DO’s
- Listen and take notes of keywords/information (i.e destination, tour operator, dates)
- Use verbal nods, to show you are listening (Yep, Oh, Mmhm, Right)
- Wait for the customer to finish
- Empathise with them, (Oh Mr Smith, I’m so sorry to hear your holiday has been cancelled, it’s such a strange world right now)
- Turn the negative into a positive, give them the options of what can be done
- KIS - Keep It Simple - Explain what the options/terms are in plain/simple language. Only answer the question you have been asked
DON’T’s
- Don’t take it personally
- Do not use I’m afraid, we are not afraid of our cover levels/terms
- Apologise unnecessarily, only apologise if it’s sincere.
- Do not interrupt the customer, let them get it all off their chest.
- Don’t be afraid to ask the customer to let you explain, if they are interrupting, this can be done in a polite but firm way by saying “Mr Smith, I do understand your frustrations, I’ve allowed you the chance to explain your grievances to me, please will you allow me the opportunity to explain the options I have available for you?”
- Suggest/Recommend which options they should take, allow the customer to decide which option is best for them.
Useful Phrases
- “Oh my, I can only imagine what you have been through… Let me pull up your account. I can definitely check available options for you.”
- “I truly understand your concern, Sir/Madam, but unfortunately we cannot tolerate the kind of language you are using right now…”
- “I’m going to do my very best to help you, Mrs Brown…”
- “You seem very upset, Mrs Brown. Would you prefer to continue this conversation through email or post?”
- “I’m sorry you’re so upset, Sir/Madam. Would you like for us to call you back when you feel a little calmer?”
- “I apologise, Mrs Brown, but if you continue to use this language, I will be forced to end this call.”
- “Please accept my sincere apologies for the delay in getting back to you. I would like to explain that the majority of our team have been furloughed and our office and phone lines closed on the 1st April 2020, we are currently only a very limited team and are trying our hardest to reply to everyone as quickly as we can.”
- “Holiday Extras made the very difficult decision to turn off the phone lines on the 1st April 2020, which is enabling the small team that is working to work through all of our customer's requests in date order.”
Useful Links