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Lesson #33 -
Customer Relations - Dealing With Different Types Of
Customers
Last lesson we looked
at ways of tuning yourself up to deal with customers.
This week's lesson is about the customers themselves.
Since most technicians in the computer field end up doing
on-site service at some point, it's important to understand
what the different types of people out there are and how to
deal with each one. The more difficult you make dealing
with a customer, the more difficult that repair will
be.
The
Know-It-All
The most hated of all
customers is the one that knows EVERYTHING. The customer
is always right, right? They're right and wrong.
They're good and bad. It's all in how you handle
them.
When I managed the
computer store, we called these guys propeller heads.
They'll spout out knowledge about stuff to try to trip you up
and make a mistake. It's self-gratification. Think
of them with one of those little propeller beanies on spinning
it over and over every time they say something they think is
smart. You can't win with this type of customer, because
either they know more than you, or know less than you and
won't admit it.
Here's my suggestion
for dealing with propeller heads. If you can't beat
them, join them. Ask their opinions about the problem,
because there's a good chance they might give you some good
clues as to what the problem really is. Don't directly
correct any mistakes they make when taking about computers,
because they'll either get defensive when they realize they're
wrong, or they'll get angry and stop helping. Unless the
person is completely off-base, try correcting them in
passing. This works especially well when there's more
than 1 person in the area, as they get to show off while you
get to be right. We all want to be right deep
down. Showing it at the right times is more important in
this job.
Lastly, don't get
caught into the "Well mine is better" game. This is
where the propeller head loves to be. He has a 1.3Ghz
AMD, or has 256MB RAM, or that new Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
sound card. Compliment him on his choice of hardware,
but don't try impressing him with your 1.4Ghz Pentium, 512MB
RAM, and Sound Blaster Platinum card. You have work to
do, and unless you can get paid to stand for hours
listening to him spout out his plans for his system over the
next 8 years, you can't afford it. (Plus it makes them
feel better to hear "That sounds like it rocks" over "Well,
this is what I have.")
The Angry
Guy
You just have to love
the angry guy. He's pissed off and nothing you can do
will help. 90% of the angry guys out there have been
passed over by a previous technician, or think we're all a
bunch of ignorant low-life's. You can't win with this
guy. All you can do is placate him.
First off, you have
to take special care not to give the angry guy a reason to
become more angry. Don't show up late, skip out on a
promise, or screw something up worse. This just feeds
into the angry guy's mentality. Be professional, and get
the job done quickly, quietly, and with as few problems as
possible. The less time the angry guy has to see you,
the less time he has to be angry.
Eventually the day
will come when you WILL have to deal with the angry guy face
to face. Something will happen, and someone will be
extremely upset, and you'll have to make a decision.
Remember that your chances of satisfying angry guy are slim,
because these people are chronically angry. Do what is
right to get the job done within the bounds of your job
description. That last sentence is important.
"Within the bounds of your job description" can save your butt
later on when angry guy starts yelling at your boss. If
you did your job correctly, and stay within the limits
of what your job requires you to do, you can't get in
trouble.
Yelling at angry guy
is like tweaking a grizzly's nose; You don't want to do
it. Angry guy will always be angry guy, and starting a
fight with angry guy will probably get you in more
trouble. If you can fix the problem, do so as quickly as
possible with minimum contact with angry guy. When angry
guy starts yelling, ignore him. If you can't fix the
problem right then and there, get out quickly and don't come
back until you can fix the problem.
The
Beginner
These are both my
favorite people and the bane of my existence. The
beginner is a great person to deal with because they are like
a dry sponge. 99% of the time they know they don't know
much, so they sit and watch and try to learn. They can't
help you much, but they like to watch.
The problem with the
beginner is that you're going to spend half your time trying
to educate them. I love talking to people, and love
teaching. When I deal with a true beginner, I spend at
least half my time looking for ways to help them make their
work easier. This sucks up time... Time you may be
charging someone for or having to explain to someone else
later.
If you have the time
to spend, give it to them. Teach them the right way to
do things so next time they might avoid the problem in the
first place. If you don't have the time, explain what
you're doing but don't get into the trap of teaching them
everything. Explain what you're doing, do it, and move
on with the appropriate amount of courtesy used.
Mr. "This Is Wrong
Too"
Like the beginner,
most times a "This is Wrong Too" is a good thing. These
are general chronic novices who complain a fair amount.
So how can they be a good thing? A customer who
complains gives you feedback, and stays a customer longer than
the person you never hear from again. A customer that
knows you by name will come back, because you've created a
bond.
It's time to go back
to your job description again. When this type of person
has a problem, you have to categorize it. Does it fall
within your job description to fix it? Do rules prevent
you from fixing it right now? How long would it take to
fix? Then you use your judgment to decide whether to
proceed. If it's a quick fix that you can perform
without violating company policy, just do it. If it's
not, explain that to the customer and let them know the proper
person or route to handle to get the problem fixed.
Leaving them there with a broken computer and no idea where to
turn won't help.
General Does and
Don'ts
Always Listen To The
Customer. Never interrupt the customer while they're
trying to explain something to you.
Always explain what
you're doing. Never leave a site without explaining what
you've done.
Always be courteous
and polite, even if the customer isn't. Never insult or
berate a customer, no matter how much you think they deserve
it.
Always fix the
problem completely. Never leave a problem
half-solved.
Word Of
Mouth
It's hard to imagine
how much one little slip-up can screw up a business.
I've worked for a few companies that didn't follow some basic
rules on how to keep customers. Here's an example of how
word-of-mouth can hurt you and/or your business;
When working for a
furniture company, I talked with some people that said they
were recommended by someone. Naturally I asked
who. They said I wouldn't know them because they lived
about 600 miles away. Why had they been recommended to
us? Because someone in that store did what they said
they would on time with the least troubles. I tried to
follow in that person's footsteps, and things went pretty
good.
Now imagine if that
person had of been rude, short, or didn't fulfill his promise
in that other store. Someone 600 miles from me could
cost me a sale. When you do something right, people hear
about it. When you do something wrong, people hear about
it. In our age of communication, the people hearing
about the good or bad things you did can be thousands of miles
away. If what you did is bad enough, more people will
hear and the story will get passed on, mutated, and turned
into that game we used to play where you whispered something
into the ear of the person beside you and watched it change
into something totally different. In other words how you
react to problems and situations is going to be repeated over
and over in places you don't even know about, so don't make
your life or anyone else's any more difficult than it has to
be.
Dealing With
Problems
Our last section
today is how to deal with problems when they occur. This
isn't computer problems, it's customer relations
problems. The mad customer, the confused customer, or
the uncooperative customer. Follow these rules and you should
find your job goes much smoother;
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Never argue with a
customer. Explain your side of the situation entirely,
but never curse, insult, or berate a customer. If the
customer wants to start an argument at all costs, attempt to
fix the problem as quickly as you can with the least amount
of contact with that person. If they still want to
start a fight, give them the number of a superior that can
deal with their issues. (You probably aren't paid to
argue)
-
If you screw
something up while trying to fix it, make sure you tell
someone. Eventually they'll find out anyways.
It's better to say "I screwed up" right away than to have
your boss come to you a week later and say "DID YOU DO
THIS???"
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Always treat people
with the golden rule. Treat them the way you'd want to
be treated. (minus the beer)
-
Apologize.
Even if nothing went wrong, apologize. "I'm sorry I
couldn't get here sooner" or "I'm sorry it took me so long"
even when everything went on schedule will avoid later
problems when things don't go so smoothly.
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