The rationale behind why businesses should offer a superior customer experience is fairly practical. Great customer service begets stronger customer loyalty, increased sales, and greater revenue. Moreover, most of us believe that we should treat others the way we would want to be treated, i.e., with respect—in the hope that if we’re kind and patient with others, they’ll be the same back. Makes sense, right?
It doesn’t always work out that way, of course. Sometimes we encounter customers who seem irrational, self-entitled, or just plain mean, no matter how hard we try to be accommodating. Some people out there really test our limits, and as a consequence, many of us find ourselves becoming apoplectic in response as though we’re trying to outmatch their level of outrage with our own.
Of course, we should always try to take the high road, if nothing else because demonstrates a good example for our employees. It usually impresses other customers, too, if they’re standing around witnessing the abuse we sometimes get. But beyond the practical, there is some philosophy as to why we should keep our cool. Here are some principles you mind find illuminating:
Principle of Charity
As Wikipedia defines it, “charitable interpretation requires interpreting a speaker’s statements in the most rational way possible and, in the case of any argument, considering its best, strongest possible interpretation.” In other words, when someone seems like they’re being unreasonable, we should challenge ourselves to not only see it from their point-of-view, but try to assume their point-of-view actually makes sense. Admittedly, that’s not easy! But remember that the reasons for a customer’s anger might be rooted in misunderstanding, not ego.
Hanlon’s Razor
Focusing on the idea of misunderstanding, another principle is Hanlon’s Razor, which “is an adage or rule of thumb that encourages us to ‘never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.’” An even kinder way to reword this would be to assume best intentions and ignorance rather than worst intentions and malice. The way we can apply this to customer service is to choose to believe that even when a customer is being especially bad, we should choose to believe that their indignance isn’t rooted in some kind of spite. (In your personal life, for example, if someone forgets to wish you a happy birthday, assume it’s because they forgot, not that they hate you.)
Principle of Humanity
And finally, let us wrap up with the idea “that when interpreting another speaker we must assume that his or her beliefs and desires are connected to each other and to reality in some way, and attribute to him or her ‘the propositional attitudes one supposes one would have oneself in those circumstances.’” In short, assume that the customer has a right to feel the way he or she does, and that in all likelihood, you would feel the same way if you were in his or her shoes. (To that, you could also afford them the idea that maybe they’re having a bad day, which is further aggravating their general irritation.)
Fundamentally, what we’re talking about with these principles is the idea that we should all cut each other some slack. There’s a sense of grace in this idea: we may often find ourselves extending this courtesy to others who may not ever do the same back. Maybe that’s a tough sell, given that there’s no reciprocity. But if we expect others to hold themselves to a high standard, including our employees, we have to do the same. —Now if only we could convince our politicians to hold to these principles, too!
Having the right attitude is more than wearing a smile: it also includes knowing how to handle abuse with dignity and grace. Not only do we at The Brandt Group offer award-wining leadership courses to equip you with the tools to thrive in high-pressure situations, we also offer world-class mystery shopping services that can measure how well your employees handle the pressures of customer service. While we wouldn’t ambush your people with shoppers who intentionally try to ruin their day, we do send in real people to ask real questions, and you will be able to learn a lot about your staff through these interactions.
Want to learn more? Drop us a line on our contact page, and let’s strike up a conversation about how we work together to help you and your business take the next step on the path to success!
