Preventing negative emotions

- Working with angry or upset customers is one of the most challenging aspects of customer service. Wouldn't it be great if you could magically prevent customers from getting upset in the first place? While it's not really magic, this video will introduce you to a technique that can prevent customer anger even before it begins. The technique is called the preemptive acknowledgement. The key is to preempt customer anger by spotting situations where a customer is likely to get angry and then addressing their negative emotions before they boil over. Let's look at a scene where a customer reserves an item online only to find the store is actually out of stock when she arrives to pick it up. - So I double checked and we're completely out of stock; it looks like our website was wrong. - But I reserved it online. Why did I waste time coming down here if you don't actually have it? - You may have guessed the customer would get angry as soon as she learned the store did not have the item she ordered. When customers get angry, they're not just angry about a specific problem; what really makes them upset is that nobody seems to care. The preemptive acknowledgement works because it prevents your customer from experiencing these negative emotions. Here's what that same scene might look like if the employee used the preemptive acknowledgement. - So I double checked, and we're completely out of stock. I'm so sorry you came all the way down here; that should not have happened, but I do have a couple of solutions to get you what you ordered. - Okay. - Great, so we have it in stock at a store across town, so I could call, verify it's there, and have them hold it for you, or we have it in stock at our warehouse, so I could have it shipped to your place even by tomorrow. And of course, we'd cover the shipping cost. - Well, I appreciate your effort. I'm, I'm not in a huge rush, so let's just send it to the house. - This time around, the customer was not happy, but her anger didn't boil over like it did in the first example. Now, there are three important things to remember about this technique. First, you must spot the problem before your customer becomes angry. This technique won't work if your customer is already upset. Second, you need to acknowledge your customer's emotions to help prevent them from boiling over. And of course, you have to fix the problem. I encourage you to look for opportunities to use this technique with your own customers. Start by looking for situations where a customer is likely to become angry or upset. Maybe they've had to wait or perhaps you have to deliver some bad news. The key is spotting situations where you can use this technique before your customer gets upset. If you can do this, your customers will be happier, your day will go smoother, and fewer little problems will become big ones.