Surprise the Irate Customer Businesses experience negative people all the time (Christopher, 2012). If avoidance were an acceptable tactic in customer service, most employees would be thrilled (Christopher, 2012). Interaction with adverse individuals can exhaust an employee’s vitality and change a pleasant experience to one of regret rapidly (Christopher, 2012). Businesses are burdened with finding solutions for customer conflict based on varying personality types (Christopher, 2012).
It is the responsibility f a customer relation’s representative to attempt diffusing the difficult situation; It Is Impossible to change the customer (Christopher. 2012). In the scenario Christopher (2012) described, a professionally dressed man arrived at a dental office and announced his arrival for an appointment. The patient coordinator discovered the patient was a week early and apologized for the inconvenience. The patient was enraged; he exploded; he demanded her name and threatened to speak with the dentist to discuss her continued employment (Christopher, 2012).
Christopher labeled his behavior type an exploder. An exploder acts this way because he or she has learned this volatile display will result in getting their way (Christopher, 2012). It is the way difficult individuals behave, and it works for them; somewhere in his or her development, the temper tantrum yielded the desired outcome (Christopher, 2012). This patient hoped he would be squeezed into the dentist’s schedule and that the entire office would provide him with the customer service he demanded.
An exploder is unaware of the uproar created and has chosen this behavior as the protection method for managing conflict (Christopher, 2012). Exploders react to situations and are unable to recognize their explosive performance; he or she regularly reacts to family, coworkers, and others from a defensive standpoint (Christopher, 2012). Customer service specialists need to discover strategies to manipulate the transaction; Christopher (2012) offered a practice he entitled, The Surprise Effect. The Surprise Effect Is a combination of four factors.
Initially, the employee does not react In the expected way; It Is precisely the contrary to the anticipated response (Christopher, 2012). This method requires the employee to bear total control of his or her retorts, allows proactive responses to the customer, and finally, the opportunity to stop provoking and dysfunctional conduct (Christopher, 2012). If the customer service representative can modify his or her reaction, to an unexpected response, the resulting interaction with the customer will be deferent from the predictable dispute (Christopher, 2012).
Reactive responses permit the Initiator to control the immunization while slightly the scenario and taking the Annihilative to redirect the situation can create a solution instead of an altercation (Christopher, 2012). Christopher (2012) suggested that customer relation’s staff needed training on the different personality types or defense maneuvers they encounter from customers in business. The six categories he described were: tanks and exploders, snipers, know- it-alls, wet blankets and fire-hosiers, super agreeable charmers, and clams and (Christopher, 2012).
Snipers send out smart Aleck comments to hide vulnerability, now-it-alls want everyone to witness their intellectual superiority, wet blankets and fire-hosiers whine and complain or are victims and do not see positive outcomes (Christopher, 2012). The super agreeable charmers say all the right things but do not follow through; they are obliging and often exceed their limits and try to use their charms to explain away their deficiencies (Christopher, 2012). Finally, the clams and indecisive are afraid to take risks or fail and will remain silent allowing someone else to step in to make the decision for them (Christopher, 2012).
