Louis Dunn turns customer experience training upside down from what to do to what not to do. She shares phrases staff members use that can kill your client service and make
a client feel as if you are trying to make them angry and start a fight:
- Our policy is . . .
- We have been really busy . . .
- Press 1 for…Press 2 for…Press 9 to repeat these choices . . .
- That’s not my job . . .
Dunn’s writing moves from antagonistic statements to how to say, “I’m sorry,” and recover from an errant statement.
Source: Pet Boarding and Daycare, September/October 2020, Page 12. Link.
Why are we, in general, so afraid to say, “I’m sorry” or apologize for a service error? It seems as if an admission of guilt will open the door to some massive legal headache when it could easily open the door to service recovery.” – Louis Dunn
INSIGHTS: Regardless of your role in animal health, Dunn’s article is applicable to your interactions with internal and external customers. Consider sharing it ahead of a team meeting and jointly discuss it during the meeting. Involve a favorite representative to moderate the discussion, when possible to minimize any hierarchical affect.
Also see: Owning the outcome, Korn-Ferry, October 11, 2020. Link. When most people think about accountability, they immediately look through the lens of how accountable others are to them. But first, we need to look in the mirror and see how accountable we are to ourselves for who we are and how we act.
If we want to know how we’re doing, we only need to count the number of times we say, “I’m sorry”—in all its forms including, “That’s on me,” “That was the wrong call,” and “You were right.” – Gary Burnison, CEO Korn-Ferry