Customer Service Management Training 101 Chapter 7 Excerpt: Dealing with Challenges Successfully

Being prepared to deal with challenges is smart management. Whenever people work together challenges will occur; therefore, no manager is immune from dealing with them. It may be a disagreement among your employees, a misunderstanding between you and another manager, an employee who is exhibiting poor behaviors, dealing with change in the workplace, or being caught off guard by an unforeseen event. Being prepared for challenges will enable you to clear up misunderstandings, resolve disagreements, turn around poor performance, work through change, and deal well with emergencies and crises. Mastering effective resolution skills will ensure that your team continues to give your customers exceptional service.

Whatever the cause, handling challenges effectively can be good for everyone involved. Overcoming challenges brings an opportunity to grow and develop. Effective resolution can strengthen relationships, increase productivity, enthuse people, promote the flow of new ideas, and increase understanding and knowledge.

When you recognize a challenge, take ownership of it, and work to find the best solution, you demonstrate that you are a leader who is unafraid of conflict. In your management role, you will find occasions when you need to step in and help others work through conflict by mediating an issue to resolution. When you take the time to listen to all sides, you will be able to frame the problem. Then you can decide and plan how best to resolve the conflict. When you meet with the involved people, you will be in a position to help them reach consensus, resulting in a win-win resolution.

When the conflict involves you, you are likely to be emotional or feel passionate about your point of view, and that can make reaching agreement and finding a win-win solution more difficult. For example, a coworker may have taken credit for a project you completed, your boss may have assigned a project to you when you are already overloaded, or your employee may have spoken rudely to you during a meeting. Whenever a conflict situation involves you, communicating your feelings while keeping your emotions under control will open a dialogue and enable you to listen to what the other person has to say. Looking at the situation from the other person’s perspective helps you find a workable resolution.

No matter how effectively you train, how well you motivate, and how often you provide feedback, you will, at some time, deal with an employee who does not perform up to par. When you determine the root cause for the poor performance, you will be able to work with the employee on an improvement plan. Taking time to think how to discuss the matter with the employee, what questions to ask, what questions need to be answered, and getting the employee to take ownership of the situation enables you to agree on the best resolution.

Change is inevitable and change means stepping out of your comfort zone. That is never easy. Learning how to move through any change process is important in your leadership role. As the leader of your team, it is your responsibility to help yourself and your team members work through the stages of change, while remaining objective, consistent, and accountable for outcomes.

An anticipated challenge can effectively be handled through careful and thoughtful planning, but what happens when the unexpected is thrown at you? Anticipating things that might happen will help, as will developing contingency plans for emergency situations. It is most important, as a manager, that you remain calm and in control at all times. Doing so enables you to employ your critical thinking skills when quick decisions are called for.

STEP 1: Mediate Conflict Involving Others

If you are uncomfortable facing conflict, welcome to the club. Most people feel uncomfortable when dealing with any conflict, but especially when it occurs in the workplace. In your position, you are likely to be the one to mediate conflict situations that involve your team. It might be a situation involving two of your employees who do not get along, an employee who feels another employee is not doing his or her fair share of the work, or a group of employees who are upset with one of their coworkers for whatever reason.

Managers often ignore these situations, hoping the problem will go away. The bad news is that ignoring conflict only allows it to grow, eventually becoming unmanageable. If left unresolved, conflict causes those involved to become disgruntled and bitter, it causes relationships to break down completely, and the worse-case scenario is that it can cause your customers to quit doing business with you. When you effectively work to resolve problems you gain respect as an involved leader committed to being part of the solution rather than part of the problem.

Anticipate Problems and Deal with Them Immediately. Conflict often arises when there is poor communication, a misunderstanding, or a disagreement between people. Someone may feel slighted, left out of the loop, or unfairly treated. In high producing teams, conflict may arise when people are creative, productive, and feel passionate about their work. Be on the lookout for conflict and work to resolve the situation immediately, when the problem is still manageable. Become an active observer, stay involved, and watch for things that do not seem right. Ask your team members and coworkers to tell you when a problem is brewing. Be aware of employees or coworkers who suddenly become negative, quiet, agitated, or upset, as this can be a sign of conflict.

Frame the Problem. Before attempting to draw conclusions or make decisions about a situation, gain a complete understanding of the problem. Allow those involved, individually, to tell their version of the story. Listen carefully to all sides. Ask questions to gain understanding.

Pay attention to the nonverbal messages you are receiving—as well as those you are sending. People are going to be emotional when talking about a conflict: observe the message behind the words. Is the person angry, hurt, embarrassed? What is the person actually telling you? Keep your own emotions in check and remain objective. See the situation from all sides. Understand where each person is coming from. When you have heard all sides, you should be able to frame the problem.

Decide and Plan How to Resolve the Conflict. When you are confident you have enough details to work towards resolution, take time to think through the situation before deciding how to respond. It may help to “rest” the problem for a short time so you can make the best decision. When you have drawn your conclusion, plan what you will say when you meet to mediate and guide the discussion. Think how those involved are going to respond, both to each other and to you. Who will be confrontational? Who will be passive and quiet? Plan how to maintain control of your mediation meeting.

Next, decide who needs to attend the meeting and where it will be held. If the conflict is between two people, you most likely do not need to involve your entire team to resolve the issue. When choosing where to meet, find a private location that is free from distractions.

Find a Win-Win Solution. The most effective way to resolve conflict is to allow those involved to jointly reach consensus. Facilitate the discussion and encourage everyone to present their sides and listen to each other. Ask questions to draw out the responses and guide them to reach consensus. Work towards a solution that everyone can buy into. When complete agreement is not possible, make sure everyone accepts the final outcome before adjourning the meeting.

There will be times when consensus cannot be reached. If tempers flare, or if those involved cannot reach agreement, give everyone time to calm down by adjourning and meeting later. If, after meeting again, it is still impossible to reach consensus, you may have to make the final call in order to move forward. In that event, it is important to stress that you listened to all views, and take time to explain the reasoning behind your solution to the problem. Gain consensus that each person understands and accepts your decision. Even though some may not agree with it, helping them understand where you are coming from and why you came to that conclusion should help everyone buy into it.

STEP 2: Resolve Conflict Involving You

If the issue does not involve you it should be easy to stay composed. What happens, though, when you are involved in the conflict and have trouble controlling your emotions? When this happens, maintaining self-control and objectivity can be an unrealistic expectation, yet it is crucial to resolving the problem.

Keep Your Emotions in Check

Your reflex reaction may be to respond immediately, yet it is important to maintain self-control and not respond until you have had time to think through the situation. Learning not to be reactive will help slow your racing heart and racing thoughts. Make it a rule to always take time to think through a situation. If you have to, walk away rather than lose control of your emotions. This will keep you from lashing out in anger or saying something you will later regret. When you have calmed down, think about how you want to resolve the issue.

Communicate Your Feelings. Think about how you want to communicate your point of view. Speak in terms of how the issue made you feel and how it affected you. Do not assume you are right and the other person is wrong. Only state the facts as you know them and discuss how you view the issue without assigning blame. Yesterday, during our meeting when I was giving my presentation and you said that was a stupid idea, I felt belittled and embarrassed. Making that comment really threw me off for the rest of my presentation and today, I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m still upset that you did that.

Listen to the Other Side. Listen carefully to what the other person has to say. Really listen. Pay attention to nonverbal messages. See the situation from the other person’s vantage point and if need be, put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Often, when we do this, we can view the situation completely differently. Your coworker responds: You gave a solution that I knew couldn’t work. I had tried something similar with my team and it backfired. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have said it was a stupid idea but because I tried it before and knew it wasn’t going to fly I just blurted that out.

Work Together to Find a Workable Solution. You listened to the other side. You paid attention to nonverbal messages. You looked at the situation from the other person’s perspective. Now, find a workable solution that you and those involved can buy into. Be clear when making your recommendation. I understand and appreciate that you had a different point of view. Next time, though, I’d be grateful if you would allow me to finish my presentation before saying something. I’d also appreciate if you could say something a little more objective than saying an idea is stupid. Make sure everyone is in agreement before resting the issue. Your coworker takes responsibility: Look, I’m really sorry for saying that. I’ll make sure I keep my mouth shut in the future. Say something so that everyone can move forward on a positive note: I’m just glad we resolved this so we can move on.

STEP 3: Turn Problem Performers into Peak Producers

Dealing with a problem performer can be unnerving. If you have already provided sufficient training, followed up, spent time with the employee, provided constructive feedback, but the problem continues, you have a problem performer on your hands. In all likelihood, the problem performer does not see a need to change, so it is up to you to get the employee to take ownership for changing his or her behavior. Unless you take necessary steps to turn around poor performance, the situation is not going to correct itself, your other employees will see you as being weak, and they may lose respect for you. To correct poor performance or a poor attitude, deal with the situation head on.

Determine the Root Cause for the Poor Performance. Before confronting the employee, think about the exhibited behavior. You want to take time to diffuse your reactive anger and uncover the reason for the poor performance. Generally, poor performance can be linked to a lack or misunderstanding of training or a lack of motivation to perform well. Analyze the facts to make a root cause determination. Focus on the situation you observed and specifically on the behavior exhibited. Has the employee been properly trained? Does the employee possess the necessary skills to adequately perform the task?

Plan Your Meeting. When you identify the reason behind the problem, you will be able to plan what you will say when you meet with the employee. If you conclude the employee has not received the proper training, you can explain what you observed and schedule the training.

If, however, you identified the reason as a lack of motivation to perform well, you have a problem performer to deal with. When you meet you will want the employee to explain the reason for the behavior and take responsibility for changing it. It can be helpful to write out a framework for your meeting, including some open ended questions. It can also be helpful to picture how the employee may respond. What is the worst case scenario? Predicting an employee’s reaction will help you stay calm and in control during the meeting. Will the employee become defensive, angry, sullen, or subdued? Play out each situation in your mind to avoid any surprises. Picture yourself calmly responding to various reactions, always remaining focused on the exhibited behavior.

Describe the Behavior. When you meet with the employee describe the behavior you observed. Stay focused on the behavior, not the person or personality characteristics. Just state the facts as you know them and speak in an objective, unbiased manner. Bob, yesterday I observed you speaking in a condescending tone to a customer. Then today a customer you spoke with called back very upset because she felt you were rude to her. I was able to calm her down but this should not have happened.

Ask the Employee to Explain. Next, ask the employee to explain the reason for his or her actions. This gets the employee talking and will help you to understand the reason for the employee’s behavior. Be direct and to the point. You have no reason to beat around the bush or sound apologetic when questioning poor performance. Why did this happen yesterday and again today?

Listen to the Response. Listen and let the employee do the talking. This may be difficult for you because you are used to taking charge of situations. It is crucial, though, to let the employee explain the reason for his or her behavior. Resist the urge to put words in the employee’s mouth. If the employee is silent and does not answer immediately, stay silent as well. Wait for the response. If the employee responds by saying something like, I’m sorry; I realize I’ve been short with people. I’m having a rough time at home but I will make sure this doesn’t happen again, you can move on to the next step. The employee has taken ownership for the problem and has given you the correct resolution.

If the employee does not take ownership or merely says, I don’t know, ask open ended questions to keep the employee talking. Why do you think both the customer and I felt you used a rude tone? The employee’s response will determine how you will proceed. I get frustrated when customers ask me about our return policy because I’m not clear on what to tell them. In this scenario you have uncovered a training opportunity. I get tired of customers who want everything done yesterday. You now know the employee needs an attitude adjustment.

Agree on the Resolution and Give a Positive Affirmation. Before you can agree on a resolution, the employee must take ownership for correcting the problem. Continue to ask questions until you see that he or she understands that the performance is unacceptable. What will happen if we do not value each customer? Again, allow the employee the time to answer. Guide him or her to do most of the talking. When you see that the employee sees the need to change the behavior, ask what will you do differently in the future?

Now you can agree on what the desired behavior should be. If you have concluded that the employee needs additional training, schedule the training session. If you have concluded that the employee needs a change of attitude, state clearly how you expect customers to be treated. Review the correct procedures and cite any pertinent written guidelines. If necessary, update the employee’s development action plan. Finally, affirm to the employee you have confidence that the performance will improve.

STEP 4: Handle the Change Process

In life, one thing is certain: change is inevitable. It may happen expectedly with hope and anticipation or it may happen unexpectedly with shock and fear. At work, change can blindside any organization. It can quickly deteriorate customer service, productivity, and morale. It may only take an instant to occur, but change takes time to adjust to it. It is a process involving a series of stages you must work though before you can move into a new comfort zone. The better prepared you are to deal with change, the better prepared you will be to move through and lead your employees through the process with courage and confidence.

Process the News. No matter how much you might like things to remain status quo, they are not going to stay that way. The truth is there is little you can do about change. Any change, even a change that you welcome, is going to force you out of your comfort zone. As a result, you may feel a sense of loss and your confidence will decline. Whether you are implementing the change or life throws you a curve, the quicker you can process the news and move into a problem solving mode, the quicker you will regain your confidence and move forward.

People process change in various ways. Some thrive on it, some adapt easily, some struggle to accept it, and some do not handle any change well at all. While thriving on change may not be your style, learning to be adaptable and flexible will enable you to process it more easily. Take time to adjust to what is happening and go easy on yourself as you working through your emotions.

Accept the News and Move Forward. Once you have processed the news, you can regroup and move from feeling confused and uncertain to being ready to deal with the change head-on. Ask yourself crucial questions like: What needs to be done? What do I need to learn? What resources can I depend on? Who needs to be involved? How much time do I/we have? How can I help others? Asking questions such as these will help you keep your emotions under control and think more objectively so that you can move into a problem solving mode.

Understand the Stages of Change. Recognizing what you are feeling and dealing with your emotions will enable you to take responsibility for helping yourself and others involved in the change. Learn the stages of the change process in order to recognize the emotions you and your employees may be feeling and identify what stage you and your employees are in. The common stages of change are denial, sadness, resistance, exploration, and acceptance.

? In denial, people have trouble accepting the change. This emotion may range from wishful thinking—The other company may not buy ours out—to complete refusal to accept the facts—There is no way this is going to take place.

? As reality sets in, it is natural to feel sad. Our company will never be the same. We’ll lose the family atmosphere. Feelings may range from slight sadness to an overwhelming sense of despair.

? When people are sad, they resist the inevitable. A sense of turmoil may emerge. “Me-centered” emotions surface. What’s going to happen to me?

? Resistance eases into a more objective viewpoint. My manager said our office isn’t closing. It wouldn’t make much sense with the customer base we have.

? Objective thinking leads to exploration. Working for a larger company could be a good thing. Being part of a large corporation may bring new opportunities.

? The last stage of the change process is acceptance. I’ll make the best of this, no matter what happens.

When you identify what stages your employees are in, you will be in a position to help them move into acceptance. Listen well and show empathy and concern. Encourage everyone to talk. Help your employees look at the change objectively. Include them in problem solving and planning meetings. When you see that they are accepting the change, help them look ahead to the end result and set goals for the future.

Remain Objective. Your role as a leader is to understand the stages of the change process and help others who are struggling, but let’s face it. You are human and you need to deal with your own emotions. Thoughts of what’s going to happen to me may surface. When this happens, talk to someone who can help you. A huge benefit of talking through any situation is that it helps you view things from different perspectives.

Look at the change from all angles: the customers, the organization, the employees. Ask: what can I do to make things better for everyone? If your job is to present the change to your employees or customers, speak objectively. Present both the positive and negative sides. Listen to the feedback and respond truthfully. Avoid phony sincerity, such as selling the change—This is going to be great!

Maintain an upbeat attitude to help the workplace morale. Give your employees and customers extra care during the change transition. Stay close, pay attention, listen carefully, and stay supportive of other people’s emotions.

Stay Accountable for Outcomes. In times of turmoil and confusion, it is easy to let things slide. Deadlines may pass. Customer service may decline. Your energy level may wane. You may become easily distracted. During times of change stay focused on your work, your employees, and your customers. Prioritize your responsibilities and keep yourself on target until things return to normal. Focus on your personal needs by making sure you get enough rest, exercise, and eat well. Look beyond yourself to the big picture. Look ahead to the end result and envision your workplace when the change is behind you.

Prioritize your work so that you can devote your time to functions that are important. Spend more time with your employees. Talk to them and listen actively. Ask for their suggestions, ideas, and input. Cut out non-essentials during periods of change and focus only on the necessary.

STEP 5: Expect the Unexpected

It is difficult enough dealing with challenges such as conflict or change when you have time to plan how to handle the situation, but what happens when you get hit with the unexpected? What happens when something blindsides you or the news is so massive it seems insurmountable? You might get news that one of your employees was involved in a tragic accident on the way to work and died, a fire damaged your office and destroyed records, or half of your workforce called in sick with the flu. At times like these, learning how to prepare for the unexpected will help you move forward as a confident, strong leader.

Anticipate Problems. Things may be sailing along smoothly, but as a manager, you know that rough seas may be as close as around the next bend. Something, sometime, somehow is going to happen that will toss you and your team into stormy seas. Staying involved, asking questions, and looking for things that are amiss will help you anticipate problems that may be developing. The sooner you can deal with any situation, the easier it is to work through it.

Employ Critical Thinking Skills. Critical thinking is reflective thought about issues and situations that may have no clear-cut answers or solutions. When you employ your critical thinking skills you will: consider problems carefully before making decisions; ask questions to clarify the issue; analyze all arguments or proposed solutions; verify the credibility of the source; make value judgments about all possible solutions; keep and open mind and stay objective; decide on the best action; and communicate your decision effectively. On face value, these steps appear to take a lot of your time, but the more you employ your critical thinking skills, the less time it will take to arrive at good solutions.

Develop Contingency Plans. This is probably the most important step for handling emergency or crisis situations. You may think of a crisis as a large-scale circumstance that affects many people; however, most crises actually occur on a much smaller scale. A crisis may be something as small as how to handle the workload when an employee calls in sick. Learning to think proactively keeps you from thinking reactively. Think about worst-case scenarios and how you would handle them. Put in place contingency plans for unforeseen events that could occur and make sure everyone involved understands their roles.

Remain Calm and in Control. During a crisis or emergency, your number one rule should always be to remain calm. You will not do anyone any good if you lose your temper or become unglued. Take a deep breath—or a few. Figure out how much time you have to think out your plan of action. Put your critical thinking skills to good use. When time permits, ask others for their ideas and help. When time does not permit, make the decision for your team but first, think of the worst-case scenario for the action you are going to take. Help others remain calm by staying calm and in control.

excerpt from Customer Service Management Training 101, available on amazon.com