In the promotional products and printing space, it’s all about getting people to remember your business, your products, and your brand. For many promotional and print companies, customer service is the arena that puts the “big picture” perspective into focus, and determines where a company takes and makes its future.
Quite simply, it’s the philosophy and core behind business development. That being said, there are times when companies need to have difficult conversations with clients — whether it is about extending deadlines, increasing costs, or modifying the overall vision of the end product. How you approach these conversations can play an important role in making immediate and lasting impressions.
Set Expectations
Customer service is often the “catch-22” of businesses. If you do it right, you will thrive. If not, it can be enough to make you fail. And for many businesses — both small and large — having difficult conversations with clients can be one of their biggest headaches. The good news? With a little creativity, training, and practice, how you handle challenging interactions with clients can help your company truly shine, making your potential customers — along with their friends and family — come back for more.
“Expectations around communications are essential to any good client relationship,” says Suzanne Olson, marketing, experience, and service strategist and chief experience architect at Brilliant Workplaces, Cooperstown, New York. “In the beginning of the engagement, it is a best practice to establish and set expectations on how often updates will happen, who will receive them, and the format for delivery.
“By agreeing to communications up front, all parties have an understanding of what to expect, and if any issues or delays from the project arise, those would be brought up in a timely manner,” she continues. “A schedule of communications allows both parties to be proactive about a resolution if something goes wrong.”
Listen Well
At Brilliant Workplaces, Olson and her team teach the “LAST” framework (Listen – Apologize – Solve – Thank) when training client management teams on service excellence and how to handle service recovery situations.
“Listen to what the client is explaining when they are upset and be fully present,” Olson says. “Our tendency is to stop listening and want to move on, but the client may need to express frustration, and the more listening that can be done can lead to a better solution.”
Apologize for the situation, which does not mean taking responsibility. It acknowledges that there is an issue. Next, offer a solution and actively look for ways to resolve the issue. Again, this does not necessarily mean giving the client what they want — sometimes the answer is still the same, but creative solutions are appreciated. And finally, be sure to thank the client for being a partner, for being a client, and understanding the situation.
Hanne Wulp, conflict trainer and communication and individual conflict coach at Communication Wise, adds that it’s important to express your good intentions in whatever way works for the client and comes naturally to you.
“These good intentions are that you care about the client and you care about their goals, what they want,” Wulp says. “Oftentimes, when something goes wrong on our end, we cope by selling ourselves out by thinking such things as ‘the client shouldn’t have had such high expectations in the first place,’ ‘they should have known this was unrealistic from the get-go,’ or ’they should be more flexible.’ These thoughts are unhelpful. You have to become aware of these defensive thoughts and get back to going in it with a clear mind. It’s OK to remind someone else of their responsibilities, but at this point in the conversation, make yourself care about this client.”
Delays in the completion of a project or product, for example, are unfortunate, but can happen due to factors outside our control. That’s why Olson says the best strategy when having to explain a delay is to be transparent and honest about the situation, and to not make excuses or assign blame.
“It is a natural tendency when something goes wrong for people to get defensive, overly explain and provide too much detail on why something is not going as expected, or shift responsibility for the delay,” Olson says. Instead, stick to the facts and focus on the resolution. The client is not interested in whose fault it is, or a long story about what’s going wrong. The client is interested in the facts of the situation — and most importantly — what your resolution is, and when they can expect resolution or an update.
When a project is turning out to be more expensive than originally quoted, Olson says the best way to approach the client is to first apologize for the situation.
“Nobody likes to spend more money when that isn’t expected or in the budget,” she says. “Apologizing doesn’t mean you are accepting responsibility, but instead shows that you are acknowledging the situation and having empathy for how the client might feel.”
Next, explain the facts about what is causing the expense change, without emotion or assumptions. Again, the client will appreciate honesty and transparency. Finally, Olson recommends stating what the increase is and trying to work with the client on a solution if needed.
“Show that you are proactive in your approach to the issue, and the client will most likely appreciate the effort, even if it isn’t ideal,” Olson says.
And what if the company may not be able to make the end product exactly like a client envisioned? When a client has an expectation of something different, Olson explains that they don’t want to be told they are wrong. She recommends trying to understand their perspective, apologizing for the situation, working toward a solution that satisfies both parties.
“It might not be exactly what they want, but the effort in trying to come up with a solution will go a long way in building and nurturing the relationship for the future,” Olson says. “Have empathy for the client when you break the bad news by asking yourself, ‘How would you feel if you were in their shoes?’ ‘How would you want to be treated?’ ‘What solutions would you want to be presented with?’ By taking a client-centered approach, both parties walk away with a better relationship built on trust and transparency.”
