I am so fed up with companies who do not train their staff to provide solutions when the customer has a problem. As a training consultant, I am on the road about 26 weeks a year, so I see a lot of service providers: airports, hotels, taxis, restaurants, train stations, etc. I was in a Florida hotel recently and saw a perfect example of service recovery failure. I was sitting in the lobby and I observed a guest who was absolutely livid because the AC was not working in his room (it felt like it was 110 degrees in the shade) and he had been told that it would be 20 minutes before a service engineer could come to his room; he had an important business call in 15 minutes and he wanted to take that call privately. The front desk agent did tell him that the hotel was 100% occupied and she couldn't move him to another room; she then proceeded to apologize (several times). He asked her if "apologize" was the only thing she could do, and amazingly, she apologized again! He walked away and was even more furious from this interaction than when the conversation began. As he stalked away, I heard the front desk agent ask her colleague, "Do you think we should send him a fruit basket?"

NEWS FLASH: The fruit basket will not solve the guest's problem! Not to mention the fact that the fruit and cheese will now be sweating and smelling up the room, because the AC isn't working! At Ignite, we train staff on service recovery by using a very simple four-step model called the L.A.S.T. technique, which provides a framework for your service staff to have assertive conversations with difficult and angry customers or clients. Here is the technique:

(Step 1) Listen: this is the chance for the customer to vent and for you to really pay attention to his concerns. You must listen to understand, before asking any probing questions. Make eye contact with the customer and utilize body language that says you are in the moment with him (something that our front desk agent failed to do).

(Step 2) Apologize: this is certainly an action that our front desk agent took; however she didn't follow up with any action steps to solve the guest's problem. You want to be sincere and deal with the customer's feelings and empathize with his situation. Express that you're sorry that the problem occurred and recognize the customer's disappointment.

(Step 3) Solve: you now must ask some clarifying/probing questions, and confidently tell the customer what you CAN do for him. Be assertive, offer alternatives and act on the agreed-upon solution. The front desk agent did none of this - she missed the solution entirely!

(Step 4) Thank: thank the customer for bringing any problem to your attention, and also thank him for his patience and understanding, if the solution is not immediate. Most importantly, thank the customer for working with you to solve the problem.

This is a conversational model that really works and does turn difficult situations around; it is a win-win for the customer and the service provider as it focuses the conversation on solutions that fix the problem.

Have you recently been on the receiving end of effective (or ineffective) service recovery? Send your stories along; I would love to hear them. Who knows, I may even use your example in one of my upcoming training sessions!

If you are interested in learning about service recovery, including how the front desk agent could have applied the LAST technique in the scenario above, check out our White Paper, "Service Recovery: It's Not Just a Fruit Basket Band-Aid. Its just a download away...

The media certainly has highlighted the negative behavior of some business leaders of late…not all leaders are taking large bonuses, while others in their firms are facing uncertainty and layoffs etc. Many leaders are feeling the pain as much as anyone else.

Stress and anxiety are a part of everyone’s life in tough times, yet leaders often feel responsible for not only their own stress, but that of others. Leaders prefer to create successes, not narrowly avoid disasters. They feel responsible for the business and the workforce and may feel guilt as a result of layoffs and cutbacks. Obviously, more stress is not only unhealthy, but also counterproductive to strong leadership.

So, what is a stressed leader to do?

Psychologist Catherine Sandler suggests that the first step is for leaders to understand and accept their vulnerabilities and use this knowledge to help them regulate their moods and responses. Leaders need to accept that certain feelings of emotional turmoil are normal and not fight them. Once accepting the aspects of their situation are causing them stress, they can plan a coping strategy. Exercise, good nutrition and nurturing relationships are all good parts of a coping plan.

The second step is for leaders to seek out the people they lead and listen and empathize with how they feel. While this is a critical step for leaders to take in order to help their employees stay on track, it can also be draining and add more stress to an already stressful situation. Leaders should also make a point of seeking out others who can listen and be empathetic to them, whether they are peers, friends or family members. Don’t underestimate the power of having someplace to vent, so you can then refocus on the task at hand with more energy and clarity.

The third step is for leaders to not get too caught up in stories of doom and what can’t be done, but instead refocus on possibilities for both themselves and others they lead. When so much is out of people’s control, focusing on the little things that we CAN DO will help keep us motivated. To that end, it is also important to celebrate the small victories. Perhaps we aren’t hitting the numbers we used to, but we can celebrate getting one more client. That will help us feel energized to get more clients and ultimately improve business results.

The fourth step is to focus on the difference we can make. When we are depressed, we focus on ourselves. When businesses are depressed, they focus on themselves. Turn the focus outward to where and to whom we can make a difference in the world. Leaders can focus on the people, internal and external to the organization, to whom they can make a difference. After all, don’t most of us feel good when we can make a difference to others?

All things in business go in cycles, and while we are certainly in a down cycle, practicing these small steps can make the down cycle seem shorter and less painful. What steps have you taken to stay motivated in these tough times?

Want to take the leadership in your organization to the next level during tough times? We at Ignite would love to discuss with you how we can improve leadership on all levels of your organization. Please give us a call at (781) 979-5460, or email us at amy@weigniteit.com.

--- Jackie Sonnabend