Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1381388
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION JUNE 9, 2021 Page 27 What to Do When You Have Bad News for a Customer…continued from page 26 Continued on page 28 The Dos and Don'ts of Breaking Bad News to Customers DO give customers a warning. Here's one tip that can help head off problems before they start: Warn the customer ahead of time if you foresee a potential problem. Your customers will appreciate it if you mention early on that it may take extra time to order exactly what they are looking for, or that you may not have the desired number of product the customer is asking for. It doesn't help things to get payment up front and then deliver the tough news a couple of days later if you knew the information at the time of the sale. DON'T use the word "I". This does not mean you can't ever refer to yourself in a conversation with the customer, but you need to make sure the focus is on them instead of on you. It is a common mistake when speaking to a customer to provide information totally from your (seller) point of view. When you say, "I need more time," it puts the problem squarely on you and you are the reason for the bad news. It is better to phrase the bad news in a way that shows the customer they're number one. It's a simple but effective way of showing customers that you care. As an example of what you could say, try something along the lines of, "We need more time than anticipated to make your delivery. We've noticed this early, and we understand you may be disappointed. You can be sure we'll take care of this for you as quickly as possible!" DO give your customers a good news sandwich. While most customers would love you to offer them a delicious sandwich at lunchtime, what I'm talking about here is the 'sandwich approach' to breaking bad news to customers. With this approach, you start and end with good news, and 'sandwich' the bad news in the middle. People tend to focus on the first and last things they hear, so this helps the customer leave the conversation feeling pretty good, even when you've just hit them with a piece of bad news. For example, when a delivery driver is running late, don't just call the customer and announce this fact. Instead, say something like: "We have our most experienced field tech on the way to make your delivery [Good news!]. Unfortunately, he's running a couple hours behind because of an unavoidable emergency situation [Oops. Bad news.], but we'd like to offer you a discount on your first day's rental to make it up to you and thank you for being a loyal customer. [Hooray! More good news!]" Of course, the two slices of good news you present will depend on your situation. And, if you think creatively, you can often come up with some sweetener that will make the bad news sting a little less.