As a business or agency, the goal is to keep growing your business. Business growth entails entering new markets, acquiring new customers, and offering quality customer service. Sometimes, everything doesn’t always go to script, and you might have had challenges relating to some customers.
Conflicts can be a result of miscommunication, and with clients, you always want to make sure your conversation starts off on the right foot. Assuming you’re on the same page with your client only to deliver the result and be shocked at their response. Conflicts also can be ignited by misaligned expectations, varying priorities, or unexpected changes. Have you ever gotten into arguments with clients who simply refused to see your point?
Conflicts are a part of human relationships that can’t be avoided. It is bound to happen at some point in time. This is because humans have different perspectives, ideologies, and beliefs – and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. You can control your response and how you manage these situations, and these four tips will help you manage conflicts with clients effectively.
1. Interest-Based Approach
As pointed out earlier, one of the reasons for conflict is different perspectives and expectations. This approach acknowledges that people have different needs, desires, and concerns. This business-client problem-solving approach focuses on understanding what is important to both parties and finding optimal solutions. The interest-based approach prioritizes investigating the motivating factors behind people’s arguments.
This way, businesses understand the problem at its very core before trying to solve it. So beyond what people say they want, this approach looks to identify the underlying cause of a problem. This approach often leads to a win-win for both parties as it becomes easier to identify where compromises can be made. Understanding the rationale behind your client’s projections helps you note the facts, agree on the problem, and explore possible solutions.
2. Practice Optimism and Positivity in Communicating With Customers
No matter how aggravated you feel by your customer’s behavior, it is of utmost importance that you’re calm all through dialogue. You must understand that as a business, your ultimate goal is to serve. One vital way to do this is to calmly reassure your clients of the benefits of your products and services. This is an essential preemptive approach in conflict resolution.
A positive reassurance of the benefits of your offerings can go a long way in easing a conflict. Often, conflicts escalate because businesses refuse to communicate with customers. Sometimes, all some clients need is reassurance and someone to talk to. One good way to engage clients is by using a VoIP phone system.
You might ask, is VoIP worth it for a small business? A VoIP is more cost-effective and helps your customers reach you easily with the call routing feature. So whether you’re available or not, someone who is can get the call, thus enriching customer experience. For more on the benefits of a VoIP, check here: https://www.ringcentral.com/is-voip-worth-it-for-a-small-business.html.
Another thing customers want to see is an effort that shows you genuinely care about their concerns. One way to do this is to create an easily accessible portal for clients’ complaints, and this shows your optimism and interest in resolving clients’ complaints.
3. Focus On The Facts Not Personal Opinions
It is easy to have a preconceived notion about a person. This idea can become easily transferable. If you’ve perceived a client as rude and overbearing, it is easier to transfer that notion to a disagreement. However, it is crucial for businesses never to let personal opinions get in resolving a conflict.
Ensure you ask the right questions to get to the root of the problem. This way, you can keep the conversation focused and objective, irrespective of how you feel. Always focus on the issue at hand and the facts available to you. What are the objective points you can deduce from the argument?
4. Exercise Flexibility Where Possible
For every business, there must be a framework that guides its operations. A framework helps define the brand’s identity and value system. There should be a structure and design that influences the company’s approach to customers. However, businesses also need to be flexible enough to accommodate customers’ excesses as long as it doesn’t violate the ethics or business values.
Flexibility is a vital tool in business-client conflict resolution. You must be able to put yourself in your client’s position and see their needs.
Prioritize Client Relationship
One way to reduce the probability of conflicts is by paying attention to client relationships. You must be genuinely interested in your clients. Find out about their interests, hobbies, and goals. To do this, you must also be willing to share your story. Find mutual interests and leverage them. Building relationships make it easier to handle difficult conversations when they do come up.
Infographic created by Track Your Truck, a GPS tracking provider
