Toni Cooper
Homework Questions
Chapter 5
Homework Questions Chapter 5 (Handling Difficult Customer Situations)
1.) You can control your customer’s behavior. True or False?
False. You can only control your response to the customers behavior.
2.) List three characteristics skilled professionals must display when facing difficult customer situations.
Tact, diplomacy and a positive attitude.
3.) Why is it important to avoid the temptation to make sweeping negative statements about your customers?
It can cause you to lose your perspective and can even influence your coworkers’ attitude.
4.) What is empathy?
The act of identifying with and understanding another person’s feelings, motives and situations.
5.) Being empathetic means that you are personally responsible for another person’s situation. True or False?
False.
6.) What influences an upset or angry person’s willingness to work with you?
How you respond to them, especially in the beginning of the conversation.
7.) What are four preparatory steps you can take prior to each customer interaction in order to get focused?
Take a deep breath, Make sure you have a smile or eager look on your face, sit up or stand up straight and get ready to take notes
8.) Why is it important to let an angry customer vent?
Angry customers have a story to tell and usually cannot calm down until their entire story is told and they’ve made all the points they wanted to make.
9.) What should you be listening for when a customer is venting?
For the central theme of the customer’s incident , the real problem of their story.
10.) What can happen if you do not acknowledge a customer’s emotional state?
The customer will perceive that you had not been listening to them and become even more upset.
11.) What tone of voice is appropriate when you are using a customer’s name or when you are apologizing to a customer?
Respectful and genuine.
12.) When handling a difficult situation, when can you begin active problem solving?
When you have the agreement from the customer that you understand the situation and they have calmed down.
13.) Briefly describe the three stages customers go through on the way to becoming irate.
They describe the inconvenience of the incident they are experiencing and the frustration with the current situation
If you fail to acknowledge the frustration or the source of it, the customer may become angry and perceive that you are not listening or addressing their concern
Customer then becomes irate. Their expectations become unrealistic or they’re incapable of calming down because of how much stress they are under
14.) How can you ensure your behavior is not driving a customer into an irate state?
Focus on what you can do for them and remain positive.
15.) How do customers want th...
