The Customer Service Survival Kit: What to Say to Defuse Even the Worst Customer Situations

by Richard S. Gallagher, Carol Roth (Foreword)

Issues with customers can send even the most seasoned service professionals into red alert. Discover how to effectively communicate your way out of any difficult spot. By providing clear techniques, behavioral science insights, case studies, situation-specific advice, and actionable practice exercises, workplace communication expert Richard Gallagher has created a resource that can help anyone master the delicate art of communication. In The?Customer Service Survival Kit , you’ll find tangible tips and tricks to help you discover: The Customer Service Survival Kit recognizes that the worst customer situations demand more of front-line employees than good intentions and the right attitude. With the help of these valuable insights, lessons, and indispensable problem-solving tools, your organization holds the key to radically improving its customer service reputation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 18, 2013

About the author

Arabic: ريتشارد إس. جالاجر

Richard S. Gallagher LMFT

My specialty is teaching people how to communicate in difficult situations. As a former customer service executive - and now as a speaker, trainer, and practicing therapist - my books and training programs explore the mechanics of how we communicate, based on recent principles of behavioral psychology.

I am perhaps best known for my two #1 customer service bestsellers The Customer Service Survival Kit (AMACOM, 2013) and What to Say to a Porcupine (AMACOM, 2008), as well as How to Tell Anyone Anything (AMACOM, 2009), which explores how to handle difficult workplace conversations.

If you are looking for "smile training" or basic advice on communications skills, there are lots of books out there. But if you want to learn what to say to someone after you've just towed their car away - or how to talk to a co-worker who needs to shower more often - or what will defuse a toxic boss - you've come to the right place! Enjoy my books, or Google me to learn more. Welcome!

Reviews

[Sotiris Dimitrakopoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Αν δουλεύει σε εργασία με άμεση εξυπηρέτηση πελατών διάβασε το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο.
Το βιβλίο παρουσιάζει μια καινούργια φιλοσοφία και έναν καινούργιο τρόπο αντιμετώπισης των παραπόνων που δεν είχα σκεφτεί. Σου εξηγεί γιατί αντιδράμε όπως αντιδράμε στα παράπονα αλλά και το πιο σημαντικό πως να απαντήσουμε.
Έχει μέσα παραδείγματα απο αρκετές δουλειές και φαίνεται ρεαλιστικό. Θεωρώ οτι όσα λέει ο συγγραφέας δουλεύουν και έχει μια λογική πίσω απο την φιλοσοφία αυτή.
Η φιλοσοφία αυτή λέει οτι όταν ένας πελάτης σου κάνει κάποιο παράπονα, άσχετα με το πόσο μεγάλο ή μικρό αυτό είναι, μπορείς να αποδεχτείς το αναγνωρίσεις χωρίς να το δεχτείς. Ύστερα είναι μηχανικές απαντήσεις που κάνουν τον πελάτη να ηρεμήσει. Λέει επίσης ότι οι πελάτες νευριάζουν όταν νιώθουν δεν τους ακούμε/καταλαβαίνουμε όταν κάνουν παράπονα. Άσχετα που εμείς μπορεί να τους ακούμε αν χρησιμοποιούμε λάθος λέξεις και εκφράσεις εκείνοι εξοργίζονται παρόλου που προσπαθούμε να τους βοηθήσουμε και εδώ έρχονται τα παραδείγματα που μας δίνει για να το αντιμετοπίσουμε αυτό.

Θα το πρότεινα σε όποιον εργάζεται στον τομέα εξυπηρέτησης πελατών για να κάνει την ζωή του πιο εύκολη.

[rixx · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really really good and helpful. This is a short book that is full of helpful rules (of-thumb of course) and anecdotes that further your understanding of how to deal with customers. The author has an understanding of why and how customer interactions fail, and what fears are involved. It has solid guiding principles like "Lean in and acknowledge your customer", while also talking about deescalation and how to deal with terrible people. I liked the point that all interactions go smoother once you're confident that you can handle worst-case interactions.

I noticed that despite nodding along, I wasn't really good at doing the exercises (role-playing them with friends would probably be very useful). And for much of it, I'll have to think a lot about how to translate it to non-US culture.

[Hien · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was chosen as one of my research assignment documents on cooperation communication - turns out it is quite useful for me (even changed my behaviour immediately!) even though it was a bit repetitive and focuses on a narrow topic. easy to relate and practice through real-life situations/examples/exercises after each chapter/topic. must say i thought and talked more carefully and more wisely before dealing with - not only customers (like in this book), but also friends, family, bosses, everyone.
basically it is all about the words/language you choose to use, your active listening and your skills to rephrase the message so that even the worst people can be defused.

[Job · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t think it’s a bad book at all. Some of the tips are useful to start a discussion within support teams. I did however struggle repeatedly with 2 things: the author only using positive examples about himself -how about showing some more modesty - and constantly making bold statements based on cases rather than having clear quantitive data to back up his claims.

[Filos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful communication tips but also assumes high levels of agency most companies prohibit.

[Olga Taratuta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really eye-opening book about dealing with customer conflict and angry people in general!

[Dewey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each new magic customer service principle seemed to be just a restatement of the same thing. Also, I don't for one second believe that his miraculous examples of defusing crazy situations actually happened.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richard S. Gallagher is my Yoda. He's made me a Jedi.

If you only read one author to help your
communication, it needs to be him.