A flight attendant’s highly publicized reaction to one evoked some sympathy, but this type of action actually represents a danger to both careers and businesses.
In the hours after he made his great escape down an airplane slide, Steven Slater became America’s newest folk hero, based on the number of friends his Facebook page has attracted as well as the media attention he received. But to those people who are in the customer service business, he should be considered Public Enemy No. 1.
There are many conflicting accounts of what happened on the plane that day, including several indicating interactions with one passenger which might be seen as provocative. Consumers in the mortgage business can do things that those who have to work with them can also see as provocative, stupid or malicious.
Our Mortgage Grapevine has a large number of postings about such clients.
But if any and/or all employees were to have their own “Take This Job and Shove It” moment, the viability of their business or career could cease to exist.
Remember the referral business works both ways. People happy with your service are glad to give your name to their friends. They are just as quick, if not quicker, to spread the word about a poor service experience. That doesn’t mean you or your employees have to take any rude behavior. But there are ways to deal with it much better than Slater has and turn such client interactions into a positive for your business.
For example, there is Verbal Judo.
In the December 2001/January 2002 issue of Broker, there was an article about the use of Verbal Judo. I had first come across Verbal Judo in both law enforcement and sports officiating contexts, and back then believed it had some applicability to sales person/consumer interaction.
The founder of the Verbal Judo Institute, George Thompson, created this technique as a five-step process of dealing with people.
According to the Broker article, written by my colleague Amilda Dymi, the first step is to ask clients for their cooperation using common courtesy to determine whether those clients are difficult people who do not want to comply. If that is the case, the second step is to set up a context of understanding using a rational appeal.
The broker may explain regulations, policies or procedures however briefly, so that clients understands why they cannot receive what they want and why they have to listen to the mortgage broker.
If it does not work, the next step is the personal appeal, when clients are presented with various options created to influence angry people.
Step four is to confirm the client’s noncompliance, which brings us to the last step, Thompson’s practical appeal, which may be applied as a question: Is there anything I can suggest within the rules that I have to abide by to work this out today?
Even if the answer is no, Verbal Judo stresses that it is important “not to burn the bridge” because that customer, who may be angry when leaving a broker’s office, will eventually calm down and might come back to do business.
Other suggestions about dealing with obstinate clients come from Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest, co-authors of “Who’s Your Gladys? How to Turn Even the Most Difficult Customer into Your Biggest Fan.”
The two offer these tips to companies that may be concerned about an overstressed customer service staff.
• Don’t be shocked, be prepared.
The surprise of being treated rudely can shut down the reason centers of the brain and produce a fight, flight, or freeze reaction. Businesses who regularly conduct “war game” meetings empower employees with a plan of action to protect themselves.
• Sidestep last-straw syndrome. The issue isn’t always what it appears to be.
Mounting pressures can cause an employee to lose control.
Service providers need a place to share their frustrations constructively and learn stress-reducing strategies.
• Train now or pay later.
When budgets are tight, stress management, resilience and customer service training may be the first programs to go.
People can work well under pressure when they have the emotion management tools to succeed in this way.
• Define limits. When a customer crosses a line into dangerous and abusive behavior, employees who do not feel supported are more likely to snap.
Put a plan in place for managing customers who cross the line from difficult to abusive, the authors said.
Business owners also need to be wary of their employees, because there could be legal liability issues.
“It is important for employers to consistently take appropriate prehiring actions, such as conducting background checks and drug tests, to ensure they are not hiring someone who is already near the brink,” says Randi W. Kochman, a partner at the Hackensack, N.J., law firm of Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard.
However, predicting when someone may snap is not always possible.
“To that end, it is necessary for employers to establish appropriate workplace violence plans and policies, including a zero tolerance policy for violence, should issues like these we’ve seen in the news over the last few days arise,” she said.
The Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard attorney was not only referring to the JetBlue incident but to the shootings at a Connecticut beer distribution facility as well that had occurred several days before.
“Workplace violence training can assist supervisors in detecting the warning signs of employee violence. Any instance or sign of violence should be grounds for immediate termination,” Kochman said.
