Acknowledge the customer's concerns, clarify the policies, and explore flexible solutions within company guidelines to meet their needs while maintaining mutual respect.

Miscommunication is often the source of unmet expectations. I believe being empathetic to the customer’s perspective, validating their feelings, (within acceptable reason, no misguided blame shifting) while openly communicating what our policies actually are and why we have them. Often reaching a happy resolution by meeting them in the middle,however possible within company guidelines, to make the customer feel valued and heard. All this while kindly educating them on company policy guidelines, setting clear expectations for future interactions.

Objection handling (training) should be part of policy change rollout, especially if the policy change is controversial, or expected to be. Simple, sample role playing can help too. As the policy change rolls out, have a plan to capture feedback and update training documents periodically and make sure decision makers have eyes on the related data and feedback as well.

Assess for flexibility within the policy framework and offer alternative solutions that meet the customer's needs while maintaining company guidelines and requirements. If a compromise isn't possible, escalate the issue to a higher authority for review, as one of the drivers of policy review is unmet/failure to meet policy expectations. Finally, follow up with the customer to confirm satisfaction given the unique circumstances. The key is balancing empathy with company standards to reach a mutually agreeable solution.

A company's policies is expected to be clearly defined and made known to clients before any engagement. In the event of clash, it is expected that the management meet with the client and clarify the issue. In doing, they can reach a common ground, where both parties will not compromise their values.