“Unless both sides win, no agreement can be permanent.” – Jimmy Carter

Conflict is a reality. It is a fact of life in the workplace, in homes, in relationships and with customers. Conflict is not necessarily a bad word but letting it intensify in to personal animosity is bad. It must be resolved for things to move forward and for growth and development – personally and professionally. Resolving conflict in service situations with customers can be the difference between a company’s growth and its downfall. We know that conflict is real in all facets of life, but we will focus on conflict and its resolution in service situations.

That’s the bad news. The good news is resolving conflict in service situations effectively will solve the other resultant problems and also get you benefits that might not be immediately apparent.

– It leads to a better and more sustained understanding of each other’s goals and needs. Resolving conflict not only gives you deeper insight in to what the customer actually expects but also lets the customer know the efforts your company is making towards helping them achieve their goals.

– Effectively resolving conflict in service situations leads both parties to have heightened respect and faith in each other’s ability and leads to a smoother relationship. In addition, each party is able to appreciate the other one’s limitations and strengths and have a sharpened focus on their own goals.

Not resolving conflict in service situations with customers can have some serious and far-reaching negative results. Customers become disengaged and in worst case scenarios might also become highly vengeful and spread damaging word of mouth and post vicious comments on social media sites. This negativity can be extremely hard to manage and contain. To effectively work with customers it is important to understand some key facts in relation to conflict.

There are a number of reasons that people enter into conflict situations. There are also preferred styles of resolving conflict.

– The cooperative style of resolving conflict is trying to resolve the issue while ensuring that all the needs of all involved are met. The negotiator while being assertive uses collaboration effectively and ensures that everyone’ point of view is taken in to account to come up with the most amenable solution.

– An aggressive or competitive style of resolution takes a firm stand knowing what they want. Such a style is used by people who know they are in a position of power and can use this power as a means of persuasion and coercion. This style leaves most people feeling unsatisfied and even resentful especially if other solutions were possible.

– Bargaining or conceding something from each side is yet another style of conflict resolution. Compromising is effective when the conflict is causing harm and loss and also the power and position of each side is at par.

– Giving in one’s own needs to satisfy the needs of others is an obliging style of conflict resolution. This is useful when making peace and finding a solution is more important or when the ‘giver’ feels that this favour can be exchanged for a favour later on.
– In trivial situations not getting into a conflict is the avoidance style.

Companies and their customer service representatives must be adept at understanding and using the most appropriate style depending on the situation they are in. Resolving conflict in service situations with customers might need a mix of the styles as necessary. Whatever the style, it must resolve the issue and respect the other party’s reasonable needs and maintain a courteous and cordial work relationship.

For companies, resolving conflict in service situations can be the difference between keeping and losing a customer. Without customers a business cannot hope to survive and therefore it is best that companies provide service excellence at all times. There will be problems but it is necessary to keep them from getting to a conflict stage.

– Customer service representatives must ensure that good and steady relationships are maintained with every customer. They must remain calm and show the customer that they are respected and understood. Even under pressure situations when a customer is irate, remaining composed and gracious will help in keeping conflicts at bay.

– It is often easy to make the person and the problem one. However, it is crucial for customer service staff to separate the two and recognize that the customer has no personal agenda and is upset because your company and its offerings did something to offend them. By arguing or reasoning with highly emotional customer, the situation is bound to get in to a conflict. Don’t take the emotional barrage personally.

– Listening carefully to what the customer has to say in most cases is enough for the customer. They need to know that they are being understood and that their problem will be resolved. Remember never to interrupt a customer – seek to listen till they have completed what they wish to say. It is unwise to defend your position with an agitated customer. It is easier to present your views to someone who is calm. Talk and present your side only after completely understanding what the customer is conveying.

– Repeat your understanding of only the facts. Keep the emotions out. Addressing the facts will have a better and swifter outcome and a win-win result. Ask the customer to present their solutions and explore the best one for all concerned.
Using these strategies will keep antagonism and conflicts at bay and lead to a more constructive and positive communication between your customer and you. Having said this, it is also true that despite the best efforts conflict situations are inevitable and would require a particular conflict resolution style or a combination of styles to sort out the issue.

– In most cases the conflict is a mutual problem that can be resolve through concerted and focused discussion. Negotiating and collaborating are always better approaches than being aggressive or blaming the other party. Resolving conflict in service situations is about active listening where the customer service representative would be expected to listen and understand the customer’s view point and perception of the problem. The premise is that customers can never be told that they are wrong and the representatives must remain assertive without being aggressive or submissive.

– After listening it is vital to paraphrase and state your understanding of the problem to confirm with the customer that you have indeed grasped the issue and their underlying needs. Involve the customer in the solution. Ask for their opinion – this way the customer feels understood and there is a heightened sense of cooperation.

– Ensure that the customer knows that your company’s goals and motivations are aligned to theirs such that they also make an effort to resolving conflict rather than disrupting the relationship and the decision making process.

– The most effective way to resolving conflict in service situations is to be flexible and open to ideas. Even if the customer is behaving unreasonably agree that there is a problem and that you are on their side and making your best efforts to find the most mutually acceptable resolution.

– When the customer is calm and willing to listen, analyse the possible solutions and work towards providing one that the customer finds most suitable, but without too much cost and inconvenience to the company you represent. Even if a resolution is not immediately possible, the customer needs to see that your company is respectful, courteous and empathetic to their problems and will arrive at a solution that works best to clear the problem immediately and also prevent a recurrence.

Resolving conflict in service situations can save your company a lot of trouble and embarrassment. Managing conflicts incorrectly can swiftly turn the tide against you and result in the customer leaving you for competition and also becoming extremely vengeful. One such comment or word of mouth can quickly spiral in to a wave of negativity that could potentially bring your company down. Approach conflicts with a positive frame of mind and a non-confrontational method.

“We don’t get harmony when everybody sings the same note. Only notes that are different can harmonize. The same is true with people.”- Steve Goodier