We talk about trying to resolve the issue right the first time, sharing the technique on how to manage the conversation to get clarity on the real issue, need, or goal, and confirming your understanding before moving forward.
But what are you trying to clarify? What are you trying to confirm?
Sometimes we might miss information without even realizing it, so we’re going to go to an old standby which only takes you 15 seconds to mentally walk through; use this as a 6 Step Checklist before moving on to resolve the issue. Ensure you’ve identified the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
Who was involved in this situation? Along with the customer, was anybody associated with the customer, or were any of your co-workers or other stakeholders involved? Your path to resolution can easily be impacted if a certain co-worker had their hand in the process, or if there were more people involved than you were originally thinking.
What happened? Be clear on the details of the specific issue or situation that occurred.
When did it happen? Sometimes you can tell a lot if they called after hours, they walked in first thing in the morning, they tried to access a website on the weekend, or they referenced their account early in the morning.
Where did it happen? Your business may have 5 offices in the region, and they all do things a little bit differently – some better than others. Sometimes the location even within a given facility sheds light on what the concern was or what could have been some potential causes.
Why is this person standing in front of you? Why did this issue raise itself to the level of an in-person visit, or a phone call, or an e-mail being sent to your inbox? Is this a 1-time occurrence, or is this just the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back?
How did this happen? Try to understand the steps in the process that led to the issue. Maybe the customer didn’t take a step that was expected, or a return call never happened, or a wait time was long, or it was an issue with paperwork not the mobile app.
Get the full picture of what happened when you try to find the solution. Take 15 seconds, and make sure you understand Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.
Use the 6 Step Checklist before resolving the issue.
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