4 minute read
How to Deliver Bad News in a Good Way
by Nancy Friedman
A long time ago, we at Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, decided to remove whatever negativity in our life we could. We removed as many negative words, negative thoughts, and, yes, even negative people as we could. This has proven to be fortuitous during the current pandemic crisis. Many of you are probably giving some not-so-greatnews to your customers and maybe even to your employees.
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Even during normal times, every once in awhile, owners, managers or staff will need to share negative (bad) news with their customers. We asked ourselves how we could do that effectively without saying, “I have some bad news.” receiving bad news. So what we did was remove the words “bad news.” We just don’t say it. The customer NEVER hears it. When the ‘you know what’ hits the fan and you need to call a customer to explain something that’s not just right, try our Telephone Doctor “mission possible” technique. It works faceto-face, as well.
It simply goes like this. “Mrs. Jones, I have some good news, and I have some not good news; which would you prefer to hear first?” You let the customer decide what they want to hear first. Good news or not so good news first.
Here’s an example: Let’s use the premise that their order did not come in time to make the original appointment.
You: Hi Mrs. Customer. This is Dan from XYZ. Do you have a quick moment to talk? (Without that question, your call is always an interruption.)
Mrs. Customer: Sure, Dan.
You: Good, thanks. (WITH A BIG SMILE) I have some good news, and I have some not good news; which would you like to hear first?
Mrs. Customer: Well, I like good news. Let me hear the good news first.
You: Hi Mrs. Customer. This is Dan from XYZ do you have a moment to talk?
Mrs. Customer: Sure, what’s going on? I was looking to hear from you.
You: Well I have some good news and some not so good news; which would you like to hear first? (Notice we always give the client a choice of what they want to hear first.)
Mrs. Customer: Well, let’s get the bad news over with.
You: Me, too. The good news is your product has been ordered and is alive and well and on the way. All is good on that end. The not so good news is there is a 3-day delay. A bit later than we had anticipated.
If you can offer something to ‘smooth’ the feathers, this is a good time to do it; however, shared positively, it usually works well.
You: The not so good news is the product you ordered has a three-day delay making my promise to you not so good news. The good news is you are first on the list to get it installed on the same day it comes in. Certainly, we apologize, and I know you understand the delay is not on our end, but we do take responsibility for it.
Now let’s try it when the customer wants the not so good news first.
“I’m not sure about you, but I’ve never met anybody who enjoys receiving bad news. Every industry has situations that call for delivering bad news. (Or rather ‘not so good news.’) And this technique will fit every industry. I’ve used it for years. And a bonus? It’s GREAT in your personal life as well! It has always lightened the load and made things much easier.
KEY: Delivery, tone of voice, confidence and smiling are all critical in delivering this statement. There can be no “ummmms” or “ahhh” or over-apologizing.
What bothers people the most is when you don’t offer them an alternative, or you just give them “bad news” without helping.
REMEMBER: No one wants to hear “bad news.” And most people can adapt to “not so good news.”
The other day my husband came to me and said, “Hey Nancy, I’ve got some good news and some not so good news; which would you like to hear first?”
I fell for it and said, “Well, give me the good news first.”
He said, “Well, the good news is our new puppy is doing very well on potty training; the not so good news is – his mistakes are on your side of the bed.”
Laughter lightens the load. Especially now.
Nancy Friedman, Founder and Chairman of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, is a sought-after speaker for franchise and corporate conferences, sharing tips and advice in customer service, communication and sales. As a former franchisor, she brings the good, bad and ugly for us to review. Author of nine books, Nancy can be reached at www.nancyfriedman.com, or email her at nancy@telephonedoctor.com or call: 314-291-1012 CST.
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