Have you ever noticed that when you are angry it becomes very hard to hear what is being said by anyone but yourself. What you are experiencing is a natural phenomenon known as “fight, fight, or freeze.” And when this happens you are experiencing both an emotional and physical reaction. You become hyper alert, blood rushing away from your extremities and your vision and hearing narrow. A part of your brain sometimes called “lizard brain” is taking over. The result is that your thinking is impaired and your body has taken over. It is now operating in a primitive way. Not the best way to be for providing quality customer service.
Next time and angry or dissatisfied customer calls you take a moment and check in with your body. You can have an opportunity to interrupt your automatic autonomic response. Take a few deep breathes, and instead of matching anger you may be hearing, try something new, opening up and focusing your attention on what your customer is saying instead of how they are speaking. If you put your concentration on content of their comments and really hear what is being said, you may be surprised to learn something you don’t already know. This small change, when you pause and listen, can yield a deeper understanding of the needs of your clients. Instead of reacting, you are now able to support them, and be creative or more importantly, let them know they are heard. You may not need to do anything more than listen and acknowledge what has been said.
Many times conflict comes about when people feel they have different or opposing views. By listening to what is being said you may find out you share more than you differ. Listening with the intention of understanding is quite different from the way you listen when you have the the intention of reacting.
The more valued, respected and heard a client feels, the more likely they will stick with you. It is far less costly to keep an existing client than to source a new one. By listening to a client’s concerns and working to resolve their issues, you will find you can turn conflict into cash, repeat business and glowing referrals.
To learn more about how you can help your body and mind stay in balance, visit http://www.healthatyourfingertips.com. I highly recommend you practice the “Daily Clean Your House Flow” to experience good health and a clear mind.
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