The job of an administrative assistant can be exciting, fascinating, challenging and always busy. So many responsibilities fall under their umbrella. Every job and industry is different. Admins are usually support positions, regardless of the work that they do. Many jobs are classified under the administrative umbrella, but have independent, discretionary responsibilities dealing with customers or clients directly.
I was recently dealing with a financial institution in an attempt to secure a loan for a property I was interested in buying. I have been self-employed for many years, and have bought and sold properties over the years, and felt that aside from all the paperwork involved and documents that had to be examined and the shock of closing costs, everything would proceed as usual.
What I hadn’t counted on were the changes in the financial world, especially in home mortgages brought on by the housing loan debacle of the past years. After days of exchanging documents, verifying information and crunching numbers, it appeared that the numbers were not working out in my favor. I could tell that this was the case when I got the call from the financial institution. The person on the line was an assistant to the loan officer, and she had the unwelcome task of telling me the bad news. She handled it with such grace and compassion that I ended up comforting her. When you have to give bad news or something that will disappoint a customer, here are four tips for softening the blow.
1. Use a compassionate, authentic voice tone. A lot of companies have scripts that they give their employees, but hearing a monotone voice makes the customer feel that they are just a number and not a person.
2. Explain the situation. Just saying “no” won’t help the customer understand what the problem was. Give as much detail as possible. Sometimes in your explanation a customer will recognize some other pertinent information or situation that is worth looking into. Details let the customer know you have looked into their situation and are not just acting according to a classification in a manual.
3. Express your sincere regret. You aren’t necessarily “sorry” for the outcome, since it may not be possible to say “yes.” But you can regret that they are disappointed, or that you won’t be able to extend your company’s services. Remember what it was like when you were turned down for something you wanted. Empathy is understanding how they feel and expressing your regret for the situation.
4. Offer options, if possible. This is only possible when you are an expert at your job, your company’s business. One situation may not work, but there could be other options available. Let the customer know you are thinking of their best interest and how they can benefit from your services another way.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for Administrativejobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at administrativejobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
I was recently dealing with a financial institution in an attempt to secure a loan for a property I was interested in buying. I have been self-employed for many years, and have bought and sold properties over the years, and felt that aside from all the paperwork involved and documents that had to be examined and the shock of closing costs, everything would proceed as usual.
What I hadn’t counted on were the changes in the financial world, especially in home mortgages brought on by the housing loan debacle of the past years. After days of exchanging documents, verifying information and crunching numbers, it appeared that the numbers were not working out in my favor. I could tell that this was the case when I got the call from the financial institution. The person on the line was an assistant to the loan officer, and she had the unwelcome task of telling me the bad news. She handled it with such grace and compassion that I ended up comforting her. When you have to give bad news or something that will disappoint a customer, here are four tips for softening the blow.
1. Use a compassionate, authentic voice tone. A lot of companies have scripts that they give their employees, but hearing a monotone voice makes the customer feel that they are just a number and not a person.
2. Explain the situation. Just saying “no” won’t help the customer understand what the problem was. Give as much detail as possible. Sometimes in your explanation a customer will recognize some other pertinent information or situation that is worth looking into. Details let the customer know you have looked into their situation and are not just acting according to a classification in a manual.
3. Express your sincere regret. You aren’t necessarily “sorry” for the outcome, since it may not be possible to say “yes.” But you can regret that they are disappointed, or that you won’t be able to extend your company’s services. Remember what it was like when you were turned down for something you wanted. Empathy is understanding how they feel and expressing your regret for the situation.
4. Offer options, if possible. This is only possible when you are an expert at your job, your company’s business. One situation may not work, but there could be other options available. Let the customer know you are thinking of their best interest and how they can benefit from your services another way.
Mary Nestor-Harper, SPHR, is a consultant, blogger, motivational speaker and freelance writer for Administrativejobs.com. Based in Savannah, GA, her work has appeared in Training magazine, Training & Development magazine, Supervision, BiS Magazine and The Savannah Morning News. When she’s not writing, she enjoys singing Alto II with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus and helping clients discover what they love and spend their life on it. You can read more of her blogs at administrativejobsblog.com and view additional job postings on Nexxt.
Become a member to take advantage of more features, like commenting and voting.
Register or sign in today!