The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation?
Why You Would Escalate
The first thing to consider is why you would escalate.
Is it that you don’t have the authority or responsibility to make the policy or process exception that the customer requests – or that’s needed to address the issue?
On this particular topic, you may not have the experience or skills needed to identify and implement a resolution. The customer could demand to talk to the supervisor, and their behavior could be teetering on abuse.
Is the situation too important not to escalate? Maybe it’s that ultimate keep or lose the customer situation, and the risk is too great not to escalate.
Issues with Escalation
Now, if these are some of the top reasons to escalate the customer contact, it also becomes more clear when to avoid it. Remember that escalations take more of the company’s time because two employees (you and your boss) are now involved. Since a handoff is taking place, the customer may have to repeat themselves, so that takes more of the customer’s time and can frustrate them even more. In the end, your supervisor may get frustrated about being brought into communications that they feel you should be able to address without them.
When to Avoid Escalation
If you have the authority and responsibility to address the issue, if you have dealt with a similar situation before or have the resources handy to guide you through the service recovery process, try to address instead of escalate. If they’re being aggressive, first use your training to defuse the situation, lower the emotional temperature, and gain some control. If you feel there’s risk of customer loss but you’re not certain, ask clarifying questions to gauge their concern levels instead of assuming this 1-time issue will be a long-term loss.
Then, if you can’t avoid it, bring in the supervisor, equipping them with the information you’ve gathered so they can more quickly help to resolve.
When dealing with the complaining customer, seek to avoid the escalation.
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