How to say no to Customers

BYU PATHWAY WORLDWIDE

THIS TRAINING HELPS US LEARN HOW TO SAY NO TO CUSTOMERS POLITELY. 

It’s never easy to tell customers no — especially to those whom you see as a prospect. There are some effective strategies to serve the intended purpose without having to deny anyone. You can also learn how to decline a request politely and handle angry customers without offending someone and still benefit from the situation.  

HERE ARE WAYS TO SAY NO TO CUSTOMERS AND STILL HOPE TO RETAIN THEIR BENEVOLENCE 

• Understand the Root Cause of Problems​

• Listen First and Then Reply​

• Explain Things in Detail ​

• Frame Your Response Carefully ​

• Be Empathetic  ​

• Offer the Alternatives ​

• Take Follow-ups ​

UNDERSTAND THE ROOT CAUSE OF PROBLEMS 

• Some of your customers may come up to you with a request that might seem bizarre. In such cases, you might feel tempted to forsake any customer service etiquette to answer them negatively and finish the conversation. However, it's a mistake to immediately say no to customers without knowing the problem inside out.  ​

• The best response is to first get to the root of the problem, properly understand the motivation behind the request, and then think of the next course of action. ​

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Tips to understanding the root cause of problems​

• Encourage the customer to give an opinion on how to make the system better.​

• If you can’t solve the existing problem, offer an alternative solution so that the customer feels good.​

• Maintain a helping demeanor so that the customer feels like they matter.

LISTEN FIRST AND THEN REPLY

• When you’re ready to listen to what customers have to say, it means you’re ready to serve them better.  ​

• The right approach is to take customer communications seriously, attend to their request immediately, and then proactively reach out for help.​

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REMEMBER!!!​

LISTENING IS BETTER THAN TALKING

EXPLAIN THINGS IN DETAIL

• Customers ideally want to listen to a “YES” when they approach their request. When they don’t get a favorable response, they wish to at least know the rationale behind the denial. ​

• If you are in a situation where an affirmative answer from you is not possible, make sure you explain to customers the reason behind that. ​

• Saying ‘No” without explanation can make your customers feel upset and frustrated. This might also dilute your customer relationship management effort in a big way. 

FRAME YOUR RESPONSE CAREFULLY 

• Customers always like a great experience with the products we have. And they also expect us to respond positively. ​

• Even if you intend to say no, make sure your response is framed with some care to avoid any damage to customer goodwill.​

• After all, more than your intent, the words you use, and the tone you choose to respond will linger on with customers. ​

• For that reason, you should avoid a denial outright and rather be diplomatic in terms of interacting with them.    ​

Here are some examples of how to tell a customer you cannot help them and still frame your response gracefully: ​

• "We appreciate your time and effort in sharing with us. Unfortunately, we’re unable to implement this right way, but you can still be hopeful for the future…"​

• "Thanks to you for bringing our attention to this issue. Let us see what we can do best for this situation."​

• "The reason we’re not able to offer this is that…." 

BE EMPATHETIC

• Whenever you need to say no to customers, make sure it comes with a sense of empathy.​

• The focus should be on putting yourself in the customer’s shoes and then realizing the value of their concerns.​

• If you’re able to empathize with customers, you’re almost likely to get them returned convinced. ​

Best practices in empathizing with customers ​

• Never doubt customer’s concerns ​

• Maintain a professional demeanor  

OFFER THE ALTERNATIVES ​

• There may be situations when you feel more than capable yet are unable to meet the exact demands of the customer for some reason. On top of that, you also don’t want to deny customers a request that is not that steep.​

• For such scenarios, you can offer alternatives to customers and minimize their pain to some extent. By offering alternatives to customers, you not only avoid the situation of how to decline a request politely but also make them feel valued. ​

TAKE FOLLOW-UPS

• After having said no to a customer, you may feel like you are in the wrong in some way. However, you can use this situation to your advantage and delight customers again with proper follow-ups. ​

• Rather than waiting to hear back from customers after a denial of service, you should be proactive and take the first step in reaching out to them. ​

• A follow-up will help you recognize the customer signals and give you a roadmap for creating value.