Customer Service Training, Tips, Articles & Videos with Myra Golden

The Manager and the Frog: A Lesson in Responding to Customer Complaints

So, this video is funny. Kermit the Frog calls a retailer to voice a complaint. I cringed in the beginning of the video because the manager did everything wrong from my perspective. But I continued to listen to the dialogue between the manager and the frog and the manager ended up regaining the goodwill of his customer. I offer this video as a training tool for you. Here are some discussion points to guide your training.

Show the short video and then ask your employees what, if anything, they think the manager could have done better.

Probing discussion: The manager starts out by asking the frog several questions: “Did you get the employee’s name? What time of day was it? What part of the store?” A lot of people start off the complaint handling process by asking questions. It seems natural. But asking questions right off the bat, especially a series of questions, sounds like you’re interviewing the customer. In some cases, the line of questioning can actually sound like an interrogation. It’s better to start off by thanking the customer for taking the time to give you feedback and then express empathy for the customer’s situation. Next, an apology can be offered. Only after expressing appreciation, empathy and an apology should questions be asked. Deferring questions until after establishing rapport with appreciation, empathy and apology helps to restore customer confidence and build rapport.

Lesson for your employees: Start off by expressing appreciation, showing empathy and apologizing and you won’t make the customer feel like the conversation is a disguised interrogation. On the contrary…you will establish rapport and begin to rebuild trust.

Discuss what the Manager Did Well

The manager very effectively made the frog feel heard and understood and he appeared to regain the frog’s goodwill. Ask your employees to point out and discuss 3-4 things the manager did right. Debrief this part of the discussion by asking your employees what insights from the manager’s approach might they be able to take back and adopt (or adapt) and apply to their interactions with complaining customers.

Have fun with this YouTube training opportunity. For more tips on complaint handling, check out:

Everything You Need for an Engaging Complaint Handling Training

(Do-it-yourself Training)
Get your training materials now and equip your employees to deal with difficult customers with diplomacy and tact, say “no” without causing resentment, respond to negotiation ploys, and resolve problems without giving away the store. View details.

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