Have you ever heard the saying: Your poor planning is not my emergency.
I’ve heard it said often – not necessarily directly from one person to another. More typical is that I hear it from the person having to drop everything and do something immediately because someone else didn’t think ahead or plan well enough. Their poor (or lack of) planning led to an urgent need – which you now have to address.
Unfortunately, we in customer service are presented with this issue often. Sometimes it’s from co-workers, but other times – usually – it’s from customers.
They got that e-mail reminder 3 times to do something before a deadline passes, the deadline passes, and now they freak out because they can’t return an item. Because they can’t submit an application. Because they lost a perk or benefit. They freak out because they are in a bind – anxious, upset, angry.
So now it’s your emergency.
When it’s our emergency, that doesn’t mean we have to circumvent policy; some companies allow these late customers to do so, others don’t, and others take policy exceptions case-by-case.
You may not have control over how the policy is administered, but you do have some control in these situations.
It’s about your knowing alternatives. What could the customer do, if not what they want in this timeframe?
It’s about your dealing with their emotions. Empathize with the frustration; avoid blaming them for their error.
It’s about your educating them for the inevitable “next time.” In a professional manner, provide tips to make the process more smooth and timely for them in the future.
When you’re in this situation with a customer, ensure you know how your organization handles these issues, these policy decisions about requests made after the deadline passes. Then know the options you can offer, deal with the emotional component of the conversation, and educate them moving forward.
Don’t let their poor planning become your emergency.
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