Why Unacceptable Customer Conduct Is A Safety Risk

Is your team aware of your unacceptable customer conduct policy? During a pre-training survey conducted with an organisation I recently worked with, one of the posed questions revealed these results: ?

• 28% knew the organisations unacceptable customer conduct policy
• 44% were unaware of the policy
• 28 % were unsure of the policy.

This means that a whopping 72% of frontline employees were either unaware or unsure of what to do when faced with an angry or aggressive customer. ?

Customer aggression presents not only a substantial health and safety risk, it also leaves team members vulnerable and undermines their confidence. The repercussions of dealing with with aggressive customers are significant inducing stress, anxiety, and emotional fatigue among frontline workers.

This form of aggression significantly dampens team morale, fostering heightened fear, increased absenteeism, disengagement, and ultimately, attrition. The following illustrates team members' descriptions of their experiences when dealing with challenging and aggressive customers.

The positioning of each team member on the ladder varies, influenced by factors such as experience, background, personality, and the number of similar customer interactions they've encountered on any given day. However, without clearly defined boundaries, team members may feel intimidated and uncertain about the appropriate actions to take. ?

A common question I am asked, is?“When is enough, enough?”

It is absolutely critical that every team member working with customers feels safe, protected and informed and all workplaces promote zero tolerance for customer aggression.? It is also essential that they receive the training to develop the skills to diffuse and de-escalate difficult and aggressive customer behaviour.

During my half-day workshop, I work with teams and focus on:

Mindset

Seeing every difficult customer interaction or complaint as an opportunity.

Behaviours

This incorporates integrating the organisations unacceptable customer conduct policy and if one doesn’t exist, I collaborate with the leadership team to prioritize its development.

Skills

Practical tools and techniques to de-escalate an angry and upset customer as well as managing aggression both over the phone and in person.

Training not only enhances skills but also boosts confidence. For instance:?

A?session involving teams from various council departments saw a rise in confidence in dealing with customer aggression from?5.8/10?prior to the training to?9/10?post training.

A Retail Team went?from 4/10?prior to the training,?to 8.8/10?post training. For an experienced customer service team, confidence levels shifted?from 7/10?prior to the training,?to post training.

All programs have an average satisfaction rating of 9.5/10. For anyone who knows me, I am passionate advocate of our customer service community, I will continue to speak up, speak out and defend unacceptable conduct. We are here to serve, not to endure abuse. I have witnessed firsthand the positive impact when our team is equipped with knowledge, skills, and empowerment to de-escalate and disengage. With rising incivility and customer aggression, it Is up to every leader and workplace to protect their most important asset, their people.?

Here’s what our participants say on what they found most valuable from the training.

“I loved the section where we were given an opportunity to accept or change what we could use in our calls/service. We never been given this opportunity before.”

“Monique you are so knowledgeable and the way you run the sessions are so great. Your energy is contagious and you really do lift our spirits. Thank you.” ?

“Establishing a process for dealing with aggressive customers and unacceptable behaviour.”

“Being able to have scripts that will help in de-escalation difficult customer situations"

“Excellent - engaging and on topic. Monique, you delivered this in a way that was so professional and fun. Well done and thank you!”

If you would like to book in a complimentary chat to see how I may be able to support your team, please book reach out.

Until next time,?

Yours in service, Monique (she/her)

Monique Richardson, is the author of ‘They Serve Like We Lead – How To Take Care Of Your People So They Take Care Of Your Customers’. A service leadership and customer service expert, Monique is a highly sought after global speaker and trainer who is obsessed with transforming customer service cultures through a service leadership driven approach.?Monique can be contacted for enquiries or bookings on 61402113912 or [email protected] or via her website www.moniquerichardson.com.au