43. When You Don’t Have the Answer

When You Don’t Have the Answer : 

When You Don’t Have the Answer By VanSight

COPYRIGHT 2009 VANSIGHT division of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd : 

COPYRIGHT 2009 VANSIGHT division of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd 2 No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or for any purpose without the express permission of VanSight Division of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd. The information contained herein may be changed without prior notice. VanSight is trademark of Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd. All other product and service names mentioned and associated logos displayed are the trademarks of their respective companies. Data contained in this document serves informational and educational purposes only. The information in this document is proprietary to Synbiz Solutions Pvt Ltd. This product contains training material for English or Soft Skills or Personality Development. Synbiz assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in this document. Synbiz does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links, or other items contained within this material. This document is provided without a warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

The Situation : 

The Situation It’s almost impossible to have all of the answers to all possible questions customers may throw at you. When a customer asks you a question and you are unsure of the answer or simply don’t know, you have two options— handle it the right way or the wrong way. The wrong way is to fake it, out of embarrassment, in the belief that the customer will think you stupid if you admit you don’t know. The right way is to tell the customer you don’t know, but to make a commitment to the customer to find out, either by researching and getting back to him or her or referring the customer to someone who will know. If you fake it, you will find customers who will expose your ignorance for you. That’s not a good feeling—and it’s also bad business. 3

Techniques Used : 

Techniques Used 4 Acknowledge Customer’s Needs Offering Choices Empowering Referral to Third Party Arranging Follow-Up Suggest an Alternative to Waiting

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 5 In this dialogue you will see several techniques strung together to address the situation where an employee does not have the answer to a customer’s question. First, the employee tries to find the answer; then, when that does not succeed, the employee refers to a third party who does know the answer.

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 6 Customer: I’m looking at these washing machines, and I can’t figure out why the prices are so different. Could you explain the differences between them? Employee: I can see that you really need the right information and I want to make sure I don’t give you inaccurate information. Let me see if I can find the brochures so we can figure this out. It might take a minute or two. Is that OK?

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 7 Customer: Sure, no problem. Employee: If you want to browse some of the other items, I can look for the answers and get back to you when I’ve got something. Customer: That would be great.

Dialogue : 

Dialogue 8 The employee can’t find the material and moves to plan B. Employee: I think the best thing is for me to find John, who is really the Washing machine expert here. If anyone can help, it would be him. If you have the time, I can do that now, or I can get back to you, or whatever works for you. Customer: I really can’t wait right now, because I have a few other things to do. If I come back in 20 minutes, can I speak to John? Employee: Yes, that would work well, and then you don’t have to wait. I’ll tell John to expect you, so just ask for him when you come in

Explanations : 

Explanations 9 The employee responds to the customer by acknowledging that the question is important to the customer, showing his concern for the customer’s needs. Before he leaves to find the information, he explains what he is doing and asks the customer if it’s OK , an example of offering choices and empowering the customer. In the employee makes a suggestion—that rather than standing around waiting, the customer might prefer to browse some of the other items. Not only is this exceedingly considerate, but it’s also a good way to encourage the customer to consider purchasing other items as well. Unfortunately, the search for the brochures fails and the employee refers the customer to a third party .

Explanations : 

Explanations Note that the employee makes a special effort to describe John as the expert, which reassures the customer that the information he will eventually get from John will be accurate and useful and, best of all, worth waiting for. The employee also, once again, offers some choices by saying, “If you have the time, I can do that now…” When the customer indicates he can’t wait, the employee arranges for a follow-up . There are some central themes here. We want to convey to the customer that we treat his or her need for information seriously and will do everything we can to provide that information, while inconveniencing him or her as little as possible. Throughout this dialogue, there’s a sense that the employee is flexible and desires to go the extra mile. This turns a potentially embarrassing situation (lack of knowledge about merchandise) into a positive, an opportunity to demonstrate superior customer service skills and attitude. 10

How to Diffuse the Situation : 

How to Diffuse the Situation 11 A customer who is waiting and doing nothing is a customer who will become annoyed and/or leave. Reduce waits as much as possible and offer something for the customer to do during waits (e.g., have coffee, browse other items, return in 10 minutes). When referring to a third party, make absolutely sure the third party has the answers before making the referral.

How to Diffuse the Situation : 

How to Diffuse the Situation 12 The best way to do that is to ask the third party before completing the handoff. The third party you refer to should be the last party the customer needs to talk with. Keep the customer informed. Never walk away with-out explaining. Never say something like “Hold on a sec” and then walk off.

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How to Purchase & Download full Course from VanSight. 13 Download Presentation from www.vansight.net