Use Customer Service Strategies to Better Resolve Disputes
When you’re having an argument with someone you know, it’s easy to shut up, become defensive, or lose sight of how to fix the problem. Become more constructive by adopting some customer service strategies.
Customer service people know that even if someone is mad at them, there is almost always something they can do to defuse the situation. The Entrepreneur Business Blog explains this in terms of real customer service, but many of these tricks can be used in any dispute between two people. For example, admit your mistakes, but don’t take responsibility for things you can’t control:
If any part of the customer’s dissatisfaction is not about a service that he or she could reasonably expect from you, be sure to say so. (This is the “customer is not always right” part.) This does not mean you have to hide behind the small print of your terms. But if someone expected you to provide a service that you clearly do not provide, please indicate so. Better understanding can give you a better chance of retaining that client.
Obviously, your personal relationships are different from serving customers, and treating the people in your life as customers all the time is probably not a good idea in the long run. But good customer service knows how to defuse situations, identify problems, and come up with constructive solutions for everyone involved. And many of these strategies can be helpful for resolving disputes everywhere. Read the Entrepreneur post to learn more about strategies for dealing with unhappy customers (and any other relationship).
Buyers aren’t always right. They are never wrong. | Businessman