to simply apologize for the confusion, express sympathy and understanding for the way things have turned out so far and promise to do whatever you can to fix the problem? Be as relaxed, calm and patient as possible. Don’t defend and don’t blame -- it can’t possibly help anything now. Keep your body language and your tone of voice calm and soothing.
Then find out the Facts. What did the customer really expect? What does the customer really need? What solutions are technically feasible given variables like time, budget, space and existing infrastructure? Ask plenty of questions and listen carefully before suggesting any more solutions that may turn out to be as flawed as the first one.
Find the right solution. After you have listened as much as you need to, so that you have a very clear understanding of what the customer needs and is willing to support, recommend solutions that you think will address the problem. Start off with “What if ??” statements. Don’t give him a lot of technical double-talk. Get things down on his level and stay there until you both understand and agree on what is going to happen next.
I think it is fascinating that very often companies refer to these technical experts that they send out on fulfillment calls as “consultants.” What a great improvement it would be if they were actually trained in the art of consultative customer service. I know customers would really appreciate it!
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January Customer Service Tip of the Month – Give Customers the Benefit of the Doubt
When a customer contacts you looking for a product that doesn’t exist, or to complain about a problem they almost certainly created for themselves, how do you respond? You are a busy person with many other customers to take care of and numerous customer cases to clear. How long should you spend trying to satisfy this customer? The answer to this question is: as long as it takes. The customer receives no benefit – and neither does your company – when you blurt out, “Hey, have you been using this laptop for a coaster? Sorry; there is nothing I can do for you now!” No matter how frustrating it may be for you to deal with customer issues that seem to be more their problem than your company’s, it is still your responsibility to extend to them every courtesy and handle their requests with the utmost professionalism. Even though it may seem to you that the customer is the problem, their may be extenuating circumstances about which you are unaware. Ultimately, if the problem is one that originated with the customer, this may limit the options you can offer for solving the problem, but it never means that you should deliver anything but excellent, courteous service and try to make the best out of a bad situation.
