7 Customer Service Problem-Solving Techniques with Examples
Solving problems in customer service is hard enough. So, to make it easier for you, I’ve organized a list of 7 actionable techniques that will help you with troubleshooting. Check them out!
Written by Tetiana Shataieva
Problems themselves are not scary. What really makes our blood freeze is the lack of frameworks in mind for how to solve them. Lists and step-by-step instructions give us a roadmap to troubleshooting and reducing the barriers to success.
Scary situations stop being such if you have the tools to solve them, believe in yourself, and in what you are doing.
Ok then, let’s assume it’s not your first day in customer service, and you know how to act in case of clients’ complaints. How to stand out from the crowd? How to solve common customer service problems more effectively?
Well, that’s where the list of 7 customer service problem-solving techniques can come in handy. I’ve selected the most original and efficient examples. But first things first.
What is problem-solving in customer service?
Solving customers’ problems is more than just fixing the bugs or providing detailed instructions. It’s about being prompt, patient, polite, and staying by their side all the way through. Basically, you need to say what consumers want to hear while not instilling false expectations.
In customer service , clients expect something more meaningful than just a financial solution if the issue has occurred. Survey results suggest that only 43% of respondents are satisfied with refunds. And 50% said they enjoyed the feedback that involved an apology, empathy, or other compensation unrelated to money. Unsurprisingly, 60% stated that they were happier when they received both.
How does bad customer service damage your business?
Many aspiring entrepreneurs ask themselves, ‘ why is customer service important? ‘ There are plenty of reasons, but to put it simply, bad user support is not an option if you want your business to thrive, of course.
Poor customer service is like an illness that, if left untreated, affects all parts of the business until complete destruction.
Let me elaborate here. Imagine a client faces a problem with a product, turns to customer support, doesn’t get proper help, gets annoyed, leaves a bad review, and discourages people from buying from this specific company. Slowly but surely the brand loses its reputation, fewer leads convert, employees leave for competitors, loyal customers switch to alternatives, and eventually, revenue decreases irretrievably. It’s a pretty grim scenario, isn’t it? But it’s exactly what happens if you provide poor customer service and do nothing to improve things.
To make it a lot simpler to understand, here is an infographic.
Basic customer service problem-solving steps
Acknowledging the importance of good customer support , some companies provide special training to their agents. What they learn, among other things, is a four-step process of solving problems. It’s four simple steps that customer service reps should follow.
- Listen to a customer. No doubt, this step is the most crucial one. Ask all the questions about the unpleasant situation to give a complete answer that matches the problem. Don’t interrupt the customer and let them express their feelings if they need to. Be that empathetic ear we all strive for when being sad or angry.
- Acknowledge a client’s pain. This step implies agents being understanding of the client’s struggle and admitting it. It’s also a time to paraphrase the problem back to a user to show that you understand it. It proves to the customer that you both are on the same page.
- Offer alternative solutions. “It’s not a desperate situation, and we can fix this.” That’s a message you have to convey to a client. Offer an efficient solution and make sure it fits the customer’s needs. It’d be a nice practice to offer some compensation in the form of a voucher, discount, or free item.
- Follow-up. It’s the step you can’t go without in customer retention and service otherwise, all previous steps may lose any sense. So, make sure that you win a happy customer and that they are satisfied with the solution. If they still feel unhappy, find a way to gratify them (that’s your job in the end!)
Now that you’re familiar with the concept, it’s time we deepenned the knowledge. How about learning some practical techniques to battle every issue your clients have? Read on.
7 customer service problem-solving techniques
In the race for happy and, therefore loyal customers, creativity and the ability to think outside the box will help a lot. Here are some original customer service problem-solving examples that you might want to apply at your company.
- Don’t argue, simply start with an apology It’s an instinct to defend ourselves when someone insults us. But fighting with customers is a ‘red flag’ that results in an even bigger brawl. In most cases, angry clients will be annoyed with something that is not even your fault. However, this won’t stop them from blaming you for all the customer service issues they are facing. In fact, you would often come across customers who have troubles because of their own faults. But you cannot point it out directly. Otherwise, you will shake their faith in your brand. The best problem-solving technique is to apologize first and ask for more information to investigate it. Because it doesn’t really matter whose fault it is if it’s your responsibility to fix it and reduce possible negative consequences. When apologizing, try to be creative. Instead of using a canned response “Sorry for the inconvenience,” send a more human reply. Brief first-response phrases to extinguish the fire and garner customer satisfaction: “Thank you for reaching out! I totally ‘feel’ for you. Here is what I’m going to do to turn things around.” “Wow, I am so sorry to hear that. No wonder, you feel this way. Let’s get things right ASAP.” “I appreciate you letting me know about the issue! I definitely will make sure that it gets sorted.” “Ohh, it sounds like a serious issue. I am so sorry you have to go through this. But you’ve come to the right place to get this resolved.”
- Offer generous compensation I’d say this is the most intuitive technique which rarely comes even in the most detailed customer service checklist . When we make someone feel bad, the immediate reaction is to compensate for the damage and give something in return. This approach immediately defuses a potentially problematic situation. Discounts, free items, or other bonuses direct the customer’s attention to the benefit they’ve just received. So, instead of being angry about an issue, they feel happy with the gift you’ve given them. However, there is a downside to such a tactic – it doesn’t guarantee that a client will return. They can just take a free item and never come back. If you want to attract a customer to use your service again, then consider offering a coupon or voucher for the next purchase. This way, it’s more likely your unhappy buyer will return, giving your company the chance to earn back customer trust and loyalty. Not for nothing, KFC gives vouchers to dissatisfied customers (because it really works magic). Let’s say a consumer orders delivery from the restaurant, receives a package and realizes that a caramel milkshake is missing. They were furious because this milkshake had been the most wanted item, and they texted the support department with a complaint. A friendly support representative apologizes sincerely, makes a refund, and offers a voucher for a free milkshake. The customer’s anger has gone away. Now they are calm and satisfied again, and customer loyalty is not far from being THE case.
- Take your apology offline There are those customers you just can’t lose because they form the backbone of your revenue. In such circumstances, it might be necessary to take your apologies to a new level, namely offline. Such a technique allows your unhappy customers to feel special and appreciated. For instance, invite the customer to come to your office and talk properly about the issue and what you can offer them as a workable solution. It shows that their complaint is being taken seriously. I can think of another more creative way to say sorry – send your angry customers a gift in branded packaging. Include some things that most people enjoy, like sweets, tea collection, branded stationery items, etc. The gesture is what counts the most here. There are some firms (Sorry As A Service, for instance) that can help you with that. When your company fails the client in any way, you turn to such a company for help. You list what your “sorry” package should include, and the guys take care of the rest.
- Empower your customers to help themselves If you had two options, either resolve an issue by yourself or with the assistance of a customer representative, what would you choose? Interestingly, 67% of respondents go for self-service instead of using communication channels and speaking to a support agent. That’s why we cannot fail to mention this problem-solving technique since it’s the most preferred way for many users. It’s especially true if you target millennials, a tech-savvy generation who got used to researching answers online. Human interactions are only necessary if all the existing ways of troubleshooting fail. In case young users feel that it’s too complicated to find the answers online, they will complain. And, most probably, they won’t text your support agents about their displeasure. Instead, they will go to social media directly to share their negative experience. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and now TikTok are today’s users’ weapons against your poor product quality or service. How to ensure a self-help option for your customers? Deploy a knowledge base feature . It’s a ‘help yourself’ functionality that allows users to find answers without a hint of your assistance. If a customer wants a refund, they can chat with your agents and ask ‘how to’ for the thousandth time. Or, they can read a step-by-step help article in your knowledge base. If you decide to go with the HelpCrunch software, you can in-build the knowledge base feature into a live chat widget so that customers don’t have to look for it across the website. This way, customers’ problems have all the chances to be addressed without service reps.
Empathetic and faster responses are the key factors for high-quality customer service. Once users know you are taking care of their issues, they can get back to their daily activities.
While the most damaging thing in problem-solving is silence. In the long term, it can ruin your brand and the company as a whole. Try to reply with an apology message during the first 2-5 minutes after the complaint has been sent.
The question is how to ensure high responsiveness?
For that, savvy companies usually leverage special communication tools, like live chat, chatbot, or knowledge base. And I know the one that might be just the thing. Thanks to its rich functionality, the HelpCrunch help desk software (with a shared inbox in the front) allows your agents to handle up to 5 chats simultaneously. You can test the tool for free for 14 days now.
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10 Tips and Techniques for Customer Service Problem-Solving
October 11, 2023
In the customer service world, challenges arise when you least expect them. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, mastering the art of problem-solving is essential.
In this article, we’ll share with you 10 simple yet effective tips and techniques that will empower your team to navigate customer service issues like a pro.
From active listening to setting realistic expectations and offering solutions, these strategies will benefit your business by enhancing your team’s problem-solving skills and boosting customer satisfaction.
Why are problem-solving skills important in customer service?
Problem-solving skills are crucial in customer service because they turn frustrating situations into bright opportunities. When you effectively identify and address customer issues, you also show that you genuinely care about their satisfaction.
These skills build trust, improve customer loyalty, and lead to positive word-of-mouth recommendations. Moreover, they help your team handle challenges efficiently, reducing stress and improving overall job satisfaction.
In short, mastering problem-solving in customer service is the key to creating happy customers and a thriving, customer-centric business.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 1 - Active Listening
Active listening is a vital technique in customer service problem-solving. It involves fully focusing on what the customer is saying, not just waiting for your turn to speak.
To practice it effectively, encourage your team to maintain eye contact, nod in acknowledgment, and use phrases like "I understand" to show empathy. Let them practice how to avoid interrupting and give customers the space to express themselves fully.
By truly hearing your customers’ concerns and needs, your team can respond more precisely and find solutions that leave customers feeling valued and satisfied. This successfully turns potentially challenging situations into positive experiences.
Edapp can empower your customer service team's problem-solving skills by offering interactive and customized training courses. These problem solving training courses include EdApp’s Problem Solver course. There’s also a course on Dealing with Difficult Customers .
Through scenario-based simulations, your team members can practice resolving real-life customer issues in a safe learning environment. Edapp's reporting and analytics features allow you to monitor individual progress, identify areas for improvement, and provide targeted feedback.
With the flexibility of mobile learning , your team can also access training anytime, anywhere, making it convenient to sharpen their problem-solving abilities. Plus, Edapp's engaging and adaptive content makes sure that your team stays motivated and develops the critical skills needed to excel in customer service problem-solving.
Sign up to EdApp for free to unlock your customer service team’s best potential.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 2 - Stay Calm and Patient
Staying calm and patient is a superpower in problem-solving. When your team keeps their cool even in tough situations, it sends a reassuring message to the customer that they’re competent and there to help.
Some tips you can give them are to take deep breaths, to remember it's not personal, and to not rush through the conversation. Pausing to collect their thoughts can also lead to better solutions and prevent the situation from escalating.
With this customer service problem-solving skill, your team gains the upper hand in resolving issues effectively, creating happier customers, and making their jobs less stressful in the process.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 3 - Apologize Sincerely
Apologizing sincerely is a golden technique in customer service. When your team members genuinely say, "I'm sorry," they show empathy and take responsibility for any inconvenience the customer has faced, regardless of fault.
This simple act of acknowledging their frustration can go a long way in diffusing tension and starting the path toward resolution when it comes to customer service problem solving. A sincere apology demonstrates that your customer service team cares about their experience and is committed to making it right.
So, don't let your team underestimate the power of a heartfelt "I'm sorry" in turning a customer's problem into an opportunity to leave them feeling valued and satisfied.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 4 - Take Ownership
Taking ownership is a remarkable technique when dealing with customer problems. When your team members accept responsibility for resolving an issue, they send a clear message to the customer that their concerns matter to your business.
It doesn't matter if your product or service caused the problem. By taking ownership, your team demonstrates a commitment to finding a solution and ensuring their satisfaction. This step builds trust and confidence in your customers, showing that your team is there to support them every step of the way.
Encourage your team to say, "I'll take care of this for you." It's a powerful way to transform challenges into opportunities in exceptional customer service problem solving.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 5 - Set Realistic Expectations
Setting realistic expectations is an important step for customer service problem solving. When you communicate clear timelines, you're being honest and transparent with what the customer can expect.
This helps manage their expectations and prevents disappointment down the road. Under-promising and over-delivering is a technique your team can use to make sure that they have the time and resources needed to meet or exceed the commitments they’ve made.
This technique not only prevents misunderstandings but also creates a positive experience by showing that your team is dependable and trustworthy. It ultimately makes customers happier and more satisfied with the service they receive.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 6 - Collaborate with Colleagues
Letting your team members collaborate with their colleagues for problem-solving is like having a superhero team for customer service in your organization. Sometimes, challenges are complex, and it's perfectly okay to call in reinforcements.
They can also involve other team members or departments when needed, ensuring that they have all the expertise and resources at their disposal. Effective internal communication is the key here; so make sure that everyone is on the same page.
This customer service problem solving example helps find more comprehensive solutions and demonstrates a unified commitment to customer satisfaction. So, remind your team that they’re not alone in this mission–collaborate, conquer, and make your customers' day better together.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 7 - Offer Solutions
Offering solutions is not just about acknowledging the issue; it's about actively seeking ways to fix it. Presenting practical solutions to the customer's problem shows that your team is dedicated to making things right and that customer satisfaction is their top priority.
So when faced with examples of problem-solving scenarios, have your team discuss the options, outlining the pros and cons if necessary, to help your customers make an informed decision.
Offering solutions not only resolves the immediate problem but also fosters trust and loyalty, leaving customers feeling heard, valued, and confident in your team’s ability to provide exceptional service.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 8 - Follow-Up
Once the issue is resolved, your customer service team shouldn’t leave your customers hanging. They should take the extra step to check in with them.
Whether it's a quick email or a phone call, asking if everything is going well shows that your team genuinely cares about their satisfaction even after the problem is resolved. It's a fantastic way to ensure their needs are fully met and to gather valuable feedback for continuous improvement.
Following up not only leaves a lasting positive impression but also transforms a simple resolution into a memorable and delightful customer experience . So, remind your team to circle back and make sure that your customers are smiling long after the issue is history.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 9 - Document the Interaction
When your team members keep detailed records of customer issues and the steps taken to resolve them, they’re creating a valuable resource for your customer service team.
These records offer a clear picture of past challenges and solutions, making it easier to spot trends and identify areas for improvement. Plus, they guarantee consistency in your service by allowing any team member to pick up where you left off, providing a seamless customer experience.
Think of documentation as your team’s secret weapon for conquering future customer service adventures, helping them navigate problems with confidence and precision.
Customer Service Problem-Solving # 10 - Learn from Each Case
After resolving an issue, let your team take a moment to reflect on what went well and what could be improved. Have them analyze customer feedback and common issues to identify patterns and trends.
By turning each case into a learning opportunity, your team can continually refine their problem-solving skills and fine-tune your business’s customer service approach.
It's the key to growth, making sure that you and your team are always ready to tackle new challenges with even greater expertise. This ultimately creates happier customers.
Donna is an elearning content writer for EdApp, a mobile-based microlearning platform designed for today's digital training needs. When she's not writing web articles, she writes lines of code or songs or anything food-related.
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The Guide to Effective Customer Service Problem Solving
Cases that start as “I don’t know” quickly become “I figured it out!”
“I don’t know” isn’t a good enough answer in customer support. When customers come to you with unique problems and unusual questions, we can’t refuse to answer them. In this guide, we’ll give you the steps to turn that “I don’t know” into something better:
“I don’t know, but I’m going to figure it out.”
With this guide to effective customer service problem solving, we give you a three-step process to follow:
- take stock of the information you’ve been given,
- gather any additional information you need,
- and then work to solve the problem and respond to the customer.
Let’s get started.
Assess the information you have
Information is the most important tool in your tool belt. The first step in solving any problem is to identify all the information you already know. Whether this case was escalated to you for help, or if you’ve just realized that there may be more than meets the eye to this problem, take the time to lay out everything you know.
Customer’s tone
How does your customer feel about the situation? Are they technically minded, or are they struggling to describe technical issues ? Are they calm and cooperative? Or combative and frustrated? Is this a deal-breaker for them? Or is it just a weird bug? The demeanor of your customer will inform how you approach the situation going forward.
Customer’s history
Do a quick review of the customer’s previous support interactions, any purchases they’ve made, what plan type they are on, etc. This context will help you replicate the issue, as well as respond appropriately to the customer.
What’s happening?
Do you know enough about what’s happening? Have they sent through screenshots? Error messages? Console data? What were they trying to accomplish? It doesn’t need to be a technical problem for this step to still be important. Understanding what the customer’s motivation is will help solve a variety of issues.
Has this happened before?
It’s very unlikely that this is a brand new problem. Has the customer reported it happening before? Has any other customer reported it happening before? Help desk search functions are incredibly powerful tools. Search error messages and problem statements to see if other customers have reported similar issues. You can also search the internet to see if it’s a third-party issue. For example, if you’re using a third-party payment system, you might be seeing one of their errors when customers are purchasing on your website.
Gather more information
Okay, we’re partway there! If you didn’t have an epiphany while you were sorting through the information already at your disposal (sometimes that happens!), it’s time to gather more data.
Can you replicate it?
There’s no way to get more information than to get hands-on with the problem. Do you see the same thing happening?
If not, what information do you need to replicate it?
If you can’t replicate the issue, it’s probably because you’re doing something different or in a different environment. What information do you already have about the customer’s environment? What do you need to know in order to do exactly the same thing?
- Environment: browser version, extensions (try it incognito?), other settings.
- Steps: can they record a screengrab? What are they trying to do? What error message do they get?
- Specific settings: what account are they using? What version of your product are they using? If you can try it in their account (using “admin mode” or “god mode” so you can see it without asking for their username or password), does it happen for you as well?
Ask other people
Now’s the time to check in with other people on your team to see if they have any ideas. Have they ever seen something similar?
Depending on your relationship with your product and engineering team, you may also be able to check in with them at this point. However, many teams have a more formal bug reporting process in place to prevent “side of the desk” questions from interfering with their workflow. If that’s the case, you may want to do more research first.
Solve the problem
Now you’ll need to actually solve the problem for the customer. It might require finding a workaround, or reporting a bug to the development team.
Bug or works-as-designed?
Once you’ve replicated the issue, you’ll need to decide whether that is the way it’s supposed to work, or if you’ve found a bug. If it’s a bug, congrats! You can file a bug ticket and ask your engineering team to fix it. If it’s a feature or a design flaw, you may need to make a case for an update. In this case, the complex problem may turn into a feature request.
Is there a workaround?
Can you get to the customer’s desired end result in another way? Whether the issue turns out to be a bug or a feature, if you can find another way to achieve their goal, your customer will be happy!
Write a great response
Once you’ve replicated the issue, solved the problem, found a workable solution, or at least documented the bug for a future fix, you need to get back to the customer. Writing an empathetic, thorough response can make all the difference in a complex situation.
In many cases, your response will follow the same steps as a great customer service apology :
- Offer explanation
- Fix the problem
- Wrap it up and let them know what’s next
Resources for Customer Service Problem Solving
We all need a little help sometimes. If you’re learning how to fix more difficult problems, these resources can help.
Help Scout’s Art of Troubleshooting
On a mission to troubleshoot a bug? This guide is super helpful .
Support Details website
Learn how to use Developer Tools, especially Web Consoles
Be like Sherlock, and look for clues!
Customer support requires communication skills and problem-solving skills. Looking for the clues to solve the puzzle becomes a big part of your job as soon as you start to take on more difficult customers. With this guide to customer service problem solving, you’ll have a systematic way to approach those tough questions. Cases that start as “I don’t know” quickly become “I figured it out!”
How did you like this blog?
Sarah Chambers is a Customer Support Consultant and Content Creator from Vancouver, Canada. When she’s not arguing about customer service, she’s usually outdoors rock climbing or snowboarding. Follow her on Twitter @sarahleeyoga to keep up with her adventures.
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Customer Service Problem-Solving Techniques to Improve Your Sales
Customers have numerous issues, with varying degrees of sophistication or viewpoint. They are running out of time. They have an almost unlimited number of product options to choose from. They are wooed by product reviews.
In such situations, a customer may not be aware of the best solution to an issue. You as a service provider, however, can step into their shoes, come to grips with the problem, work out the solution and gain the customer’s trust.
The ability to solve a customer’s problem is what makes all the difference between churn and loyalty.
What is Problem-Solving in Customer Service?
Problem-solving in customer service is a skill that entails
- Knowing how to handle a conflict
- Being able to calm an agitated customer using tone of voice and true empathy
- Listening and speaking while maintaining a strong grip on problem-solving techniques.
How does bad customer service affect your business?
Customer service issues must be resolved because they affect other parts of the business. Businesses must become more customer-centric and coordinate their services in order to delight clients by effectively solving their problems.
You may have the ideal product and competitive pricing, but if your customer service is poor, your business can falter.
Let’s look at some of the ways in which bad customer service can impact a business.
Harms Brand Reputation
Customers like to share their stories. As a result, when people have a poor experience, they turn to their favorite media to express their feelings. A single poor review on Twitter or Facebook can defame your brand image.
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” -Warren Buffett
Lesser Conversions and Loss of Customers
Inefficient solving of customers’ problems , slow response times, and frequent negative experiences make prospects less likely to become customers and make current customers less likely to stay loyal.
“53% of customers are likely to stop buying from a brand after a poor customer service experience.” – source
Dip in Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Companies that consistently provide bad customer service eventually fail. Customers today have so many options that when they have a negative service experience, they will go to a competitor.
It’s widely known that one-time customers are expensive, whereas recurring customers bring a steady source of income.
Customer lifetime value is a measure that is computed by adding up all of a customer’s revenue over the course of their engagement with a company.
You can increase the lifetime value of your customers by delivering outstanding service. This means you can make more revenue by spending less money on customer acquisition.
Steps of Customer Service Problem-Solving
Here is a 5-step process for customer service problem-solving and troubleshooting when you come across a customer issue.
1. Ask, Ask and Ask
Ask the proper questions to learn what is upsetting your customer. You won’t be able to remedy your customer’s problem if you can’t place it.
For example, ask questions such as,
“Have you been dealing with this issue for a long time?”
Asking relevant questions will help you identify customer needs while also assisting you in determining an appropriate solution.
2. Identify the Problem
After having a question session with your customer to discuss their pain areas, you can restate or explain the situation as you have come to terms with it.
You must describe the problem precisely and do so from the customer’s perspective. Get the customer’s approval that you’ve grasped the problem.
Before you move on to the next phase, ask whether there is anything else that is bothering them.
3. Formulate Solutions
After a thorough examination of the problem, develop various solutions and present the best solution to the customer or prospect.
Your solution must be focused on the specific problem , and not ambiguous.
4. Deliver the Solution
Deliver the solution as promised. Take advantage of these opportunities to strengthen your customer relationships and demonstrate that you are worthy of their trust.
5. Follow up with Customers
It’s critical to check in with your customers to see how they feel about the solution and confirm that the issue has been fixed. This step demonstrates to customers that your organization values customer service and is committed to providing a better customer experience .
It’s important to ask some of these challenging questions when checking in with present customers in the hopes of upselling, cross-selling, or renewing their contracts.
“How satisfied are you with our product on a scale of one to ten?”
“How did you come up with that score?”
“What is it about our product/service that you enjoy?”
“Do you think you’ve experienced excellent customer service?”
This will keep you from overlooking warning signs that they’re dissatisfied and might begin to consider switching to a competitor.
In an era where ‘Customer is King” , happy customers are the secret to growth. As a result, customer satisfaction is a direct reflection of the effectiveness of your service team.
“The probability of selling to an existing, happy customer is up to 14 times higher than the probability of selling to a new customer, according to Marketing Metrics” – source
To improve customer experience and increase cross-selling and upselling opportunities, forward-thinking companies link their sales and customer service teams .
9 customer service problem-solving techniques
Customer service exists to assist customers with their demands or any issues that may arise while they are using your product or service. It is, therefore, necessary to train your staff on how to properly resolve customer complaints or problems. Learn about the methods a service representative can take toward customer service problem solving to deliver superior customer service!
Ask for the Customer’s Needs
Ask probing questions to get to the heart of the matter and uncover unmet customer needs. The answers to these questions can be used to create a workable solution, and this is a consultative approach that will strengthen customer relationships.
Listen to the Customer
Listen to the customer to prod deeper into the issue to determine the underlying cause. Only then will you be able to solve the problem at its core. You could even be assisting your company in developing stronger SOPs or regulations or eliminating a rigid process that is preventing you from running smoothly during the course.
The more you know about your customer and their company, the more you’ll be able to influence their bottom line.
Don’t argue
When we are offended or proven wrong, we have an inbuilt propensity to react in a defensive manner. In customer service, this is a no-no.
To go through the situation unscathed, here are two tips that you can use.
Tip 1: Allow customers to talk
You should let your customers talk until they are able to release their frustrations and calm down.
Tip 2: Show that you care
The least you can do is support them and be empathetic toward the situation while customers go on explaining their tales. Use consoling phrases to comfort them.
Send Lightning-Fast Response
Every customer is strapped for time and expects a timely response from your support agent,
Kapture’s omnichannel help desk software can help you streamline how you manage customer inquiries across multiple channels.
Image: Kapture’s omnichannel dashboard
You can route inquiries from a certain channel to a dedicated team. This helps ensure a smooth customer experience and swift resolution of customer inquiries.
Another way around is to add a live chat feature to your website. It is a tool that helps customers instantly connect with your agent and work out solutions. Kapture’s live-chat tools embedded in your website can deliver faster responses.
Follow Solutions to the Conclusion
Once you’ve committed to providing the resolution, it’s in your best interests to see it through to completion.
The standard customer problem-solving process includes following up with clients and providing them with updates to keep them informed.
Sending follow-up emails is the most effective technique to keep in touch with them about the solution’s progress.
Kapture’s help desk software allows you to send emails from the same system that you use to respond to customer queries. You really don’t need to use traditional mail services for this. Likewise, the merits of a single sign-on help desk are many.
Use Visual Content
Your customer service representative can solve customers’ problems in a more comprehensible and exciting manner by offering them visual troubleshooting guides.
The best options are videos, graphical flow diagrams (depicting step-by-step instructions), or screenshots to resolve some of the very minor yet frequent issues.
Kapture’s knowledge base feature allows you to store and manage information in just about any format, which includes videos, images, and documents, that can be accessed via self-help tools.
This not only saves your time but also gives customers a quick and intelligible solution to their problems.
Offer an Incentive to Customers
Just to make sure that the recent product or service issue your customer faced did not bring any scar to your relationship, it is a supersmart way to butter up the bond with incentives.
Offering incentives to clients can help you gain their loyalty, and they may decide to wait until you fix their problem rather than looking for solutions elsewhere.
Incentivizing clients to compensate for the inconvenience encourages them to stay loyal.
Consider presenting a coupon or voucher, for instance, on the next transaction if you want to motivate a customer to use your service again.
Self-Help Option For Your Customers
Provide self-help capabilities such as AI chatbots, knowledge base, or interactive discussion forums so that customers can search, find and resolve problems on their own. AI-powered chatbots offer responses to customer queries contextually.
Do not undermine the convenience of a self-service. This is the most preferred channel of help by customers as revealed by many surveys.
Kapture’s AI and Machine Learning-powered self-serve tools are a fantastic approach to support your tech-savvy customers.
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Customers that are happy with your service will stay longer, become repeat customers, and recommend your service to their friends and colleagues.
That’s why it’s critical to cultivate a customer-centric culture within your organization.
Remember to go the customer problem-solving way to create exceptional customer experiences.
Kapture’s AI-based solutions can assist you in effectively managing the entire customer service process and wowing your clients with customer delight factors such as
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- customer service problem solving techniques
- customer service problems and solutions
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- handling customer complaints
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How to master the seven-step problem-solving process
In this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , Simon London speaks with Charles Conn, CEO of venture-capital firm Oxford Sciences Innovation, and McKinsey senior partner Hugo Sarrazin about the complexities of different problem-solving strategies.
Podcast transcript
Simon London: Hello, and welcome to this episode of the McKinsey Podcast , with me, Simon London. What’s the number-one skill you need to succeed professionally? Salesmanship, perhaps? Or a facility with statistics? Or maybe the ability to communicate crisply and clearly? Many would argue that at the very top of the list comes problem solving: that is, the ability to think through and come up with an optimal course of action to address any complex challenge—in business, in public policy, or indeed in life.
Looked at this way, it’s no surprise that McKinsey takes problem solving very seriously, testing for it during the recruiting process and then honing it, in McKinsey consultants, through immersion in a structured seven-step method. To discuss the art of problem solving, I sat down in California with McKinsey senior partner Hugo Sarrazin and also with Charles Conn. Charles is a former McKinsey partner, entrepreneur, executive, and coauthor of the book Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything [John Wiley & Sons, 2018].
Charles and Hugo, welcome to the podcast. Thank you for being here.
Hugo Sarrazin: Our pleasure.
Charles Conn: It’s terrific to be here.
Simon London: Problem solving is a really interesting piece of terminology. It could mean so many different things. I have a son who’s a teenage climber. They talk about solving problems. Climbing is problem solving. Charles, when you talk about problem solving, what are you talking about?
Charles Conn: For me, problem solving is the answer to the question “What should I do?” It’s interesting when there’s uncertainty and complexity, and when it’s meaningful because there are consequences. Your son’s climbing is a perfect example. There are consequences, and it’s complicated, and there’s uncertainty—can he make that grab? I think we can apply that same frame almost at any level. You can think about questions like “What town would I like to live in?” or “Should I put solar panels on my roof?”
You might think that’s a funny thing to apply problem solving to, but in my mind it’s not fundamentally different from business problem solving, which answers the question “What should my strategy be?” Or problem solving at the policy level: “How do we combat climate change?” “Should I support the local school bond?” I think these are all part and parcel of the same type of question, “What should I do?”
I’m a big fan of structured problem solving. By following steps, we can more clearly understand what problem it is we’re solving, what are the components of the problem that we’re solving, which components are the most important ones for us to pay attention to, which analytic techniques we should apply to those, and how we can synthesize what we’ve learned back into a compelling story. That’s all it is, at its heart.
I think sometimes when people think about seven steps, they assume that there’s a rigidity to this. That’s not it at all. It’s actually to give you the scope for creativity, which often doesn’t exist when your problem solving is muddled.
Simon London: You were just talking about the seven-step process. That’s what’s written down in the book, but it’s a very McKinsey process as well. Without getting too deep into the weeds, let’s go through the steps, one by one. You were just talking about problem definition as being a particularly important thing to get right first. That’s the first step. Hugo, tell us about that.
Hugo Sarrazin: It is surprising how often people jump past this step and make a bunch of assumptions. The most powerful thing is to step back and ask the basic questions—“What are we trying to solve? What are the constraints that exist? What are the dependencies?” Let’s make those explicit and really push the thinking and defining. At McKinsey, we spend an enormous amount of time in writing that little statement, and the statement, if you’re a logic purist, is great. You debate. “Is it an ‘or’? Is it an ‘and’? What’s the action verb?” Because all these specific words help you get to the heart of what matters.
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Simon London: So this is a concise problem statement.
Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah. It’s not like “Can we grow in Japan?” That’s interesting, but it is “What, specifically, are we trying to uncover in the growth of a product in Japan? Or a segment in Japan? Or a channel in Japan?” When you spend an enormous amount of time, in the first meeting of the different stakeholders, debating this and having different people put forward what they think the problem definition is, you realize that people have completely different views of why they’re here. That, to me, is the most important step.
Charles Conn: I would agree with that. For me, the problem context is critical. When we understand “What are the forces acting upon your decision maker? How quickly is the answer needed? With what precision is the answer needed? Are there areas that are off limits or areas where we would particularly like to find our solution? Is the decision maker open to exploring other areas?” then you not only become more efficient, and move toward what we call the critical path in problem solving, but you also make it so much more likely that you’re not going to waste your time or your decision maker’s time.
How often do especially bright young people run off with half of the idea about what the problem is and start collecting data and start building models—only to discover that they’ve really gone off half-cocked.
Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah.
Charles Conn: And in the wrong direction.
Simon London: OK. So step one—and there is a real art and a structure to it—is define the problem. Step two, Charles?
Charles Conn: My favorite step is step two, which is to use logic trees to disaggregate the problem. Every problem we’re solving has some complexity and some uncertainty in it. The only way that we can really get our team working on the problem is to take the problem apart into logical pieces.
What we find, of course, is that the way to disaggregate the problem often gives you an insight into the answer to the problem quite quickly. I love to do two or three different cuts at it, each one giving a bit of a different insight into what might be going wrong. By doing sensible disaggregations, using logic trees, we can figure out which parts of the problem we should be looking at, and we can assign those different parts to team members.
Simon London: What’s a good example of a logic tree on a sort of ratable problem?
Charles Conn: Maybe the easiest one is the classic profit tree. Almost in every business that I would take a look at, I would start with a profit or return-on-assets tree. In its simplest form, you have the components of revenue, which are price and quantity, and the components of cost, which are cost and quantity. Each of those can be broken out. Cost can be broken into variable cost and fixed cost. The components of price can be broken into what your pricing scheme is. That simple tree often provides insight into what’s going on in a business or what the difference is between that business and the competitors.
If we add the leg, which is “What’s the asset base or investment element?”—so profit divided by assets—then we can ask the question “Is the business using its investments sensibly?” whether that’s in stores or in manufacturing or in transportation assets. I hope we can see just how simple this is, even though we’re describing it in words.
When I went to work with Gordon Moore at the Moore Foundation, the problem that he asked us to look at was “How can we save Pacific salmon?” Now, that sounds like an impossible question, but it was amenable to precisely the same type of disaggregation and allowed us to organize what became a 15-year effort to improve the likelihood of good outcomes for Pacific salmon.
Simon London: Now, is there a danger that your logic tree can be impossibly large? This, I think, brings us onto the third step in the process, which is that you have to prioritize.
Charles Conn: Absolutely. The third step, which we also emphasize, along with good problem definition, is rigorous prioritization—we ask the questions “How important is this lever or this branch of the tree in the overall outcome that we seek to achieve? How much can I move that lever?” Obviously, we try and focus our efforts on ones that have a big impact on the problem and the ones that we have the ability to change. With salmon, ocean conditions turned out to be a big lever, but not one that we could adjust. We focused our attention on fish habitats and fish-harvesting practices, which were big levers that we could affect.
People spend a lot of time arguing about branches that are either not important or that none of us can change. We see it in the public square. When we deal with questions at the policy level—“Should you support the death penalty?” “How do we affect climate change?” “How can we uncover the causes and address homelessness?”—it’s even more important that we’re focusing on levers that are big and movable.
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Simon London: Let’s move swiftly on to step four. You’ve defined your problem, you disaggregate it, you prioritize where you want to analyze—what you want to really look at hard. Then you got to the work plan. Now, what does that mean in practice?
Hugo Sarrazin: Depending on what you’ve prioritized, there are many things you could do. It could be breaking the work among the team members so that people have a clear piece of the work to do. It could be defining the specific analyses that need to get done and executed, and being clear on time lines. There’s always a level-one answer, there’s a level-two answer, there’s a level-three answer. Without being too flippant, I can solve any problem during a good dinner with wine. It won’t have a whole lot of backing.
Simon London: Not going to have a lot of depth to it.
Hugo Sarrazin: No, but it may be useful as a starting point. If the stakes are not that high, that could be OK. If it’s really high stakes, you may need level three and have the whole model validated in three different ways. You need to find a work plan that reflects the level of precision, the time frame you have, and the stakeholders you need to bring along in the exercise.
Charles Conn: I love the way you’ve described that, because, again, some people think of problem solving as a linear thing, but of course what’s critical is that it’s iterative. As you say, you can solve the problem in one day or even one hour.
Charles Conn: We encourage our teams everywhere to do that. We call it the one-day answer or the one-hour answer. In work planning, we’re always iterating. Every time you see a 50-page work plan that stretches out to three months, you know it’s wrong. It will be outmoded very quickly by that learning process that you described. Iterative problem solving is a critical part of this. Sometimes, people think work planning sounds dull, but it isn’t. It’s how we know what’s expected of us and when we need to deliver it and how we’re progressing toward the answer. It’s also the place where we can deal with biases. Bias is a feature of every human decision-making process. If we design our team interactions intelligently, we can avoid the worst sort of biases.
Simon London: Here we’re talking about cognitive biases primarily, right? It’s not that I’m biased against you because of your accent or something. These are the cognitive biases that behavioral sciences have shown we all carry around, things like anchoring, overoptimism—these kinds of things.
Both: Yeah.
Charles Conn: Availability bias is the one that I’m always alert to. You think you’ve seen the problem before, and therefore what’s available is your previous conception of it—and we have to be most careful about that. In any human setting, we also have to be careful about biases that are based on hierarchies, sometimes called sunflower bias. I’m sure, Hugo, with your teams, you make sure that the youngest team members speak first. Not the oldest team members, because it’s easy for people to look at who’s senior and alter their own creative approaches.
Hugo Sarrazin: It’s helpful, at that moment—if someone is asserting a point of view—to ask the question “This was true in what context?” You’re trying to apply something that worked in one context to a different one. That can be deadly if the context has changed, and that’s why organizations struggle to change. You promote all these people because they did something that worked well in the past, and then there’s a disruption in the industry, and they keep doing what got them promoted even though the context has changed.
Simon London: Right. Right.
Hugo Sarrazin: So it’s the same thing in problem solving.
Charles Conn: And it’s why diversity in our teams is so important. It’s one of the best things about the world that we’re in now. We’re likely to have people from different socioeconomic, ethnic, and national backgrounds, each of whom sees problems from a slightly different perspective. It is therefore much more likely that the team will uncover a truly creative and clever approach to problem solving.
Simon London: Let’s move on to step five. You’ve done your work plan. Now you’ve actually got to do the analysis. The thing that strikes me here is that the range of tools that we have at our disposal now, of course, is just huge, particularly with advances in computation, advanced analytics. There’s so many things that you can apply here. Just talk about the analysis stage. How do you pick the right tools?
Charles Conn: For me, the most important thing is that we start with simple heuristics and explanatory statistics before we go off and use the big-gun tools. We need to understand the shape and scope of our problem before we start applying these massive and complex analytical approaches.
Simon London: Would you agree with that?
Hugo Sarrazin: I agree. I think there are so many wonderful heuristics. You need to start there before you go deep into the modeling exercise. There’s an interesting dynamic that’s happening, though. In some cases, for some types of problems, it is even better to set yourself up to maximize your learning. Your problem-solving methodology is test and learn, test and learn, test and learn, and iterate. That is a heuristic in itself, the A/B testing that is used in many parts of the world. So that’s a problem-solving methodology. It’s nothing different. It just uses technology and feedback loops in a fast way. The other one is exploratory data analysis. When you’re dealing with a large-scale problem, and there’s so much data, I can get to the heuristics that Charles was talking about through very clever visualization of data.
You test with your data. You need to set up an environment to do so, but don’t get caught up in neural-network modeling immediately. You’re testing, you’re checking—“Is the data right? Is it sound? Does it make sense?”—before you launch too far.
Simon London: You do hear these ideas—that if you have a big enough data set and enough algorithms, they’re going to find things that you just wouldn’t have spotted, find solutions that maybe you wouldn’t have thought of. Does machine learning sort of revolutionize the problem-solving process? Or are these actually just other tools in the toolbox for structured problem solving?
Charles Conn: It can be revolutionary. There are some areas in which the pattern recognition of large data sets and good algorithms can help us see things that we otherwise couldn’t see. But I do think it’s terribly important we don’t think that this particular technique is a substitute for superb problem solving, starting with good problem definition. Many people use machine learning without understanding algorithms that themselves can have biases built into them. Just as 20 years ago, when we were doing statistical analysis, we knew that we needed good model definition, we still need a good understanding of our algorithms and really good problem definition before we launch off into big data sets and unknown algorithms.
Simon London: Step six. You’ve done your analysis.
Charles Conn: I take six and seven together, and this is the place where young problem solvers often make a mistake. They’ve got their analysis, and they assume that’s the answer, and of course it isn’t the answer. The ability to synthesize the pieces that came out of the analysis and begin to weave those into a story that helps people answer the question “What should I do?” This is back to where we started. If we can’t synthesize, and we can’t tell a story, then our decision maker can’t find the answer to “What should I do?”
Simon London: But, again, these final steps are about motivating people to action, right?
Charles Conn: Yeah.
Simon London: I am slightly torn about the nomenclature of problem solving because it’s on paper, right? Until you motivate people to action, you actually haven’t solved anything.
Charles Conn: I love this question because I think decision-making theory, without a bias to action, is a waste of time. Everything in how I approach this is to help people take action that makes the world better.
Simon London: Hence, these are absolutely critical steps. If you don’t do this well, you’ve just got a bunch of analysis.
Charles Conn: We end up in exactly the same place where we started, which is people speaking across each other, past each other in the public square, rather than actually working together, shoulder to shoulder, to crack these important problems.
Simon London: In the real world, we have a lot of uncertainty—arguably, increasing uncertainty. How do good problem solvers deal with that?
Hugo Sarrazin: At every step of the process. In the problem definition, when you’re defining the context, you need to understand those sources of uncertainty and whether they’re important or not important. It becomes important in the definition of the tree.
You need to think carefully about the branches of the tree that are more certain and less certain as you define them. They don’t have equal weight just because they’ve got equal space on the page. Then, when you’re prioritizing, your prioritization approach may put more emphasis on things that have low probability but huge impact—or, vice versa, may put a lot of priority on things that are very likely and, hopefully, have a reasonable impact. You can introduce that along the way. When you come back to the synthesis, you just need to be nuanced about what you’re understanding, the likelihood.
Often, people lack humility in the way they make their recommendations: “This is the answer.” They’re very precise, and I think we would all be well-served to say, “This is a likely answer under the following sets of conditions” and then make the level of uncertainty clearer, if that is appropriate. It doesn’t mean you’re always in the gray zone; it doesn’t mean you don’t have a point of view. It just means that you can be explicit about the certainty of your answer when you make that recommendation.
Simon London: So it sounds like there is an underlying principle: “Acknowledge and embrace the uncertainty. Don’t pretend that it isn’t there. Be very clear about what the uncertainties are up front, and then build that into every step of the process.”
Hugo Sarrazin: Every step of the process.
Simon London: Yeah. We have just walked through a particular structured methodology for problem solving. But, of course, this is not the only structured methodology for problem solving. One that is also very well-known is design thinking, which comes at things very differently. So, Hugo, I know you have worked with a lot of designers. Just give us a very quick summary. Design thinking—what is it, and how does it relate?
Hugo Sarrazin: It starts with an incredible amount of empathy for the user and uses that to define the problem. It does pause and go out in the wild and spend an enormous amount of time seeing how people interact with objects, seeing the experience they’re getting, seeing the pain points or joy—and uses that to infer and define the problem.
Simon London: Problem definition, but out in the world.
Hugo Sarrazin: With an enormous amount of empathy. There’s a huge emphasis on empathy. Traditional, more classic problem solving is you define the problem based on an understanding of the situation. This one almost presupposes that we don’t know the problem until we go see it. The second thing is you need to come up with multiple scenarios or answers or ideas or concepts, and there’s a lot of divergent thinking initially. That’s slightly different, versus the prioritization, but not for long. Eventually, you need to kind of say, “OK, I’m going to converge again.” Then you go and you bring things back to the customer and get feedback and iterate. Then you rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. There’s a lot of tactile building, along the way, of prototypes and things like that. It’s very iterative.
Simon London: So, Charles, are these complements or are these alternatives?
Charles Conn: I think they’re entirely complementary, and I think Hugo’s description is perfect. When we do problem definition well in classic problem solving, we are demonstrating the kind of empathy, at the very beginning of our problem, that design thinking asks us to approach. When we ideate—and that’s very similar to the disaggregation, prioritization, and work-planning steps—we do precisely the same thing, and often we use contrasting teams, so that we do have divergent thinking. The best teams allow divergent thinking to bump them off whatever their initial biases in problem solving are. For me, design thinking gives us a constant reminder of creativity, empathy, and the tactile nature of problem solving, but it’s absolutely complementary, not alternative.
Simon London: I think, in a world of cross-functional teams, an interesting question is do people with design-thinking backgrounds really work well together with classical problem solvers? How do you make that chemistry happen?
Hugo Sarrazin: Yeah, it is not easy when people have spent an enormous amount of time seeped in design thinking or user-centric design, whichever word you want to use. If the person who’s applying classic problem-solving methodology is very rigid and mechanical in the way they’re doing it, there could be an enormous amount of tension. If there’s not clarity in the role and not clarity in the process, I think having the two together can be, sometimes, problematic.
The second thing that happens often is that the artifacts the two methodologies try to gravitate toward can be different. Classic problem solving often gravitates toward a model; design thinking migrates toward a prototype. Rather than writing a big deck with all my supporting evidence, they’ll bring an example, a thing, and that feels different. Then you spend your time differently to achieve those two end products, so that’s another source of friction.
Now, I still think it can be an incredibly powerful thing to have the two—if there are the right people with the right mind-set, if there is a team that is explicit about the roles, if we’re clear about the kind of outcomes we are attempting to bring forward. There’s an enormous amount of collaborativeness and respect.
Simon London: But they have to respect each other’s methodology and be prepared to flex, maybe, a little bit, in how this process is going to work.
Hugo Sarrazin: Absolutely.
Simon London: The other area where, it strikes me, there could be a little bit of a different sort of friction is this whole concept of the day-one answer, which is what we were just talking about in classical problem solving. Now, you know that this is probably not going to be your final answer, but that’s how you begin to structure the problem. Whereas I would imagine your design thinkers—no, they’re going off to do their ethnographic research and get out into the field, potentially for a long time, before they come back with at least an initial hypothesis.
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Hugo Sarrazin: That is a great callout, and that’s another difference. Designers typically will like to soak into the situation and avoid converging too quickly. There’s optionality and exploring different options. There’s a strong belief that keeps the solution space wide enough that you can come up with more radical ideas. If there’s a large design team or many designers on the team, and you come on Friday and say, “What’s our week-one answer?” they’re going to struggle. They’re not going to be comfortable, naturally, to give that answer. It doesn’t mean they don’t have an answer; it’s just not where they are in their thinking process.
Simon London: I think we are, sadly, out of time for today. But Charles and Hugo, thank you so much.
Charles Conn: It was a pleasure to be here, Simon.
Hugo Sarrazin: It was a pleasure. Thank you.
Simon London: And thanks, as always, to you, our listeners, for tuning into this episode of the McKinsey Podcast . If you want to learn more about problem solving, you can find the book, Bulletproof Problem Solving: The One Skill That Changes Everything , online or order it through your local bookstore. To learn more about McKinsey, you can of course find us at McKinsey.com.
Charles Conn is CEO of Oxford Sciences Innovation and an alumnus of McKinsey’s Sydney office. Hugo Sarrazin is a senior partner in the Silicon Valley office, where Simon London, a member of McKinsey Publishing, is also based.
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How to Conduct Effective Problem-Solving Sessions with Customer Service
In the customer service industry, effective problem-solving is a crucial skill that can greatly impact customer satisfaction and business performance. When handled properly, problem-solving sessions provide an opportunity to identify and address issues that customers may encounter. This article will delve into the importance of problem-solving in customer service and provide key elements and techniques for conducting successful sessions. Additionally, we will explore common challenges faced during problem-solving sessions and offer strategies to overcome them.
Understanding the Importance of Problem-Solving in Customer Service
Problem-solving plays a significant role in ensuring customer satisfaction. When customers face challenges or issues, their overall experience can be negatively affected. However, by actively engaging in problem-solving sessions, businesses can effectively address customer concerns and improve their experience. By resolving issues promptly and efficiently, companies can enhance customer loyalty and build long-term relationships.
Customer service is a vital aspect of any successful business. It is the backbone of customer satisfaction and retention. When customers encounter problems or difficulties, it is crucial for businesses to have a robust problem-solving mechanism in place. By acknowledging and addressing customer concerns, companies demonstrate their commitment to providing exceptional service and ensuring customer happiness.
Problem-solving in customer service goes beyond simply fixing a specific issue. It involves understanding the root cause of the problem and implementing long-term solutions to prevent similar issues from arising in the future. This proactive approach not only resolves immediate concerns but also helps businesses improve their overall operations and customer experience.
The Role of Problem-Solving in Customer Satisfaction
Customer satisfaction is the key to success for any business. By addressing customer issues through problem-solving sessions, companies demonstrate their commitment to resolving problems quickly and effectively. By actively listening to customers’ concerns and providing appropriate solutions, businesses can restore trust, boost customer satisfaction, and ultimately improve their reputation in the market.
Problem-solving sessions provide an opportunity for businesses to engage with their customers on a deeper level. By actively involving customers in the problem-solving process, companies show that they value their opinions and are dedicated to meeting their needs. This collaborative approach not only helps resolve immediate issues but also strengthens the bond between businesses and their customers.
Furthermore, effective problem-solving can lead to positive word-of-mouth referrals. When customers have a positive experience with a company’s problem-solving process, they are more likely to share their satisfaction with others. This can result in new customers and increased brand recognition, further contributing to business growth and success.
Improving Business Performance through Effective Problem-Solving
Effective problem-solving can also contribute to improved business performance. By identifying and addressing underlying problems, companies can streamline their operations and optimize their products or services. This, in turn, leads to increased efficiency, decreased costs, and improved overall performance. Problem-solving sessions provide a valuable platform to explore creative ideas and innovative solutions, enabling businesses to stay competitive in the market.
During problem-solving sessions, businesses have the opportunity to gather valuable feedback from customers. This feedback can provide insights into areas that require improvement, allowing companies to make informed decisions and implement necessary changes. By continuously seeking feedback and actively working towards resolving issues, businesses can adapt and evolve to meet the ever-changing needs and expectations of their customers.
Moreover, effective problem-solving can help businesses identify potential opportunities for growth and expansion. By analyzing customer feedback and addressing recurring issues, companies can uncover new market demands and develop innovative solutions to meet them. This proactive approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also opens doors to new revenue streams and business ventures.
In conclusion, problem-solving is an integral part of customer service and business success. By actively engaging in problem-solving sessions, businesses can address customer concerns, improve satisfaction, and drive overall performance. Effective problem-solving not only resolves immediate issues but also paves the way for long-term growth and success in the market.
Key Elements of a Problem-Solving Session
A successful problem-solving session comprises several key elements that ensure a systematic approach to addressing customer concerns.
In today’s fast-paced business environment, problem-solving has become an essential skill for organizations to thrive. Whether it’s resolving customer complaints, improving internal processes, or finding innovative solutions, effective problem-solving is crucial for success.
Identifying the Problem: The First Step
The initial step in conducting an effective problem-solving session is to identify the root cause of the issue. This requires active listening and gathering relevant information from both customers and internal stakeholders.
During this phase, it is important to create an open and non-judgmental environment where customers feel comfortable expressing their concerns. By empathizing with their experiences and actively seeking their input, businesses can gain valuable insights into the problem at hand.
Additionally, involving internal stakeholders such as employees from different departments can provide a holistic view of the issue. Their perspectives and expertise can uncover underlying factors that may have contributed to the problem.
By examining the problem from various angles, businesses can gain a comprehensive understanding of the situation and lay the foundation for finding the right solution.
Developing Potential Solutions: Brainstorming and Beyond
Once the problem is identified, the next step is to brainstorm potential solutions. In a problem-solving session, team members should be encouraged to contribute their ideas freely.
Brainstorming sessions can be conducted in various formats, such as group discussions, virtual collaboration platforms, or even through anonymous suggestion boxes. The key is to create an environment where creativity flourishes and no idea is dismissed without consideration.
This collaborative approach allows for diverse perspectives and creativity, increasing the chances of finding an effective solution. Moreover, considering multiple alternatives helps in evaluating the feasibility and viability of each potential solution.
During the brainstorming phase, it is important to focus on generating a wide range of ideas without prematurely evaluating them. This encourages out-of-the-box thinking and prevents the group from getting stuck on a single solution too early in the process.
Once a substantial list of potential solutions is generated, the team can move on to the next step of evaluating each option based on criteria such as cost-effectiveness, practicality, and alignment with the organization’s goals.
Implementing and Evaluating the Solution: The Final Steps
After developing potential solutions, it is essential to implement and evaluate the chosen solution. This involves creating an action plan, allocating resources, and assigning responsibilities.
During the implementation phase, effective communication is crucial to ensure that everyone involved understands their roles and responsibilities. Clear instructions, regular progress updates, and feedback mechanisms help keep the team aligned and motivated.
Once the solution is implemented, ongoing evaluation and feedback from customers and team members help to refine the solution as needed, ensuring its effectiveness in addressing the initial problem.
By continuously monitoring the solution’s impact and gathering feedback, organizations can make necessary adjustments and improvements to optimize its outcomes.
Moreover, documenting the entire problem-solving process, including the identified problem, potential solutions, and the chosen solution, can serve as a valuable reference for future problem-solving sessions. This knowledge repository can help organizations build upon past experiences and avoid reinventing the wheel.
In conclusion, a well-executed problem-solving session involves identifying the problem, developing potential solutions through brainstorming, and implementing and evaluating the chosen solution. By following a systematic approach and involving diverse perspectives, organizations can effectively address customer concerns and drive continuous improvement.
Facilitating a Problem-Solving Session: Essential Techniques
Facilitating a problem-solving session requires specific techniques to ensure productive outcomes.
Setting the Stage for a Productive Session
The facilitator plays a critical role in setting the stage for a productive problem-solving session. This involves creating a conducive environment where participants feel comfortable expressing their ideas and concerns. Clearly defining the session’s objectives and establishing ground rules fosters open communication and sets the tone for collaborative problem-solving.
Encouraging Open Communication and Collaboration
Open communication and collaboration are essential for effective problem-solving. The facilitator should encourage active participation from all team members, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute their insights. Creating a non-judgmental atmosphere promotes free thinking, enabling teams to explore a wide range of ideas and perspectives.
Guiding the Team towards Effective Solutions
The facilitator’s role also includes guiding the team towards effective solutions. This involves keeping discussions focused and on track, ensuring that the team does not get sidetracked by unrelated issues. The facilitator should facilitate consensus-building, helping the team to align and make informed decisions. Effective problem-solving requires both critical thinking and collaboration.
Overcoming Common Challenges in Problem-Solving Sessions
While problem-solving sessions are beneficial, they can also present challenges that need to be overcome to achieve desired outcomes.
Dealing with Resistance and Conflict
Resistance and conflicts often arise during problem-solving sessions, hindering the progress. The facilitator should act as a mediator, promoting a respectful and inclusive environment. Encouraging active listening and empathy among team members helps to overcome resistance and conflicts, leading to a more productive session.
Ensuring Participation from All Team Members
Unequal participation from team members can prevent a problem-solving session from reaching its full potential. To ensure that all team members are engaged, the facilitator should explicitly ask for input from quieter team members and ensure that dominant team members do not monopolize the discussion. Establishing a safe space where everyone feels comfortable sharing their thoughts is crucial for fostering equal participation.
Maintaining Focus and Momentum throughout the Session
Problem-solving sessions can sometimes lose focus or momentum due to lengthy discussions or side conversations. The facilitator must keep the session on track by summarizing key points, redirecting discussions when necessary, and managing time effectively. Maintaining a sense of urgency and keeping teams motivated ensures that the session remains productive from start to finish.
In conclusion, conducting effective problem-solving sessions is vital for customer service excellence. By recognizing the importance of such sessions and implementing key elements and techniques, businesses can address customer concerns efficiently and improve overall business performance. Overcoming common challenges requires facilitators to create a supportive environment that fosters open communication, collaboration, and effective decision-making. By adopting these strategies, companies can enhance customer satisfaction, drive innovation, and achieve enduring success.
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How To Solve Customer Problems: Part 1 of 5
Product Coalition
Requirements are actually hypothesis and projects are really just experiments. David Bland, Testing Business Ideas
T he best product managers and product designers are detectives at heart. They are curious, creative and tirelessly pursue answers to some of the most complex questions.
Above all, product managers solve problems. Customer problems.
The problem solving process never ends. With the pace of change in the operating environment and corresponding shifts in customer needs, product managers need to keep their finger on the pulse to ensure their propositions remain relevant.
With limited time, information and high expectations to continually deliver business and customer value, there is pressure for product managers to readily identify solutions to problems. The good news is, as human beings we are pre-wired to solve problems! The bad news is, the penalty for acting on the first idea that pops into our heads can be catastrophic for a business if the idea is not desirable to customers, feasible to scale or commercially viable.
“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” Albert Einstein
How do you approach solving problems?
Do you follow your instincts? Or do you adopt a systematic approach?
How do you even begin to define a problem? An assumption? A hypothesis? What’s the difference? How do you test these?
Does your situation allow you to take the time to truly understand the problem or are you merely playing at the edges focused on the symptoms vs. the cause?
At times in my career, I’ve struggled with the questions above and have been no stranger to oscillating between following my gut and obsessing on a structured approach to problem solving.
In search of answers to these questions, I’ve walked away confused and frustrated by the inconsistent and conflicting information that I’ve come across related to this topic.
As a result of this frustration, I’ve decided to share with you what I hold to be true based on both practical experience and theory.
To help answer the questions above, I’ve written a 5 part series aimed at product managers (or for that matter, anyone) who seeks to know how they might go about defining and solving their customer problems. The series will cover the following five topics:
- Part 1: Solving problems
Part 2: The issue tree
Part 3: Identifying your riskiest assumptions
Part 4: Creating hypothesis
Part 5: Testing your hypothesis
I’ve structured the series around the following problem solving framework. I’ve written the series in a way that provides step-by-step instructions covering the full framework below.
In combination with this framework, I have adopted a range of tools that I’ve found to be comprehensive yet simple to use in helping to identify the core problem and pragmatic steps to identify effective solutions.
One of the primary tools that I’ll be referring to throughout this series is the issue tree. I’ve found this tool extremely useful, yet underutilized by the product community.
Getting started.
The first step of the problem definition process is to clearly outline the context of which your problem exists. The SCQ framework (situation, complication and question) is a helpful tool in setting boundaries for your problem solving effort. An example template of how you might capture the context of your problem solving effort is outlined below.
Define the problem statement — your first draft
Now that you have a clear view of the context and constraints, it’s time to take a punt at defining your problem statement. Based on what you think, feel and know, write out what you believe the problem to be. This is an opportunity to use your intuition, on two condition conditions:
- Don’t accept this problem statement at face value!
- Don’t accept anyone else’s definition of the problem.
I like to use the “How might we…when…” format in framing a problem statement.
The “How might we” portion of the problem statement outlines your desired state.
The “when” portion of the statement highlights the complication. For example:
How might we improve problem solving among product managers when the information available to them is conflicting and confusing?
Now that you have your first attempt at defining the problem, it’s time to reframe this statement based on further interrogation.
To help in reframing your draft problem statement, it is important to explore it from multiple angles. Here are some questions to get your started:
As part of your reframing, it’s important to also check whether there is a solution baked into the problem.
The solution comes later! At this stage we are merely after identifying the challenge we aim to overcome. So hold fire and continue with your best Sherlock homes to understand the underlying issues.
Look to prior events/situations
An additional lens in reframing your problem statement, is to consider any ‘relevant priors’. In Thomas Wedell-Wedellsborg’s book, What’s Your Problem? , he recommends to zoom out and consider what might you or someone else already know that will help to better understand the situation?
Some specific questions Thomas recommends in looking beyond your own expertise and consider:
- Who else deals with this kind of problem?
- Where is the problem not as bad?
- Where is it absent or has been solved?
I find that when I go through the process of reframing my initial problem statement it uncovers numerous other issues and questions that are critical to solving the core problem. The volume of questions and issues that arise as part of reframing your problem can quickly become cumbersome, so it helps to have a way to capture and structure these insights.
An extremely useful tool to capture this information in a systematic way is through the issue tree .
Grow a tree — Identify the underlying issues of your problem.
One of the best ways of mapping out your core problem statement and any underlying issues and questions is through an issue tree.
An issue tree is commonly used among the major consulting companies to solve business problems. I’ve not seen it used in the product management world, however, it’s an extremely versatile tool that can be applied to any problem solving scenario of which product management is no exception.
One of the benefits of using an issue tree is that it provides a highly visual way of mapping your problem statement and the underlying issues and questions. For those familiar with story mapping as a part of agile delivery, it is very similar in terms of breaking down the problem into the underlying components of the problem and solving these in bite-sized chunks vs. trying to solve the entire puzzle at once.
Here is what the structure of an issue tree looks like:
The issue tree is made up of three levels of enquiry:
- The core problem statement or question you aim to answer.
- Sub-issues — these are major issues that underlie the core problem.
- Questions that are related to the sub-issues.
To summarise what we’ve covered off so far.
- The first step of the problem definition process is to clearly outline the context in which your problem exists. Use the problem definition worksheet to help capture this.
- Create your first draft of the problem statement using the “How might we…when…” format. Don’t aim for perfection. Document whatever comes to mind given what you know about the problem upto this point.
- Reframe your draft problem statement through further enquiry making a conscious effort of stepping outside of your sphere of comfort and familiarity.
- Consolidate the information you have gathered into an issue based on your reframed problem statement and the associated sub-issues and related questions.
What’s next:
Now that you are familiar with the issue tree as a problem solving framework, in part 2 of this series, we’ll do a deeper dive into how you might define the underlying issues and questions within your issue tree.
To read further, check out the next article in this series:
Otherwise, you can jump ahead to the other articles in this series:
Written by mike
Practicing, leading and writing about all things digital product. Love the customer, love the problem, build great products.
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How to Improve Problem Solving Skills in Customer Service
Keeping customers happy pays off.
Happy customers buy more, generate positive word-of-mouth advertising, and create great referrals.
Unhappy customers complain, and they do it loudly. What’s worse, for every customer that complains, 26 stay quiet .
Delivering great customer service can be challenging, but why?
According to Jeff Toister of Toister Performance Solutions and author of three customer service books , there are five reasons why customer service is so hard:
- It’s not instinctive
- Our customers see what we don’t
- It’s sometimes hard to be friendly
- We aren’t good at multitasking
- Directed attention fatigue
So how do we overcome these challenges ?
Problem-solving.
“Every problem has a solution. You just have to be creative enough to find it.” Travis Kalanick
One of the main reasons our customers do business with us is because we solve a problem for them.
Depending on your product or service, your business can help customers:
- experience something new
- feel comfort
- become healthier
What problem does your business solve for your customers?
Problem -solving skills is vital to Customer Service
Solving a customers’ issue should be the goal of every one of your people.
But typically in the past, when an issue escalated to a certain point, help desk service or customer service reps (CSRs) were told to escalate these calls to a supervisor or manager.
More and more companies are asking customer service reps (CSRs) to handle these types of issues, not managers.
That’s a big change for many CSRs.
It’s also a task CSRs can get right with the proper problem -solving skills training . Failing is not an option for CSRs. It’s just too costly.
What is the impact of poor customer service?
Companies lost $75 billion in 2017 from customers switching to competitors because of bad service. That’s up $13 billion from 2016. With customers demands increasing each year, it doesn’t take much to disappoint customers with poor customer service. Obviously, CSRs need to be at the top of their games to keep customers happy.
This guide offers tips on how to help your people solve customer service problems quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively.
The guide covers the following topics:
- Critical thinking in customer service
- Rules to help customer service people think critically
- Basic customer service problem-solving scenario
- Concrete steps to solve a customer problem
Keeping customers happy can boost customer loyalty, corporate productivity , and business profitability—goals for every company out there.
“Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.” Uri Levine
Critical Thinking in Customer Service
Delivering epic customer service is essential these days. But that’s easier said than done, given today’s more demanding customers.
Identify critical thinkers
To manage demanding customers requires someone highly skilled in troubleshooting—someone with the creativity to solve difficult problems.
All while under the pressure of the customer.
So, look for customer service people that are creative problem solvers when hiring new workers. These people have a penchant for thinking outside the box to solve problems.
That includes not just the ability to think rationally , but also the need to question the information given. Put simply, critical thinking is never taking anything for granted.
Build critical thinking skills
Customer service people can develop critical thinking skills with practice. In a post by Ransom Patterson on CollegeInfoGeek.com reveals seven ways people can improve critical thinking skills:
- ask basic questions
- question basic assumptions
- be aware of your mental processes
- try reversing thing
- evaluate existing evidence
- think for yourself
- remember you are not perfect
Apply these tips encourages critical thinking.
Another critical thinking technique CSRs can use is constructive controversy. A proven problem-solving method, constructive controversy helps you decide if a decision we’re making is the right one for you. Here’s more on this technique .
Basic Customer Service Problem-Solving Scenario
Savvy businesses aren’t afraid to provide employees with customer service problem-solving training.
One aspect of this training is learning the four phases of a problem-solving situation and what to do during each phase. See below:
Listen to customers
Listening is the first step in solving customer’s problems. It’s also the most critical. But customer service people often need training to do it well.
If customer service reps don’t listen, they won’t know the nature of a customer’s problem and its impact on him or her.
Sometimes, all customers want is for CSRs to lend a sympathetic ear. Other times, they need more.
Also, CSRs need to let customers vent without interrupting them.
Acknowledge customer’s pain
During this phase, CSRs need to acknowledge they heard customers and “feel” their pain.
Paraphrasing the problem back to a customer says you’ve done that. It also makes sure everyone is on the same page. If CSRs don’t fully understand the issue, they may end up providing the wrong solutions. Saying something like “I’m sorry you had to call us to deal with this issue” also helps.
Offer alternative solutions
If the issue is merely an oversight on the customer’s part, no remedy is needed.
But if the situation is the company’s fault or a product or service fails, you may need to offer alternative solutions.
Resolution is critical.
In this case, the customer not only didn’t get what he or she wanted but also were inconvenienced. That’s a bad combination no matter how you look at it. Going above and beyond by resolving the issue and offering a free product or service, a special coupon, or a gift voucher goes a long way with customers.
Execute/Follow-up
After agreeing on a solution, CSRs need to execute. Then, you need to follow up. That ensures that customers end up happy with the resolution and are satisfied with the outcome. If they’re not, then customer service people need to find a way to satisfy them.
Understanding these phases of a successful issue resolution is crucial when dealing with unhappy customers. It’s the “secret sauce” to keep buyers happy.
Extra: Be prepared
In addition to this approach, you may want to have some prepared responses to seven stock questions customers ask. They’re questions that almost every company gets:
- Why don’t you have it in stock?
- Why didn’t you or your company tell its customers?
- Why did I pay less the last time I was here?
- Can I have a refund because of this problem?
- You did it last time I was here?
- You said the problem/product was fixed?
- You said you’d call me when the problem was fixed.
Providing stock responses to these questions not only helps customer care people follow company guidelines but also keeps customers happy.
How to Handle Customer Service Issues: 9 Steps
Problem-solving often seems straightforward, but that’s not always the case. Sometimes, it’s complicated. Having workers well-versed in problem-solving skills and techniques for customer care representatives helps. Approaching issues in a systematic way simplifies the problem-solving process.
Below is a 9-step process that can help CSRs resolve even the most complex customer service issues:
Identify the problem
The key to doing this is to ask the right questions. Below are some customer service problem-solving interview questions:
- What is this call really about?
- Is there an underlying issue causing the problem the customer isn’t aware of?
- What does the customer want us to do?
- Is the issue being made worse by a known problem or bug?
- Is this issue identifying a repeated customer service problem or is it a new issue?
These questions can help CSRs pinpoint the real problem. It’s not always what customers think. Acknowledging the customer’s pain, as we said above, also helps.
Find out what customers need
Try to understand how customers see the issues involved and try to get a solid understanding of his or her needs. If appropriate, ask customers what they’ve done to resolve the issue.
Find out how the issue impacts the customer
Understanding how an issue affects a customer is crucial. It helps CSRs not only connect with the customer but also prioritize tasks.
Clearly define the root of the problem
Having identified the problem in steps 1 to 3, you now need to understand what caused the problem. By identifying the cause of the problem, you will have a better idea of how to solve it. Also, you will know how to avoid a simialr problem in the future.
Produce possible solutions
Knowing the problem, your customer care person needs to start brainstorming solutions. They also need to find out what solutions other co-workers may have used to solve the problem. CSRs can then generate a list of potential solutions.
Evaluate each solution and pick the best
Evaluate all the solutions. Decide if you have the resources to implement it, how much the solution costs, how long it will take to execute it, will it resolve the issue, and if it follows company policy.
Plan the solution’s implementation
Some solutions are easy to execute. Others are harder. For harder solutions, think about who will execute the solution, what will it costs, when and where you will execute it, and how will it be implemented. Also, double check out the benefits of the solution.
Discuss the solution with customers
Having nailed down the solution’s details, discuss it with the customer. Walk through it with him or her step by step and ask for feedback. Be ready to adjust the plan. Execute the solution — After the customer approves the solution, it’s time to execute it. Follow up to certify the progress of the solution, that you’re meeting any deadlines and where you stand with the budget. Re-work your plan, if necessary.
Analyze the results
Having finished the implementation, analyze the results. Use quantitative and qualitative data, if available. Can you improve the solution? Also, ask the customer if the resolution met their expectations. That’s critical.
This ten-step process may seem a bit much for call center agents, technical support people, and customer care representatives to tackle. But using it works.
Having customer care people go through it step by step helps your CSRs quickly resolve customer issues the first time that customers call. Track resolution time to see how your CSRs are doing.
Resolving issues when customers contact your business keeps them happy.
Happy customers buy more, generate positive word-of-mouth advertising, and create outstanding online referrals. On average, a happy customer tells nine people about their experience with you.
Keeping customers happy is the secret to boosting customer loyalty, increasing profitability, and differentiating you from competitors. Doing those things can take your company to the next level.
Unicom Teleservices
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Framework for Problem-Solving: 5 Best Examples for Product Teams
What is a framework for problem-solving? And how can product managers use them to tackle the challenges they face?
If you are after the answers to these questions, we’ve got you covered! We also look at examples of different frameworks and the main steps in the problem-solving process.
Are you ready to dive in?
- A framework for problem-solving allows product teams to find the causes of the problems and generate solutions in an organized way.
- Root Cause Analysis enables problem solvers to get to the bottom of the problem and find the main reason why the problem occurs.
- Many companies like Google use the CIRCLES framework for problem-solving. The process consists of 7 steps and helps the product manager to take stock of the situation, identify user needs, prioritize them, and produce and assess solutions.
- The CIA created the Pheonix Checklist with a list of questions to help the problem solver dissect the issue and guide them through the process.
- Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) allows remote teams to come up with solutions quickly and within the constraints of the online working environment.
- The acronym DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Implement and Control. They are stages in Six Sigma, a popular quality improvement methodology.
- All the problem-solving frameworks share certain processes: identifying and understanding the problem or the needs of the customer, brainstorming solutions, choosing and implementing the solutions, and monitoring their effectiveness.
- Userpilot can help you to collect user feedback and track usage data to understand the problems your users are facing or set the baseline. Once you implement the solutions, you can use them to collect more data to evaluate their impact .
What is a problem-solving framework?
The problem-solving framework is a set of tools and techniques to identify the causes of the problem and find adequate solutions.
Problem-solving frameworks rely on both data analysis and heuristics.
What are heuristics?
We use them every day. In short, it’s mental shortcuts that allow us to apply what we already know in a new situation. They are particularly useful when detailed research is not practical. An educated guess or generalization may be good enough but the solutions won’t be perfect or cover all the eventualities.
Problem-solving framework example
Let’s look at some of the best-known problem-solving frameworks.
Root Cause Analysis
Managers usually use Root Cause Analysis to deal with problems that have already occurred. It consists of six main steps.
The process starts by defining the problem, followed by data collection .
Based on the data, the team generates a list of possible causes. Next, they can use techniques like 5 Why’s or the Fishbone diagram for more in-depth analysis to identify the actual problem – the root cause.
Once they know it, they can move on to recommend and implement relevant solutions.
CIRCLES method for problem-solving
The CIRCLES method is a problem-solving framework that was created by Lewis C. Lin, who is known for his best-selling book Decode and Conquer.
The framework is particularly suitable for product management. That’s because it allows managers to solve any kind of problem, no matter where it comes from. As a result, it’s a go-to framework for companies like Google.
CIRCLES stands for the 7 steps it takes to solve a problem:
- C omprehend the situation
- I dentify the Customer
- R eport the customer’s needs
- C ut, through prioritization
- L ist solutions
- E valuate tradeoffs
- S ummarize recommendation
Comprehend the situation
At this step, the team tries to understand the context of the problem.
The easiest way to do that is by asking Wh- questions, like ‘What is it?’, ‘Who is it for?’, ‘Why do they need it?’, ‘When is it available?’, ‘Where is it available?’ and ‘How does it work?’
Identify the customer
The who question is particularly important because you need to know who you are building the product for.
At this step, you focus on the user in more detail. You can do it by creating user personas and empathy maps which allow you to understand your users’ experiences, behaviors, and goals.
Report customer’s needs
Next, the focus shifts to specific user needs and requirements.
Teams often use user stories for this purpose. These look like this:
As a <type of user> , I want <output> so that <outcome>.
For example:
As a product manager, I want to be able to customize the dashboard so that I can easily track the performance of my KPIs.
Reporting user needs in this way forces you to look at the problem from a user perspective and express ideas in plain accessible language.
Cut through prioritization
Now that you have a list of use cases or user stories, it’s time to prioritize them.
This stage is very important as we never have enough resources to build all the possible features. As the Pareto rule states, users only use about 20 percent of the available functionality.
However, many teams fall into the build trap and create bloated products that have tons of features but are not particularly great at solving any of the customer problems.
There are a bunch of techniques that product managers or owners can use to prioritize the backlog items, like MoSCoW or Kano analysis.
List solutions
Now, that you have the most urgent user needs, it’s time to generate possible solutions.
There are different ways of solving each problem, so resist the temptation to jump at the first idea your team comes up with. Instead, try to brainstorm at least 3 solutions to a particular problem.
It’s extremely important to be non-judgemental at this stage and refrain from dismissing any ideas. Just list them all and don’t worry about evaluating their suitability. There will be time for it in the next stages.
Evaluate tradeoffs
At this step, you assess the pros and cons of each potential solution.
To aid the process, you may want to create a checklist with criteria like cost or ease of implementation, or riskiness.
Summarize your recommendation
The last step is to summarize the solutions and provide a recommendation, based on what you’ve found out by this stage.
Ideally, the customer should be involved at every stage of the process but if for some reason this hasn’t been the case this is the time to ask them for their opinion about the solutions you’ve chosen.
The Phoenix Checklist
The Phoenix Checklist is another solid framework.
It was developed by the CIA and it consists of sets of questions grouped into different categories.
Going through the checklist allows the agent… I mean the product manager to break down the problem and come up with the best solution.
Here are some of the questions:
- Why is it necessary to solve this particular problem?
- What benefits will you receive by solving it?
- What is the information you have?
- Is the information you have sufficient?
- What are the unknowns?
- Can you describe the problem in a chart?
- Where are the limits for the problem?
- Can you distinguish the different parts of the problem?
- What are the relationships between the different parts of the problem?
- Have you seen this problem before?
- Can you use solutions to similar problems to solve this problem?
Lightning Decision Jam – problem-solving framework for remote teams
Lightning Decision Jam (LDJ) is a very effective problem-solving framework for dispersed teams.
It consists of 9 steps that allow the team members to list and reframe the issues they face, choose the most pressing ones to address, generate, prioritize and select solutions, and turn them into actionable tasks.
Each of the steps is time-boxed so that the team moves through the process quickly and efficiently.
DMAIC – The Six Sigma’s Problem-Solving Method
Six Sigma was initially developed for the needs of the automotive industry in Japan to help it deal with high defect rates. It is now one of the best quality-improvement frameworks and it is used in different sectors.
There are 5 main stages of Six Sigma projects.
During the Definition stage, the team identifies the problem they would like to solve, prepares the project charter, brings the right people on board, and ensures there are adequate resources available.
One of the key tasks during this stage is capturing the Voice of the Customer . After all, the definition of good quality is very much dependent on the needs of the customers and what they are ready to pay for, so their input is essential.
During the Measure phase, the team describes the process and measures its current performance to establish the baseline.
At the Analyze stage, they use the data to identify the root causes and waste, or activities that don’t bring any value.
The Improve stage focuses on generating, evaluating, and optimizing solutions. This is also when the team tests the ideas. If they are successful, they plan how to implement them.
Finally, the project champion must ensure that people stick to the new ways of doing things. That’s what the Control phase is about. The team also uses this stage to assess the outcomes and benefits of the project.
Problem-solving process recurring steps
Now, that we have looked at a few of the most popular frameworks for solving problems, why don’t we look at the steps that they have in common?
Identify and understand the problem with user research
First, it’s necessary to identify and understand the problem.
To do that, your team should conduct solid user research and capture the Voice of the Customer (VoC) .
How to do that?
You can track user in-app behavior , run in-app surveys , conduct interviews and analyze user social media feedback and online reviews.
To get a complete picture, try to collect both quantitative and qualitative data.
Brainstorm solutions
There’s no problem-solving framework out there that wouldn’t include brainstorming of some sort. And there’s a good reason for that: it’s one of the most effective ways to generate a lot of different solutions in a short time.
To make the brainstorming sessions as effective as possible, make sure all your team members have a chance to contribute. Your software engineer may not be the most vocal team member but it doesn’t mean she has nothing to offer, and not recognizing it can be costly.
The Delphi method or silent brainstorming are good techniques that prevent groupthink and the less outspoken team members from being talked over.
No matter how ridiculous or outrageous some ideas may seem, don’t discard any unless they’re completely irrelevant. It’s not the time to evaluate ideas, just come up with as many of them as possible.
Decide on a solution and implement
Some of the solutions will be better than others, so it’s always necessary to assess them and choose the one solution that solves the problem better than others.
Even the best ideas are not worth much if you don’t manage to implement them, so pay attention to this stage.
Often big changes are necessary to solve difficult problems so you need to prepare your team or your customers. Take your time, and focus on explaining the rationale for change and the benefits that it brings.
Make sure to provide the right training to your staff and support your users with onboarding and product education to reduce friction once the new solution goes live.
Collect feedback and evaluate
Once you implement the solution, keep collecting feedback to assess its effectiveness.
Is it solving the problem? Does it help you achieve the objectives? If not, how can you modify it to improve its success? If yes, is there anything else that would provide even more value?
You can do this by actively asking your users for feedback, for example via a survey.
In addition to asking for feedback actively, give your users a chance to submit passive feedback whenever they feel like it.
In case of organizational changes, it’s important to monitor whether the new processes or tools are used in the first place, because as creatures of habit we tend to relapse to our old ways quite easily, often without realizing it.
There are a few useful frameworks for problem-solving. They can guide a product manager through the process of defining the problem, identifying causes, generating and implementing solutions, and assessing their impact.
If you’d like to learn how Userpilot can help you capture the voice of the customer, analyze the data to identify root causes, help design user-centered solutions and collect both active and passive feedback to test their effectiveness, book a demo !
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Recently, I came across a fascinating customer service story involving an American Express cardholder. It all began with a seemingly innocent mistake while making a payment involving a decimal point in the wrong spot, resulting in the customer inadvertently paying thousands of dollars instead of hundreds.
Determined to rectify the error and seek guidance, the customer promptly contacted American Express to report the issue. To his relief, a representative assured him that the mistake would have no adverse impact on his account and that all charges would be promptly refunded. Little did he know that this was just the prologue to a series of challenges.
A few days later, the customer was taken aback when he discovered that all his debit cards were unexpectedly suspended. Perplexed and concerned, he went over his account for any indications of suspicious activity or an account block, but to no avail. Thus, he decided to reach out to American Express once more to seek clarification.
To his utter surprise and dismay, the representative he connected with not only questioned why he had not halted the incorrect payment but also accused him of attempting fraud. The customer explained that a previous representative had not advised him to stop the payment and had, in fact, assured him that there would be no negative consequences resulting from his honest mistake.
The response?
That's what customer service does. They tell you what you want to hear.
This quite nasty customer service story inspired me to write about the real purpose of customer service. Which is not “telling customers what they want to hear” but helping customers and resolving their problems.
In this article, you’ll also learn some troubleshooting techniques to make your job easier.
Creating a Good Customer-Centric Culture
A customer-centric culture serves as the bedrock of exceptional problem-solving and sustainable business success. In a world where customers today wield unparalleled power and influence, placing them at the heart of your operations is not just a choice; it is a strategic imperative.
At all levels of the organisation, employees must wholeheartedly prioritise customer happiness, understanding that every interaction is an opportunity to leave a lasting impact. By cultivating such a culture, businesses create a positive and supportive environment that empowers employees to go above and beyond to delight customers.
Nurturing this culture demands a multifaceted approach. One potent strategy is to recognise and reward outstanding customer service efforts. By celebrating employees who embody the customer-centric ethos, businesses reinforce the value they place on exceptional experiences. This recognition motivates individuals to exceed customer expectations continually and sets a powerful example for others to follow.
Encouraging collaboration is another pivotal aspect of fostering a customer-centric culture. In today's interconnected business landscape, problems seldom fit neatly within departmental silos. Emphasising collaboration cultivates a shared sense of responsibility for customer success and enables employees to pool their expertise, collectively devising innovative solutions that surpass individual capabilities. The result is a seamless and consistent experience for customers, who benefit from the collective effort of a united organisation.
To equip employees for the challenges of modern customer service, businesses must invest in skills training. Outstanding problem-solving skills do not materialise by chance; they are honed through intentional development. Equipping employees with the necessary tools and knowledge to navigate diverse customer interactions positions them to respond adeptly and confidently, even in the face of dissatisfied customers.
Customer Service Problem-Solving
Speaking of dissatisfied customers, they hold the key to unlocking greater customer retention. Rather than viewing poor experiences as a liability, businesses must embrace them as opportunities for growth. Each negative interaction presents a chance to introspect, identify pain points, and make tangible improvements. By actively seeking feedback from dissatisfied customers, businesses demonstrate their commitment to listening and learning, earning trust and loyalty in the process.
A customer-centric culture is more than a mere buzzword; it drives superior customer experiences and enhanced customer retention. By prioritising customer satisfaction at every touchpoint, celebrating exceptional service, fostering collaboration, investing in skills training, and actively engaging with dissatisfied customers, businesses can forge a path to sustained success and unmatched customer loyalty. Embrace the customer-centric ethos, and you will unlock the true potential of your organisation in a customer-centric world.
Strategies for Effective Customer Service Problem-Solving
Timely response and resolution are essential components of successful troubleshooting. Customers appreciate swift action, showing that their concerns are taken seriously. Personalisation also plays a significant role, as customers feel valued when their issues are treated individually rather than generically.
Navigating challenging situations with irate customers requires patience and tact. Service reps need to stay calm, acknowledge the customer's feelings, and work towards finding a resolution.
4 Steps for Better Customer Service Problem Solving
As a customer service agent, providing satisfying solutions is essential. Let's explore the path to achieve this.
1. Understanding the Customer's Point of View
Imagine yourself in the customer's shoes. They reach out to you with what seems like an impossible request. For instance, they received a notice that their phone line would be cut due to non-payment, yet they requested credits on their invoices due to financial constraints. Initially, you might question their request, but remember, you're not just an ordinary person; you're a Support Hero tasked with saving the customer's day. Negative thinking won't lead to solutions.
At this stage, it's hard to distinguish if the customer is genuine or potentially fraudulent. However, instead of passing judgment, assume the customer needs assistance and act accordingly. Engage in active listening to comprehend the problem thoroughly and find a way to help.
Exceptional problem-solving hinges on understanding customer needs and concerns. Active listening enables service representatives to connect with customers on a deeper level and empathise effectively. By listening attentively, you can pinpoint the root cause of the problem and tailor solutions to meet their specific needs.
Remember these keywords throughout your journey: fully understand the problem, solve the customer's problem, find a workable solution, and ensure the customer is happy with the resolution.
2. Identifying a Problem
Ensuring that customers are happy with the solutions provided is crucial in customer service. Sometimes, customers simply struggle to articulate their issues, and that's entirely normal. They may not be familiar with your processes or jargon; all they know is that their expectations regarding your product or service have been disappointing.
As a Support Hero, it's your responsibility to restore their faith in your company, but to do that, you must first pinpoint the problem.
To troubleshoot effectively, here are a few questions that can guide you. Sometimes, by asking these simple questions, you can quickly identify an outage or a faulty batch of products sent out by a manufacturer!
Can you describe the problem you're facing precisely? When did this problem start? Has this issue occurred before?
Next, consider the following:
Are all users affected, or is it isolated to just one customer? Has anyone else faced a similar problem in the past?
Once the customer responds, summarise their answers back to them. This gesture demonstrates that you genuinely comprehend their concerns and helps you verify the facts.
If you're unfamiliar with the problem or unsure how to proceed, offer a brief apology and inform the customer that you need to discuss their case with a colleague or supervisor. Maintain a self-assured tone, and don't hesitate to ask the customer to hold on for a moment.
Remember, customers value accuracy even if it takes a bit more time to sort out the issue.
Instead of abruptly transferring a customer to another department, try saying:
"We're committed to resolving this for you. Let me transfer you to a specialist best equipped to address your question."
Customers appreciate the effort you put into understanding their journey and resolving their issues promptly. Poor customer service can lead to bad customer experiences, but by actively listening to their concerns, you can turn their dissatisfaction into a happy customer.
Always focus on solving the problem, no matter how common or complex. As a customer service representative, your role is to provide exceptional support and ensure that customers are satisfied with the resolution.
So, embrace every customer service issue as an opportunity to solve the problem and deliver exceptional customer support. Your dedication and responsiveness will create a positive experience, turning unhappy customers into satisfied ones.
Remember, the help desk is where customer issues are met with efficiency and care. The key to a successful customer service journey lies in how you handle problems and fix them effectively.
3. Find a Solution
Utilise your analytical thinking to devise a solution that best suits your customer's needs. Here are some key questions to help you plan an effective resolution:
Is there enough staff to carry it out?
Who will be involved in implementing the solution?
What is the expected time frame for the solution?
What resources are needed to make it happen?
Who should be informed about the planned solution?
How will the customer be notified about the solution?
Even if you're faced with a case that goes against your company's policy, there is always room for creative suggestions. Take, for example, a customer seeking a refund, which may not align with your policy.
However, consider these alternative solutions:
Inform the customer that you cannot credit the bill, but offer to split the payment into smaller instalments to accommodate their financial situation.
Postpone the account suspension temporarily, allowing the client to continue using the service.
Analyse the customer's account and propose a switch to a more budget-friendly price plan.
Your creativity can turn an unreasonable request into three viable solutions!
But what if you're not the one who can solve the problem?
In such cases, you may need to open a ticket to escalate the issue appropriately. To ensure the ticket doesn't get lost, assign it to yourself and monitor its progress. If the problem remains unresolved after 24 hours, consider contacting the customer to provide an update on your ongoing efforts.
Occasionally, there are situations where the problem cannot be fully sorted. For instance, your company may have stopped selling a particular product, or you may not have a gluten-free option on your menu. However, that doesn't mean you can't offer a helpful solution. If you don't have what the customer needs, guide them to the right source. Let them know where they can find the desired product or suggest alternatives.
Going the extra mile can create customer happiness, even if the solution deviates from their initial expectations.
Here's an example from our experience: My colleague, Justyna, recently chatted with a customer disappointed that our application lacked an in-built screen-sharing and screenshot-making tool. With a composed demeanour, I informed Aline that while LiveChat lacked those features, she could set up an integration for screen-sharing sessions and use a free screenshot tool like Jing. It did the trick! Aline was delighted with the solution, and my mission was accomplished.
Throughout the resolution process, ensure that the customer is at the centre of your focus. Handle customer service issues with attentiveness and empathy, as a positive customer service experience can be transformative. Use a series of questions to fully understand the problem, allowing you to implement the right solution and untangle customer queries effectively.
4. Fix the Problem and Follow Up on the Solution
Finally! The customer has agreed on a solution. You've offered a brief apology for the problem, and now you can fix it and close the case, right?
Unfortunately, it's not always that straightforward.
Sometimes, the solution provided may not address the root cause of the problem. For example, let's say a customer had an issue with the application, and you suggested restarting the device. While this might settle the problem, it's more likely that the customer will return with the same issue, possibly even upset that the initial solution didn't work as expected.
I understand that working in customer service leaves little time for breaks, and now I'm asking you to follow up on your customer's problems. But there are significant benefits to spending a little extra time reaching out to these customers.
Doing so demonstrates genuine care and creates an exceptional customer experience. You ensure that you won't receive calls or chats from furious customers later. You can verify whether your solution worked, giving you confidence for future interactions.
If you find it challenging to make calls or send emails to follow up, don't worry. There are alternative approaches you can take. Some apps allow you to send automatic emails once a ticket is resolved (e.g., LiveChat). You can test and try this feature to save time.
Alternatively, your team can use an automatic survey to gauge customer satisfaction and determine whether the problem was adequately resolved. Platforms like SurveyMonkey and Typeform can be useful in this regard. Alternatively, you can send a simple template asking two questions:
Did we help you solve your problem?
On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your overall experience?
Customers will undoubtedly appreciate these efforts!
In customer service, increasing customer success is vital. To achieve this, it's essential to understand the issue at hand fully. When a customer allows you to delve into their concerns, you can identify the right product or service to address their needs effectively.
Remember, customers are likely to encounter complex problems, and they depend on you for assistance. Utilise customer service problem-solving techniques to handle their issues competently and ensure they are satisfied with the outcome.
Empowering a Customer Service Representative
To excel in issue resolution, customer service reps must have the right skills and authority. Regular training and development programs ensure that representatives are well-prepared to handle various situations effectively.
Additionally, empowering representatives to take ownership of customer issues instils a sense of responsibility, leading to more proactive and efficient resolutions.
Solve Customer Service Problems With Technology
Technology plays a vital role in modern customer service troubleshooting. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems help consolidate customer data, making it easier for representatives to access relevant information quickly.
AI-powered chatbots can provide instant support, resolving common queries and freeing up human representatives to handle more complex issues. Data analytics tools allow companies to gain insights into customer behaviour and preferences, enabling them to tailor their services accordingly.
Measuring and Monitoring Customer Service Success
To continuously improve the way problems are solved, companies need to track and measure their customer service performance. Key performance indicators (KPIs), such as response time, resolution rate, and satisfaction scores, provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of customer service efforts.
By monitoring these metrics, businesses can identify areas that require attention and implement targeted improvements.
Great Customer Service Requires Resolve
Curious about how the story of the American Express customer ended? Well, after cancelling the payment, he reached out to customer service again, giving the company one last chance. However, he connected with a different representative this time—a night-and-day contrast from the previous encounter.
Unlike before, this representative was willing to listen. She grasped the situation immediately, empathising with the customer's plight. After reviewing his account and consulting with her supervisor, she astonishingly informed him that his card would be reactivated. The customer was both shocked and elated with this positive outcome.
It's remarkable how two representatives working for the same company in the same customer service team can provide vastly different experiences—one great and the other terrible.
The root cause of the poor experience is challenging to pinpoint. Perhaps the first representative was not suited for customer service, or management failed to train and motivate them adequately. Regardless, the bottom line was that the customer sought help but did not receive it.
Often, solving a customer-service problem involves navigating between company policies and customer interests, as was evident in this case. The first representative struggled to handle such a situation, whereas the second possessed the necessary skills to address the issue effectively.
Problem-Solving is not just an Ability -- It's a Mindset
As we explored in my previous post on problem-solving skills , the golden rule of customer service is to create a fantastic customer experience even when the problem may not directly concern your product. Offering a possible solution exemplifies the essence of customer service—solving problems, not merely telling customers what they want to hear.
The key to success lies in persistence, utilising the advice shared here, and maintaining a positive outlook. Armed with these qualities, there will be no problem you cannot conquer.
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Understanding the Design Process to Solve Customer Problems
When we think about “design,” we often visualize the end product—the sleek smartphone, the stylish car, or the user-friendly website. However, the design process is much more than just the act of creating visually appealing items. It’s a systematic approach to problem-solving, one that is essential for solving customer problems effectively.
The creative activity of “designing” itself—is the part where we make things look great and function smoothly. But it is only one part of a much larger design process that is a structured journey that takes us from identifying a problem to developing a solution.
The Critical Role of Design in Addressing Customer Needs
At its core, design is the identification of a customer’s need and then working backward to create a solution that addresses it. It’s the vehicle that transforms problems into innovative, user-friendly, and effective products or services. The design process is a structured, methodical way to ensure that we consistently arrive at well-thought-out solutions. It prevents haphazard decision-making and fosters a user-centric approach.
What is the Design Process?
The design process is a comprehensive framework used by designers to create innovative solutions to various problems. It involves a sequence of steps, each playing a vital role in guiding the design journey. It’s a roadmap that helps us navigate a problem that is highly functional and aligned with user needs.
Design is Continuous
The dynamic ecosystem of design is one where feedback and insights from one stage feed into the next. It’s a cyclical process where you may need to revisit previous stages as you gather more information and insights.
The 7 Steps of the Design Process
The design process involves a series of interconnected steps that guide the designer from problem identification to the delivery of a user-focused solution. These seven steps provide a structured framework that ensures a systematic approach to design:
Step 1: Problem Identification and Definition
In this initial phase, the objective is to precisely define the problem that the design aims to solve. It’s all about understanding the issue, its context, and its impact.
To define the problem, start by conducting thorough research. This involves gathering information, analyzing data, and talking to stakeholders. At this stage, it can be very helpful to use visual frameworks like mind maps to visualize the complexity of the issue and create a visual representation of the problem space.
- Clearly articulate the problem statement.
- Understand the context in which the problem exists.
- Identify key stakeholders and their perspectives on the problem.
- Document any existing solutions or attempts to solve the problem.
Step 2: User Research and Empathy
With the problem identified, the next step is to delve into user research to gain a deep understanding of the people you’re designing for.
User research involves activities like surveys, interviews, and observation. It’s crucial to understand the needs, behaviors, and pain points of your target audience. User personas, empathy maps, and user journey maps to visualize and document user insights. These insights can then be used to shape the product, design, and user experience. Additionally, they can also help identify potential opportunities for improvement and areas where the user might need additional support.
- Define your target user groups.
- Conduct research through interviews, surveys, and observations.
- Develop user personas to represent typical users.
- Create empathy maps to understand users' thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Step 3: Ideation and Brainstorming
After understanding the problem and your users, it’s time to generate creative solutions.
Ideation involves brainstorming sessions where you and your team generate a wide range of ideas to address the problem. It’s essential to encourage free thinking and creativity during this stage. Techniques like mind mapping, brainstorming sessions, and worst possible idea sessions can help generate a wealth of possibilities.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Encourage a judgment-free environment to foster creativity.
- Capture all ideas, no matter how wild or unconventional.
- Ensure that team members have diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
- Allow time for individual ideation before group brainstorming.
Step 4: Concept Development and Prototyping
Ideas generated in the previous step need to be shaped into tangible concepts that can be tested. Select the most promising ideas and develop them into concrete concepts. Creating prototypes is a common practice at this stage. Prototypes are simplified representations of the final product or feature. They can be in the form of wireframes, storyboards, or mockups. Prototyping helps to visually represent ideas and gather feedback.
- Focus on the most feasible and impactful concepts.
- Create prototypes that are quick and inexpensive.
- Be open to iterative changes in response to feedback.
- Ensure the prototype represents the user experience.
Step 5: User Testing and Feedback
With the initial design concepts in hand, it’s time to test these with real users and gather feedback. Engage users in testing sessions where they interact with the prototype or concept. Observe their behavior, ask for their input, and collect feedback. Usability testing, A/B testing, and feedback loops are mechanisms that help capture valuable user insights.
- Select a diverse group of users who represent your target audience.
- Establish clear testing goals and tasks for users.
- Be open to criticism and feedback to improve the design.
- Record observations and gather user feedback systematically.
Step 6: Iteration and Refinement
Feedback from users is invaluable in the design process. In this step, you take the feedback and make necessary adjustments. Review the feedback collected during user testing and use it to refine the design. Iterative design is about making incremental improvements based on user input. Design journals are a way to visually document changes and insights during the iterative design process.
- Prioritize changes based on the significance of user feedback.
- Maintain a record of design changes and their reasons.
- Test the refined design with users to verify improvements.
- Continuously refine the design based on user input.
Step 7: Implementation and Launch
After numerous cycles of feedback and refinement, the design is finally executed, prepared for launch, and delivered to customers. The implementation phase involves translating the design into a final product or service. This requires close collaboration with developers, engineers, or relevant teams. Creating product roadmaps and launch plans can be an effective way to visually communicate goals and milestones for the implementation and launch phase.
- Collaborate closely with development and engineering teams.
- Ensure that the final product aligns with the design vision.
- Communicate the launch plan and milestones clearly.
- Monitor user feedback post-launch for further improvements.
In practice, the design process is not always strictly linear. It often involves moving back and forth between these steps to refine the solution further. An agile approach to design allows for flexibility and adaptation based on real-world feedback and evolving project requirements.
The Importance of User-Focused Thinking Throughout the Process
User-centered design places the user’s needs and experiences at the core of the design process. Every decision made aligns with delivering value to the user. This human-centric approach ensures that designs resonate with real people and provide solutions to their specific problems.
This approach significantly reduces the risk of designing products that miss the mark and leads to enhanced user satisfaction, improved usability, increased engagement, efficient problem-solving, and a superior competitive advantage.
Tips for Enhancing the Effectiveness of the Design Process
1. Foster a Culture of Collaboration: Encourage collaboration and openness within your design team to ensure the free flow of ideas and feedback. This promotes a diverse perspective and enhances the quality of design solutions. 2. Incorporate Regular User Testing: Incorporate regular user testing throughout the design process to catch and address issues early. Early testing allows you to validate your design concepts with real users and make necessary adjustments promptly. 3. Document Design Decisions and Insights: Document design decisions and insights in a clear and organized manner. This documentation helps in knowledge sharing, making informed decisions, and facilitating continuous improvement. 4. Stay Informed About Design Tools and Technologies: Stay knowledgeable about the latest design tools and technologies. The design field is dynamic, and adopting new tools and methods can streamline your design process and make you more efficient. 5. Seek Feedback Continuously: Continuously seek feedback from colleagues and clients to ensure your design process remains effective and adaptable. Constructive criticism and suggestions from others can lead to valuable improvements.
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Chiraag George is a communication specialist here at Creately. He is a marketing junkie that is fascinated by how brands occupy consumer mind space. A lover of all things tech, he writes a lot about the intersection of technology, branding and culture at large.
Step-By-Step Guide: How to Handle Customer Complaints
Many customers will continue doing business with you after they've been dissatisfied and complained.
In fact, according to the service recovery paradox , a complaint is an opportunity that can actually result in the customer having a more positive view of your business after a complaint is resolved than before they ever had a problem.
Being able to assess and address customer complaints efficiently is key to making this happen.
How to Talk to Customers: 47 Expert Tips
Great communication is an art. Honing it to a keen edge is a science. These tips will help you improve how you and your team talk to customers — starting today!
What are customer complaints, really?
Customer complaints are often a sign that there's a disconnect between what customers expected and what you delivered. Sometimes that disconnect is caused by a customer's unreasonable expectations or incorrect assumptions. Other times, it's caused by something your company is doing wrong.
A customer complaint might be the result of your marketing copy leading them to believe something incorrect about your product/service — or of your user experience setting customers up for failure. Or it could reflect a problem that's happening outside of your direct control (e.g., third-party shipping issues).
The only way to find out is to give credence to customer complaints to determine if they contain genuinely useful feedback.
A 5-step process for handling customer complaints
To uncover the reason you received a complaint from a customer and solve the problem in order to retain that customer, use this five-step process for handling customer complaints.
Step 1: Dig deeper by asking the right questions
Complaints — even angry ones — can contain insights, and it’s your job to seek out the point of friction. Socratic questioning can help you get to the source of the issue.
Ask your customer questions like:
What do you mean by...?
Could you provide an example?
Could you expand on that point further?
And ask yourself questions like:
What other information do I need?
What am I assuming here?
Why is this complaint important?
Often, complaints are the result of problems that need to be solved. Asking the right questions helps you get to the root of the complaint, figure out if there's a way to resolve the issue, and determine if the complaint contains genuinely useful feedback.
If you determine that you aren't the right person to help with the customer's complaint and need to transfer them to someone who can , make sure to explain why. This can be as simple as saying, "I’m going to set you up with our specialist who will get that squared away for you right away."
Step 2: Identify the type of customer you're dealing with
A study from the University of Florida found that when dealing with customer complaints, you may run into one of the following types of customers, each "motivated by different beliefs, attitudes, and needs":
Customers who aren't shy about letting you know they're upset. When responding, avoid mirroring their confrontational behavior; instead, react with firm politeness.
Customers who pay well and demand premium support for it. When responding, avoid excuses and just get to the solution. Consider creating a VIP folder and workflow to make it easy to identify and respond to their complaints.
Customers who contact you frequently. Stay patient and avoid coming across as frustrated when responding to these customers. When satisfied, they often become repeat customers and advocates for your company.
Customers who don't want to complain and may just take their business elsewhere without ever letting you know there was a problem. You'll have to actively reach out to these customers to solicit and resolve their complaints; otherwise, you may never hear their feedback.
These are broad descriptions and, of course, your customers will present a more complex mixture of motivations and behaviors, but being aware of different persona types can help you respond most appropriately to the real person you are assisting.
Step 3: Respond to the customer quickly
When it comes to unhappy customers, a speedy response goes from being a nice-to-have to a necessity. Complaints are best resolved as soon as possible.
A customer leaving a feature request won’t mind at all if it takes you a day to respond, but customers who are in a “pulling my hair out” situation want a resolution yesterday. Make responding to them a priority.
It can be useful to set up a folder that's separate from the main support queue where you can filter less-than-ecstatic messages. Here, the team can see immediately which emails are from customers who need help right away.
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Step 4: Present a solution, and verify that the problem is solved
After you've identified the root cause of the customer's complaint, found a solution, and sent that solution to the customer, it's important to verify that the solution you proposed actually solved the problem. There are a couple of ways to do this:
If you can't verify that the solution is working, add this line to the end of your communication: "Please let me know if there's anything else I can do for you. I'm happy to help!"
Verify that the solution is working, then reply with: "I've tested this myself and it all appears to be working as expected, which you can see here: (include screenshot). But please let me know if you're still running into issues."
In some cases, it may even be worth reaching back out to the customer after a few days have passed to make sure that everything is resolved.
You may also want to consider monitoring any satisfaction ratings you receive on the conversation in your customer service software . Negative feedback may be a sign that there are still issues that need to be addressed (though there will be times that you've done everything you can do and the customer will still leave upset).
Step 5: Log the complaint so you can track trends
If you've gotten one complaint from one customer about one specific issue over the last 10 years, that issue might not be worth addressing. But if you're getting multiple messages from multiple customers who all shared the same complaint, that's the beginning of a narrative.
To identify high-volume complaints, you'll need a system for tracking them. At Help Scout , we use the Help Scout + Jira integration to track customer complaints so we can capture them, monitor how often we're hearing recurring concerns, and follow up with each customer directly when the issue has been resolved.
Whatever system you use, the key is to make it easy to capture meaningful complaints and track the volume of customers who are bringing up similar or identical issues.
How to handle negativity as a support professional
Handling customer complaints is just par for the course for support professionals, but that doesn't mean it won't take a toll on you emotionally from time to time.
So in addition to providing you with a process for handling customer complaints, we wanted to share these tips from Jeremey DuVall , Support Engineer at WordPress VIP, on how to keep yourself from feeling down on days when there's lots of negativity in the queue.
Rehearse objections ahead of time
By rehearsing potential objections ahead of time, you can prepare before real-life negative interactions occur. Before launching a new product or feature, think about things that might attract polarizing opinions. This has three purposes:
Tackle negativity — First, tackle negativity to force everyone to confront the fact that some customers might not like the change you're making. Addressing that ahead of time prevents anyone from looking at the situation with rose-colored glasses.
Discuss rationale — Second, discuss the rationale for the change. If the decision to make a change was well-thought-out and backed by data, you can move forward knowing you made the right decision, even if it ruffles some customers' feathers.
Rehearse answers — Lastly, rehearse your answers and get everyone on the same page. It’s not about creating support robots who copy and paste the same replies to customers; it’s about creating a consistent support experience for customers.
Balance negativity
In To Sell Is Human , Daniel H. Pink discusses how door-to-door salespeople experience “no” a heck of a lot. How do you keep your head up amongst that level of negativity?
Pink points to research on positivity ratios — the number of positive interactions to negative ones. If the ratio is high (say, 10:1), you’ll think nothing can go wrong (not necessarily realistic). A ratio of 1:1 is too pessimistic; the glass is half empty. A ratio of 3:1 is just about right.
While we don’t need to focus too specifically on the exact ratio, we do need to have tools in place to boost positivity when we feel ourselves slipping down the negativity slope. Here are some ideas:
Happy file: Create a happy file just for yourself. In that file, keep amazing interactions you've had with customers and conversations that always put a smile on your face. When you feel down during the day, looking through the file is a quick way to pick yourself back up.
Team kudos: At the end of every month, have one person read through all the awesome comments from customers and pick out the best one for each person. If you forget about how awesome your teammates are, this is an easy, quick reminder.
Happiness #hugs: Aggregate awesome comments from your customers and post them to a company-wide feed with the hashtag #hugs. When you’re having a bad day, it’s easy to view the tag feed and get a huge boost.
Master explanatory style
We can explain negative interactions after the fact in a couple of ways. The feedback is either "permanent, pervasive, and personal," or "temporary, specific, and external."
When you view a negative interaction as permanent (not going away), pervasive (everyone feels this way), and personal (there’s a part of me that plays into this), you feel like you have little control over your environment. Things are happening to you.
The alternative to “permanent, pervasive, and personal” is “temporary, specific, and external.” In this light, negative interactions become more manageable and actionable.
First, negative interactions probably aren’t the norm (if they are, you’re doing something wrong). Second, negative feedback is usually specific to a certain product or thing. Finally, it’s external. It’s generally not about you or anything you are doing.
How do you put this into practice? Conduct personal reviews of negative feedback every so often to do the following:
Look for areas where you could have improved in the interaction (details you missed, ways you could have improved the service, etc.).
Practice self-talk so these interactions don’t feel personal. This practice prepares you to stomach any waves of negativity you might run into when navigating the queue.
How to handle customer complaints the right way
Some people aren’t going to like what you build. That’s the cost of shipping things out into the world. If your product is great enough, there’s a good chance you’ll hear polarized opinions about it.
But by preparing ahead of time, maintaining appropriate positivity ratios, and framing feedback as temporary, specific, and external, you can arm yourself with ways to handle the negativity so you can address customer complaints efficiently and use them to create loyal customers.
Like what you see? Share with a friend.
Gregory ciotti.
Greg is a writer, marketing strategist and alum of Help Scout. Connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn .
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The Problem-Solving Process
Looking at the basic problem-solving process to help keep you on the right track.
By the Mind Tools Content Team
Problem-solving is an important part of planning and decision-making. The process has much in common with the decision-making process, and in the case of complex decisions, can form part of the process itself.
We face and solve problems every day, in a variety of guises and of differing complexity. Some, such as the resolution of a serious complaint, require a significant amount of time, thought and investigation. Others, such as a printer running out of paper, are so quickly resolved they barely register as a problem at all.
Despite the everyday occurrence of problems, many people lack confidence when it comes to solving them, and as a result may chose to stay with the status quo rather than tackle the issue. Broken down into steps, however, the problem-solving process is very simple. While there are many tools and techniques available to help us solve problems, the outline process remains the same.
The main stages of problem-solving are outlined below, though not all are required for every problem that needs to be solved.
1. Define the Problem
Clarify the problem before trying to solve it. A common mistake with problem-solving is to react to what the problem appears to be, rather than what it actually is. Write down a simple statement of the problem, and then underline the key words. Be certain there are no hidden assumptions in the key words you have underlined. One way of doing this is to use a synonym to replace the key words. For example, ‘We need to encourage higher productivity ’ might become ‘We need to promote superior output ’ which has a different meaning.
2. Analyze the Problem
Ask yourself, and others, the following questions.
- Where is the problem occurring?
- When is it occurring?
- Why is it happening?
Be careful not to jump to ‘who is causing the problem?’. When stressed and faced with a problem it is all too easy to assign blame. This, however, can cause negative feeling and does not help to solve the problem. As an example, if an employee is underperforming, the root of the problem might lie in a number of areas, such as lack of training, workplace bullying or management style. To assign immediate blame to the employee would not therefore resolve the underlying issue.
Once the answers to the where, when and why have been determined, the following questions should also be asked:
- Where can further information be found?
- Is this information correct, up-to-date and unbiased?
- What does this information mean in terms of the available options?
3. Generate Potential Solutions
When generating potential solutions it can be a good idea to have a mixture of ‘right brain’ and ‘left brain’ thinkers. In other words, some people who think laterally and some who think logically. This provides a balance in terms of generating the widest possible variety of solutions while also being realistic about what can be achieved. There are many tools and techniques which can help produce solutions, including thinking about the problem from a number of different perspectives, and brainstorming, where a team or individual write as many possibilities as they can think of to encourage lateral thinking and generate a broad range of potential solutions.
4. Select Best Solution
When selecting the best solution, consider:
- Is this a long-term solution, or a ‘quick fix’?
- Is the solution achievable in terms of available resources and time?
- Are there any risks associated with the chosen solution?
- Could the solution, in itself, lead to other problems?
This stage in particular demonstrates why problem-solving and decision-making are so closely related.
5. Take Action
In order to implement the chosen solution effectively, consider the following:
- What will the situation look like when the problem is resolved?
- What needs to be done to implement the solution? Are there systems or processes that need to be adjusted?
- What will be the success indicators?
- What are the timescales for the implementation? Does the scale of the problem/implementation require a project plan?
- Who is responsible?
Once the answers to all the above questions are written down, they can form the basis of an action plan.
6. Monitor and Review
One of the most important factors in successful problem-solving is continual observation and feedback. Use the success indicators in the action plan to monitor progress on a regular basis. Is everything as expected? Is everything on schedule? Keep an eye on priorities and timelines to prevent them from slipping.
If the indicators are not being met, or if timescales are slipping, consider what can be done. Was the plan realistic? If so, are sufficient resources being made available? Are these resources targeting the correct part of the plan? Or does the plan need to be amended? Regular review and discussion of the action plan is important so small adjustments can be made on a regular basis to help keep everything on track.
Once all the indicators have been met and the problem has been resolved, consider what steps can now be taken to prevent this type of problem recurring? It may be that the chosen solution already prevents a recurrence, however if an interim or partial solution has been chosen it is important not to lose momentum.
Problems, by their very nature, will not always fit neatly into a structured problem-solving process. This process, therefore, is designed as a framework which can be adapted to individual needs and nature.
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6 Customer Service Recovery Strategies to Add to your Toolbox [+ Examples]
Published: July 28, 2021
Let's face it. All businesses run into problems with their service at some point, which can result in angry or upset customers. It's up to you to turn every situation around and earn back these customers who are at risk of churning.
In a perfect world, customer support reps would always know exactly what to say and do for customers – but that's not the reality. Issues are unavoidable in any business. The system goes down and eats the customer's data. A storm prevents you from delivering the customer's new TV on time. The waiter brings out the wrong order for the customer.
All of these situations require your business to right a wrong that has been done to the customer and turn a bad situation into a positive one.
In this post, we'll learn about customer service recovery strategies that you can add to your toolbox.
What is service recovery?
Service recovery refers to the ability of a company to solve a dissatisfied customer's problem through good customer service. Service recovery doesn't occur naturally in the business – you have to design systems that enable your service reps to deliver the best possible resolution for your customers.
You can think about service recovery as a positive approach to complaint handling. Complaint handling is negative, involves placating angry customers and minimizing a bad situation. Service recovery unlocks the value in a customer and is part of fostering an ongoing relationship with them.
Have you heard about the service recovery paradox?
The service recovery paradox is a common phenomenon in business that can result in increased customer loyalty to your brand.
Consider this graph. This shows that customers who have experienced service failure and a successful recovery are more loyal over time than those who haven't experienced a service failure.
Listen closely to the customer's problem and tailor your apology to their unique circumstances. This is no time for a boilerplate message that obviously feels copy and pasted.
The customer wants to feel like you are taking their side and listening closely to what they are saying. They want to feel like they are your top priority and that their problem is being taken seriously.
2. Take ownership of the problem.
You need to empower your employees to take ownership of the problem and take steps to correct it. No customer wants to feel passed around to different team members or feel like your service rep is blaming the situation on someone else.
Allow your employees to take control and use their time and effort to solve customer problems. Enable them to use the company's resources to help customers recover from service breakdowns instead of passing the buck to a senior manager.
Structure your support team so reps are empowered to solve problems quickly and efficiently, without having to ask permission from managers. Ensure the service they provide is speedy and efficient.
3. Get to the root of the issue.
You've apologized to the customer and taken ownership of the problem. Now is the time to ask follow-up questions and do some digging to get to the root of the issue and find out if you can fix the problem.
When working on service recovery, it's important to do as much of the investigative work as you can, rather than relying on the customer to tell you what happened or troubleshoot with you. Frustrated customers don't want to answer additional questions and they don't want to repeat themselves. Instead, read through past conversations, walk through the customer's experience and figure out as much as you can yourself.
Only when you feel like you have the full context of the issue should you return to the customer to ask any additional questions. Because you've already offered them an apology and aligned yourself as an advocate, they'll be much more amenable to working with you on a solution.
4. Solve the problem.
Once you've discovered the cause of the problem, it's time to go about fixing it. You might have to replace a substandard service or product, which is key to meeting customer expectations.
Don't let the conversation with the customer end until you've managed to fix the problem. This requires service reps with excellent problem-solving skills and you need to make sure you train them in service recovery.
Solving the problem means that the customer is satisfied with the resolution. Remember to ask follow-up questions to check that the customer feels the problem has been fixed and don't make assumptions.
5. Offer something extra.
A customer may have been thoroughly inconvenienced by your service lapse and it's not enough to offer exactly what they should have received in the first place. You may need to offer something extra, like free shipping or a free month's subscription, in order to make up for the customer's sense of injustice.
Come up with creative ways to restore customer happiness with your products and brand. Remember that your customer has been stressed out and inconvenienced by the service issue, and you need to go that extra mile to make up for the hassle.
6. Follow up with the customer.
Once you've closed the conversation with the customer, don't forget to follow up with them to check they are satisfied with the resolution. Show your concern for the customer by sending a follow-up email or making a follow-up phone call, which means you can also catch any further issues the customer may be experiencing.
Make sure you let your coworkers know that the customer was the victim of a service failure. Any further interactions with the customer should be made with this in mind so your staff can communicate appropriately without the customer having to explain their issue over again.
Consider sending a handwritten note to the customer to show how much you appreciate their business.
Service Recovery Examples
1. zingerman's.
A customer ordered a big basket of baked goods from Zingerman's Deli . Unfortunately, the delivery was damaged en route and the cookies were crumbled and the brownies squashed. The customer and their family still managed to eat the goods but when Zingerman's sent a follow-up customer satisfaction email, they expressed their disappointment with the shipment.
Zingerman's responded immediately to the less than satisfied response and offered to send a replacement basket, a gift card, or a refund.
2. Club Med-Cancun
Club Med-Cancun recovered from a service disaster and won the loyalty of a group of vacationers.
The vacationers had endless nightmares traveling from New York to their Mexican destination. The flight was six hours late in taking off, made two unscheduled stops, and circled for thirty minutes before it could land in Mexico.
Because of the unexpected delays, the flight was en route for ten hours more than expected and ran out of food and drinks. Eventually, it arrived at two in the morning, which was such a rough landing that oxygen masks were released. When the plane eventually arrived at the gate, the passengers were hungry and believed their vacation was ruined before it had even begun.
Luckily, the general manager of the Cancun resort heard about the terrible flight and quickly created a balm for the wound. He took his staff to the airport where they arranged a table of snacks and drinks and set up a stereo to play music. Guests shuffling through the gate received a personal greeting, assistance with their bags, a sympathetic ear, and a ride to the resort.
Waiting for them at Club Med was a banquet, mariachi band, and champagne. Staff had encouraged other guests to wait up and greet the vacationers, and they partied until dawn. In the end, the guests had a better experience with Club Med than if their flight had gone as planned.
Jay was the best man at his friend's wedding and had ordered a pair of shoes from Zappos to arrive in time for the big day. Unfortunately, the package was sent to the wrong location and wouldn't arrive in time for the wedding.
Jay called Zappos, hoping to get a solution to his problem. The company not only gave him a refund, but they also overnighted him a new pair of shoes at no extra charge and upgraded him to a VIP account.
He was so amazed by Zappos's customer service that Jay said, "Zappos has earned a customer for life."
Free Service Recovery Email Template
Here's a template of a service recovery email you can use to apologize effectively and turn the situation around. Remember, even the most perfectly written email won't turn your unhappy customer into a loyal one if you don't also take action to resolve their problem.
As you know, [outline specific customer problem]. [Explain desired outcome and the real outcome.]
It is not acceptable for this [problem] to have happened to you. You rely on us to [aim of your product] and we let you down yesterday.
I'd like to sincerely apologize for [specific problem and/or the impact] and also to apologize for our failure to communicate the problem to you.
Part of our company's mission is to [insert company mission statement], and we fell far short of that mark yesterday. We are taking this issue very seriously and making plans to ensure that it will never happen again. [Outline any steps you're taking]
To show our appreciation for your patience and understanding, we will be giving [discount, free item, coupon code, etc]. And [outline something you've already done to make up for the inconvenience such as a refund].
If there's anything at all we can do to help you further, please simply reply to this email.
[Your name]
[Your title]
With customer service recovery, you can turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied and loyal one. Customer service failure doesn't have to be the end of the road with your customer – now you know what you can do to turn it around and salvage a negative situation.
Make sure you apologize sincerely, take ownership of the problem and get to the root of the issue. Next, solve the problem and offer the customer something extra for their troubles. Finally, follow up with the customer to check they are satisfied.
Take your lead from top brands such as Zingerman's and Zappos to implement service recovery right now.
Don't forget to share this post!
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Overview of the Problem-Solving Mental Process
Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."
Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.
- Identify the Problem
- Define the Problem
- Form a Strategy
- Organize Information
- Allocate Resources
- Monitor Progress
- Evaluate the Results
Frequently Asked Questions
Problem-solving is a mental process that involves discovering, analyzing, and solving problems. The ultimate goal of problem-solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue.
The best strategy for solving a problem depends largely on the unique situation. In some cases, people are better off learning everything they can about the issue and then using factual knowledge to come up with a solution. In other instances, creativity and insight are the best options.
It is not necessary to follow problem-solving steps sequentially, It is common to skip steps or even go back through steps multiple times until the desired solution is reached.
In order to correctly solve a problem, it is often important to follow a series of steps. Researchers sometimes refer to this as the problem-solving cycle. While this cycle is portrayed sequentially, people rarely follow a rigid series of steps to find a solution.
The following steps include developing strategies and organizing knowledge.
1. Identifying the Problem
While it may seem like an obvious step, identifying the problem is not always as simple as it sounds. In some cases, people might mistakenly identify the wrong source of a problem, which will make attempts to solve it inefficient or even useless.
Some strategies that you might use to figure out the source of a problem include :
- Asking questions about the problem
- Breaking the problem down into smaller pieces
- Looking at the problem from different perspectives
- Conducting research to figure out what relationships exist between different variables
2. Defining the Problem
After the problem has been identified, it is important to fully define the problem so that it can be solved. You can define a problem by operationally defining each aspect of the problem and setting goals for what aspects of the problem you will address
At this point, you should focus on figuring out which aspects of the problems are facts and which are opinions. State the problem clearly and identify the scope of the solution.
3. Forming a Strategy
After the problem has been identified, it is time to start brainstorming potential solutions. This step usually involves generating as many ideas as possible without judging their quality. Once several possibilities have been generated, they can be evaluated and narrowed down.
The next step is to develop a strategy to solve the problem. The approach used will vary depending upon the situation and the individual's unique preferences. Common problem-solving strategies include heuristics and algorithms.
- Heuristics are mental shortcuts that are often based on solutions that have worked in the past. They can work well if the problem is similar to something you have encountered before and are often the best choice if you need a fast solution.
- Algorithms are step-by-step strategies that are guaranteed to produce a correct result. While this approach is great for accuracy, it can also consume time and resources.
Heuristics are often best used when time is of the essence, while algorithms are a better choice when a decision needs to be as accurate as possible.
4. Organizing Information
Before coming up with a solution, you need to first organize the available information. What do you know about the problem? What do you not know? The more information that is available the better prepared you will be to come up with an accurate solution.
When approaching a problem, it is important to make sure that you have all the data you need. Making a decision without adequate information can lead to biased or inaccurate results.
5. Allocating Resources
Of course, we don't always have unlimited money, time, and other resources to solve a problem. Before you begin to solve a problem, you need to determine how high priority it is.
If it is an important problem, it is probably worth allocating more resources to solving it. If, however, it is a fairly unimportant problem, then you do not want to spend too much of your available resources on coming up with a solution.
At this stage, it is important to consider all of the factors that might affect the problem at hand. This includes looking at the available resources, deadlines that need to be met, and any possible risks involved in each solution. After careful evaluation, a decision can be made about which solution to pursue.
6. Monitoring Progress
After selecting a problem-solving strategy, it is time to put the plan into action and see if it works. This step might involve trying out different solutions to see which one is the most effective.
It is also important to monitor the situation after implementing a solution to ensure that the problem has been solved and that no new problems have arisen as a result of the proposed solution.
Effective problem-solvers tend to monitor their progress as they work towards a solution. If they are not making good progress toward reaching their goal, they will reevaluate their approach or look for new strategies .
7. Evaluating the Results
After a solution has been reached, it is important to evaluate the results to determine if it is the best possible solution to the problem. This evaluation might be immediate, such as checking the results of a math problem to ensure the answer is correct, or it can be delayed, such as evaluating the success of a therapy program after several months of treatment.
Once a problem has been solved, it is important to take some time to reflect on the process that was used and evaluate the results. This will help you to improve your problem-solving skills and become more efficient at solving future problems.
A Word From Verywell
It is important to remember that there are many different problem-solving processes with different steps, and this is just one example. Problem-solving in real-world situations requires a great deal of resourcefulness, flexibility, resilience, and continuous interaction with the environment.
Get Advice From The Verywell Mind Podcast
Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares how you can stop dwelling in a negative mindset.
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You can become a better problem solving by:
- Practicing brainstorming and coming up with multiple potential solutions to problems
- Being open-minded and considering all possible options before making a decision
- Breaking down problems into smaller, more manageable pieces
- Asking for help when needed
- Researching different problem-solving techniques and trying out new ones
- Learning from mistakes and using them as opportunities to grow
It's important to communicate openly and honestly with your partner about what's going on. Try to see things from their perspective as well as your own. Work together to find a resolution that works for both of you. Be willing to compromise and accept that there may not be a perfect solution.
Take breaks if things are getting too heated, and come back to the problem when you feel calm and collected. Don't try to fix every problem on your own—consider asking a therapist or counselor for help and insight.
If you've tried everything and there doesn't seem to be a way to fix the problem, you may have to learn to accept it. This can be difficult, but try to focus on the positive aspects of your life and remember that every situation is temporary. Don't dwell on what's going wrong—instead, think about what's going right. Find support by talking to friends or family. Seek professional help if you're having trouble coping.
Davidson JE, Sternberg RJ, editors. The Psychology of Problem Solving . Cambridge University Press; 2003. doi:10.1017/CBO9780511615771
Sarathy V. Real world problem-solving . Front Hum Neurosci . 2018;12:261. Published 2018 Jun 26. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2018.00261
By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."
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10 Common Customer Service Problems and How to Resolve Them
Customer. Vendor. Seller. Buyer.
All of them have been around since the concept of commerce started.
Fast forward to 2020.
Today, it is all about the ‘Age of the Customer’. Businesses have grown more concerned; some may say, even obsessed with how their customers are treated.
And rightfully so.
It only takes one bad experience for the customer to swear off your business forever.
By the same logic, one outstanding customer experience can convert them into loyal brand ambassadors, lifelong.
So, what is the most natural solution to ensure that your relationship with your customers becomes better?
Isn’t the answer pretty obvious?
You can have a great product and a very talented staff. But the one thing that the majority of customers will remember in all likelihood is the direct interaction they had with your business.
And who is at the forefront of this experience? Your customer service team, of course!
Great Customer Service Can Be an Asset to Your Business
The bottom line is that your customer service department is the face of the company for your customers. Any experience that they have is primarily a direct outcome of the quality and skill of the team.
Hence, any strong business will look to harness the power of customer service to develop positive relationships with the clients. But if you are a proactive company, you will keep asking the questions, “ What is good customer service? ”
The core value of outstanding customer service is centralized around attending to the needs and expectations of your customers through careful listening. Therefore, to prevent the relationship from stagnating, you have to be constantly looking out for newer and innovative opportunities for experience enhancement.
Improving Customer Service Standards by Addressing Problems Head-on
Your customers are interacting with your business pretty much every day. It is clear that at some stage, your team will encounter roadblocks and challenges.
The success of your business will depend on how skillfully you handle your customer service problems .
Remember, if you can resolve these issues successfully, you would have won a customer for their lifetime. They will return to you again and again, thus, boosting revenue and profits.
On the other hand, if the handling is poor, expect your customers to bolt to your closest competitor. And with it goes your revenue too.
So, the question remains that in spite of knowing the benefits of a positive customer service experience, why is it so hard to deliver it consistently?
Everyone knows that customer service jobs are really challenging. And a problematic customer is probably the icing on the cake.
Problems, queries, and complaints, you never know what’s in store for you next. Some days you could be solving customer problems for one distressed client, whereas other days can feel like a train wreck. And your job is to salvage it all. And end it all on a high note.
Customer service is no rocket science. But if it’s that simple, then why do so many businesses do not know how to solve customer service problems?
Maybe looking and analyzing the reasons behind common customer service problems as reported by consumers can be a step in the right direction.
Let’s take a closer look at the solutions that can help you get your customer service standards up in the process.
1. When the Response Times Are Long
When the world moves at break-neck speed, why should the customer be kept on hold, waiting for the agent to respond?
Customers today expect communication with service departments to be instant. In fact, they want immediate resolution of their concerns too. This is, indisputably, the first in the long list of the common problem with customer service that needs to be addressed by businesses.
Check out the reasons why this major problem occurs frequently:
- If the company does not establish a standard set of processes and practices to the field, answer and evaluate responses
- If there is no accountability on the part of the agent if response times have been really prolonged
- If agents end up doing a lot of manual work in the absence of adequate automation
- If agents are not trained to handle multiple queries simultaneously
To drive yourself back into the fast lane, you need to do the following:
- Create a process that outlines the workflow of what an agent should do when he or she receives a customer query with the focus of handling it promptly and efficiently
- Ensure that your agents are aware of their roles and responsibilities along with who they are accountable to if and when there are lapses in service
- Make use of technology and automation that helps take care of some of the repetitive tasks through a combination of canned responses that are framed to expedite the workflow
- Allow your customers to reach you via multiple channels including email, website chat, phone, hosted with contact center technology , social, text message and allocate resources accordingly
- Start creating a knowledge base to pre-package responses to the most commonly asked questions which also ensures that your service team remains consistent with their levels of service
Customer service issues, if left unattended, can be a frustrating experience for your client. Be proactive and keep your customers informed of how you aim to address their issues quickly.
Read More: Proactive VS Reactive Customer Service: Which One Should You Choose?
2. When Customer Reps Do Not Listen Carefully to What the Client Needs
Your customer service problem-solving starts by diving due importance to listening. This is often overlooked, which may result in catching the customer service agent off guard with questions to which you may not have the appropriate answer.
You may not want to be in a position where you have to listen to customers complaining. Unless you give your full attention to what the customer is saying, it will be difficult to understand what they need or how to service their problem.
You can land up in this situation due to the following reasons:
- If the customer finds it difficult to explain the issue due to a lack of knowledge of relevant technical terms
- If the customer has been disappointed with the product or service as it did not meet their expectations
- If you simply do not know the answer to the concern because you did not pay attention to what the customer said
To help you deliver the right resolution, you can do the following:
- Ensure that you have understood the issue about what the customer requires and double-check the problem if required
- Follow it up with a genuine apology because many customers are simply looking for an acknowledgment of the mistake made by the business
- If you do not have a solution right away, then admit it to the customer right away
- On the other hand, if a ready solution is available, then share it with the customer immediately
A study published in the Harvard Business Review reported that a complaining customer handled proactively in less than 5 minutes will go on to spend more on purchases in the future.
Y our agents should be quick to understand and analyze customer problems.
Remember that empathy, too, begins with active listening. Wouldn’t you call this an ideal customer service problem example ?
Read More: Top 20 Issue tracker tools that Help in Issue Identification and Resolution
3. When the Customer Gets Transferred from One Department to Another
When people engage with businesses, and it does not turn out as per their expectations, it is the ultimate death knell to your reputation.
When a customer keeps getting transferred from one agent or department to another, it ensures that a customer will never return to you or your business in the future. Neither will they recommend you to people they know. This brings us to the second most common customer service problem.
Here are some reasons why a customer call may get transferred:
- If the customer agent does not have a ready solution to the query that has been put forward by the client
- If the rep is not the appropriate individual to offer a resolution to the issue
- If the agent feels that a superior will be able to offer a better solution to the problem
To ensure that the customer is not enraged, this is what you can do to pacify the situation before transferring the customer:
- Inform the customer the reason, why you need to transfer the call to another agent, senior manager or department
- Explain the present situation in detail so that the customer understands that sticking with you may take more time to resolve the issue
- Request permission to transfer the call and ask if the customer has any further questions that need answering
- Wait for a confirmation in the affirmative and then initiate the transfer
Remember that the customer may already be on the brink of losing it if the call has already been transferred several times. Try not to push him any further than you need to. You do want the experience to end on a positive tone.
4. When Customer Service Reps Are Rude to Clients
This is possibly the worst-case scenario for a business where the customer service rep has been rude to the client. You can’t deny that this is a tough situation to handle and is best avoided under all circumstances.
No matter how frustrated or high-pitched a customer might go at the time of conversing with a service agent, it does not give the rep the license to be rude to the customer in any way. Generally, such situations are handled by an experienced manager.
Circumstances that can lead them in the direction of being rude to the customer include:
- If the customer constantly challenges what the agent is trying to communicate to mitigate the situation to the best of their abilities
- If the customer is rude and abusive to the agent without any provocation from the rep’s side
- If the customer service agent has personal issues that he or she could not put aside whilst attending to customer calls
Following these guidelines can help you tackle even a sticky situation such as this:
- You need a team of service personnel with a positive and can-do attitude against hiring people just on the basis of their experience
- Ensure that they are empathetic to customer needs, no matter how badly the customer behaves or speaks
- Invest time and effort to upskill your team, especially in soft skills, through ongoing training and development programs
For now, it may seem like a rather far-fetched strategy to take care of a critical customer service problem and solution. In due course of time, you will see that it was worth the effort.
5. When You Cannot Offer A Solution to The Customer
There will be times when you may not have an instant solution for the customer. Telling that to the customer can be slightly tricky, especially if you notice that the customer is already annoyed. But dealing with an angry customer is part of the job description, and there is really no way of escaping it.
Customer service reps are only human and may not be able to offer a resolution of customer queries on the first contact. When customers have to chat or call the service department multiple times, it can be a hassle for them.
There may be several reasons why agents may not be able to offer immediate solutions. These include:
- If the business has encountered this specific customer query for the very first time in which case the solution guidelines have not been outlined for reference
- If the customer service rep has not received adequate training or information on the company, its goals, products, and services
- If the agent simply does not know the answer to the query because he or she has not proactively kept themselves updated on all relevant information and knowledge
You can go through possible solutions options in a scenario such as this:
- The agent can refer the query to a more experienced colleague or manager in the absence of an outline to the solution
- The company should pass on all relevant information to their customer service department and follow it up with periodic training sessions
- The agent should also invest time in learning about the company, their products, and services, etc. on their own
- Let the customer know that resolving the issue will take time and promise to get back within a reasonable timeline with the solution the query
Even though this is not the ideal situation to end the conversation, it is a common occurrence in customer service. Just make sure that whenever you get back to the customer, the solution should be able to meet their expectations.
A very important and viable solution here can be an updated knowledge base that the support reps should have access to as and when they need it. This will reduce the chances of inadequate or incorrect information being passed by reps to the customers. That’s a great customer service problem-solving example that anyone can refer to.
6. When Customers Cannot Get A Live Human Being
Be it live chat tools or phones, technology has allowed a significant percentage of customer service processes to be automated. While the life of a customer service agent has been simplified to a large extent, most customers find it really annoying to have a real human dealing with their issues.
Customers today want to talk to humans, not machines. This brings us to another key customer service issue that is quite common these days.
The top reasons why businesses are prioritizing automation in their customer service processes are:
- If the business is looking to minimize customer wait times and reduce friction, then automation is the obvious answer
- If the business wants to prioritize and attribute tasks efficiently through workflow automation
- If the business hopes to reduce resource costs in which case automating some of the tasks can be beneficial
- If the business is trying to attract a newer demographic who are not averse to conversing with a chatbot or IVR
Here is how you can avoid some of the pitfalls:
- Pick the right tasks such as repetitive jobs, resources for self-service , FAQs , knowledge bases, etc. that can be automated with a knowledge base software which also prevents you from alienating your customers
- Merge your service channels by converting them into an omnichannel strategy to collaborate effectively and efficiently ensuring that information silos do not happen
- Automation should be undertaken to support your human team and not as a substitute for your live agents
- Always request feedback to keep abreast of any change in customer opinion regarding the automation of your processes, either partially or fully
Automation requires a lot of planning to make sure it is successful in offering the right customer experience to your clients. Too much of it can undermine the goals of achieving good customer service. Now, this looks like the perfect customer service problem and solution example. Wouldn’t you agree?
7. When Customer Service Pushes the Wrong Product or Service
This situation can arise if the customer has a specific product or service-related query or maybe needs guidance to decide on, which is a suitable variant or model that will fit best with their needs.
Many times, customer service agents adopt a ‘ one size fits all ’ kind of approach. This may result in them pushing a product or service to the customer, thus, adversely impacting their experience with the business.
- If there is a serious lack of knowledge on the part of the agent where he or she does not know the USPs of specific products or services
- If the agent is unable to perform a competitive analysis of the buyer’s needs which may result in a guesstimate rather than an accurate evaluation
- If the rep does not take into account the customer’s interaction history , the products or services that interest him or her, what they’ve searched for in the past, and which pages on the site they have been browsing the most
You need to do the following to get into the customer’s good books:
- Always listen to the customer’s requirements carefully and then carry out a detailed analysis to recommend the right product or service
- Indulge in some thorough visitor tracking to know what or where the customer has been browsing on your site
- Keep yourself updated with the latest product and service information including features, benefits, prices, and freebies
Your customer is looking up to you for directions. Presenting him or her with a range of helpful suggestions will ensure that you drive the conversation on a positive note. All staff should be trained so that customers receive a consistently delightful, not just satisfactory experience.
Using live chat software that helps you track customer history as soon as the customer says its first word can make things easier for you. Live Chat comes with a plethora of features that help you access customer information in real time and provide solutions that delight customers.
8. When Customer Service Does Not Follow Through with Promise
If the customer service department is unable to offer an instant solution to the client, they will ideally make a promise to deliver it within a stipulated period. In many instances, it has been observed that service reps are repeatedly missing to live up to what they’ve promised the customer.
This brings us to the next customer service problem of reps not following through with the promise that they have made to the customer. It can be infuriating when the issue remains unsolved due to this.
This customer service problem goes against the very ethos of the profession. However, some reasons why this may still happen are:
- If the processes are not in place to ensure that the agent receives alerts and notifications of an open ticket on time
- If the customer service agent is not proactive in passing the information to all relevant teams who need to be involved in solving the issue
- If the customer support agent is just plain lazy and not bothered about closing the issues with the customer
The following strategies can help fix the above-mentioned issues:
- When the agent follow-up on time, customers feel that they are cared for, which automatically increases customer trust and reliability in the brand
- Do not leave a lot of time gap between your last conversation and the follow-up and the faster you reach out, better are the chances of turning an average experience into a great one
- If the customer has contacted your service department during office hours, be sure to return the call, and email within 24 hours
- Try and avoid ‘Yes’ or ‘NO’ responses when you are following up with the client as opposed to asking more open-ended questions to get more information
No matter what the reason or type of follow-through is, always remember to thank your customers for continuing to be loyal patrons of your brand. A simple ‘Thank You’ will suffice. Streamline processes with the integration of a helpdesk software to ensure that the customer experience is top-notch.
9. When There Is Lack of Customer Centricity
It is easy to lose the culture of customer centricity as the business keeps expanding and growing. When you fail to place the customer at the core of your business, eventually, everything starts falling apart.
Temkin’s State of Voice of the Customer Programs 2017 report cited that 67% of large companies rated themselves as good at soliciting customer feedback , yet only 26% think they are good at acting on it.
This brings us to the next problem with customer service, where it is internal barriers are leading to behaviors that are detracting businesses from promoting a customer-centric culture.
Check these top reasons why customer-centricity issues are not being addressed:
- If the management and top leadership is weak, there will be little or no opportunities to develop the business as a customer-centric organization and this emotion percolates right to the depths of the customer service department too
- If the customer agents are weak and untrained, they will not be able to assess customer needs and expectations effectively
- If there is an overall lack of vision, the customer service department can never excel at their jobs as excellent customer service starts right from the top
Some of these tips can help get you on track:
- Strengthen communication channels between the executive, mid-level, and frontline teams
- Create a more holistic picture of your customers by continually communicating, sharing goals, and linking information and data for arriving at evidence-based decisions
- Empower your service agents to make decisions that also propel customer growth strategies
With a vision that is purpose-driven and a clear path forward will help to draw upon emotional belief systems and team member rationale to walk the talk of a customer-centric organization.
10. When Customer Service Is Not Aligned to Customer Journey
Bad customer experience at any point in the customer journey can absolutely ruin the relationship between the client and the business. Just having a good team in place is not enough. The service team should be aligned with the needs and desires of the customers throughout their lifecycle.
This brings us to the last problem with customer service, where businesses are not paying adequate attention to getting their customer service workflow in line with the customer’s lifecycle.
The key reasons are:
- If the business fails to recognize the importance of mapping the customer journey that is aligned with your brand
- If the top leadership is unable to comprehend the worth of mapping customer journeys to help achieve organizational goals
- If the management is not aware of how customer journey mapping can drive growth and offer profitability for the business
Follow these guidelines to succeed:
- Get out of the inside-out perspective of customer journeys because it is grounded with a biased viewpoint
- Focus on how customers and prospects interact with the brand over multiple touchpoints including your website and social channels, outbound marketing , sales team and customer service department
- Do not make the mistake of overlooking all relevant participants in the customer journey or your risk transforming the customer map into a superficial tool with little or no value
Always base your customer mapping on research that will help your service agents to understand the customer experience from the outside-in. Remember to capture the entire journey and always highlight the key moments that push your customers to stay on the course of their purchase path.
Wrapping Up
Competition is fierce in this global marketplace, and customer service problems are inevitable. And sometimes it can be quite overwhelming to keep up with the ever-evolving innovations that have tremendous control over your customer experience, no matter how good your business is.
It will always be outstanding customer service that will make them come back for more. People want to feel special. By addressing their customer service problems, you want your customers to walk away from the interaction feeling not only satisfied with the outcome but valued, understood, and prioritized. Try to adopt the solutions mentioned above and wherever required make use of a competent customer support tool to upgrade your customer service and delight your customers.
Let’s read through some frequently asked questions in the context of customer service problems and how to resolve them:
Why is customer service problem solving important?
It is crucial to solve customer service problems because you want your customers to be happy and satisfied. It also allows the business to identify gaps in their service and figure out a course of action to take corrective measures.
With a positive image of the brand, your customers will be more than happy to recommend it to their family and friends.
How do you write a problem statement for a customer?
A problem statement for a customer primarily involves writing out the detailed description of a specific issue raised by a client that needs to be addressed by the team responsible for problem-solving.
Start by describing the present condition of the customer’s situation and explain the problem from a customer perspective. Outline any possible financial implications that may be incurred as a result of solving the problem. Without evidentiary support, arriving at a final solution will be impossible. Conclude by explaining the obvious advantages of adopting the resolution.
What are the types of dissatisfied customers from customer service?
Generally, dissatisfied customers as a result of poor customer service can be classified into eight types – meek, aggressive, high roller, rip-off, expressive, passive, constructive, and chronic.
What are the problems faced by customers?
There are several common problems that customers face today.
Topping the list is the lack of authentic information on products and services. Along with that, complex navigation to specific pages, followed by connection issues with digital payments, is also quite a hassle. Poor standards of customer service, after-sales service, and vague return policies also create problems for customers frequently.
How to solve customer service problems?
Handling customer service problems is never an easy job. While it may seem like a challenging process, remember that even the frustrated customer is looking for a solution.
The best way to tackle such situations is by carefully listening to the issue at hand and without interruption. Acknowledge the issue and ensure that you have understood the concern from the customer’s point of view. Apologize and then offer a solution if it is readily available.
Alternatively, if the issue needs more investigation or you do not have an instant resolution, communicate the same to the customer. End the call thanking the customer for calling in and asking if he or she needs any further assistance.
Remember that customer service means taking the good with the bad.
About the author
Jared cornell.
Jared is a customer support expert. He has been published in CrazyEgg , CoSchedule , and CXL . As a customer support executive at ProProfs, he has been instrumental in developing a complete customer support system that more than doubled customer satisfaction. You can connect and engage with Jared on Twitter , Facebook , and LinkedIn
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8 Steps to Build a Solid Problem Management Process
When multiple incidents stem from the same issue, it's a clear signal that we need to take action using a robust, step-by-step Problem Management process .
The latest ITIL framework defines a problem as "the underlying cause or potential cause of one or more incidents." It also states that the primary goal of Problem Management is to minimize the likelihood and impact of incidents by identifying actual and potential causes and by managing workarounds and known errors such as software releases and changes to updates/patches, vendor products, user mistakes, or system failures.
But in order to handle this practice effectively, it is necessary to craft a solid process that allows you not only to resolve issues accordingly but also to detect potential issues before they arise.
In this article, we’ll explore what Problem Management implies and why you need to implement a structured guideline to handle incidents. We’ll also detail the necessary steps to build an ITIL process for handling problems and the best practices to implement a proactive support approach to prevent incidents before they start.
Ready to enhance your organization’s Problem Management? Let’s get into it!
Table of contents
What does problem management entail, why do you need a problem management process, benefits of having an it problem management process.
- Challenges of a problem process flow
8 steps to build an ITIL Problem Management process
- Best practices to build a proactive Problem Management approach
Problem Management involves identifying and resolving the underlying causes of recurring incidents. It follows a structured process that goes from the identification of a problem and progresses through analysis, also called problem control, to resolution.
There are three ways to categorize and resolve a problem once detected:
- The preferred approach is to resolve issues through error control, which involves fixing known errors using the corporate Change Management practice.
- When a problem cannot be resolved but a workaround is found, it is categorized as “a known error with a workaround.”
- The third scenario occurs when a problem is identified, but no fix or workaround is available. This situation is recorded as a "known problem."
Known errors and known problems must be logged in a Known Error Database (KEDB) and made available to all support teams, as Problem Management relies on skilled individuals who can effectively use techniques to identify the root causes of problems .
It is not a standalone capability but should integrate with other IT Service Management (ITSM) capabilities, such as Incident Management and Change Management. This set of practices must be reassessed to ensure continuous improvement .
Problem Management vs. Incident Management
It is essential to remember the differences between Problem Management and Incident Management , as they can cause confusion.
An incident is described in ITIL 4 as "an unexpected interruption to a service or a decrease in its quality." Therefore, Incident Management focuses on restoring regular service operations quickly after an incident occurs, aiming to minimize its impact on the organization and restore service to users. It is typically reactive and service-oriented.
Problem Management, on the other hand, addresses the root causes of those incidents in order to prevent and improve its resolution in the future, adopting a more proactive approach.
9 Ways to Do Proactive IT Support – And Switch From The Break/Fix Model
The IT department in an organization often deals with a stream of tasks, complaints, incidents, and problems that require attention. Without a structured process in place, these issues can pile up, resulting in a significant waste of time and resources on easily fixable problems.
So, establishing a Problem Management process is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, it helps identify and address the root causes of recurring incidents, which can significantly reduce downtime and minimize the impact on the business in the long run.
By proactively managing problems, organizations can prevent future incidents from occurring, leading to improved service reliability and customer satisfaction.
It also plays a pivotal role in identifying trends and patterns in incidents, which can be used to improve overall IT service quality and efficiency.
As Brian Skramstad said at Ticket Volume podcast: "Problem Management is not about solving issues with just a band-aid. We need to look for patterns and values in data so these problems don’t happen again.”
If you are still not convinced, here are some of the advantages of implementing an IT Problem Management process in your organization:
- Reduced downtime – By proactively addressing underlying issues, organizations can minimize the impact of incidents and reduce downtime. It can also help reduce future interruptions by preventing incidents beforehand.
- Improved service quality – Problem Management helps in identifying and addressing recurring issues, leading to improved service quality and productivity.
- Cost savings – By preventing incidents and improving service quality, organizations can reduce the costs associated with downtime and incident resolution.
- Continuous improvement – An efficient Problem Management process provides a mechanism for learning from incidents and improving IT services over time.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction – Approaching Problem Management from a holistic perspective improves customer satisfaction. A well-defined process is vital to ensure customer success.
Challenges of implementing a problem process flow
Of course, defining and implementing a unified and comprehensive guideline is not an easy task. Although it is totally worth it, applying a Problem Management process requires time, effort, and resources. Let’s take a look at the main challenges :
- Resource allocation – Implementing a Problem Management process requires dedicated resources, including staff and tools, which can be challenging for some organizations.
- Organizational resistance – Some organizations may resist implementing a Problem Management process due to a perceived increase in workload or change in existing processes.
- Integration with other processes – Problem Management needs to be integrated with other ITSM processes, such as Incident Management and Change Management, which can take some time to achieve.
- Unifying practices – When incidents are treated separately in silos, companies risk accumulating a backlog of unresolved issues, leading to problems being left unaddressed or overlooked by the appropriate teams.
ITIL Problem Management encompasses the entire problem lifecycle. Thus, the process flow involves managing problems reported as incidents by help desk agents or users through various channels, as well as potential problems detected proactively by an ITSM technology to prevent issues.
Once you've assembled your A-team, defined your main objectives, and prioritized the practice as a critical enterprise focus, follow this ITIL-aligned Problem Management workflow to establish an effective step-by-step process:
1. Problem identification
The initial step involves identifying a problem , which can occur either through a reported incident or through monitoring and analyzing IT systems. A problem is typically identified when the cause of one or more incidents reported to the help desk is unknown. In some cases, it may be evident to the service desk that a reported incident is linked to an existing problem, that is a Known Problem, which means the incident can be associated with the existing problem record. However, if the problem has not been recorded, a problem record should be created promptly to ensure service performance.
2. Problem logging
The second step involves tracking and assessing known problems to ensure teams are organized and focused on the most relevant and valuable issues. When a problem is logged, it must comprehend a complete historical record, so all problems must be logged with relevant details, including date/time, user information, description, related Configuration Item (CI) , associated incidents, resolution details, and closure information.
3. Problem categorization and prioritization
Next, there are two critical stages that need to be addressed:
- Categorizing – After logging, problems must be categorized appropriately to assign, escalate, and monitor frequencies and trends.
- Prioritizing – Then, assigning priority is crucial in determining how and when the problem will be addressed based on its impact and urgency. The impact is evaluated by the number of associated incidents, indicating the number of affected users or its business impact, while urgency considers how quickly resolution is needed.
4. Workaround and escalation
After this, a workaround is a temporary solution for mitigating the impact of problems and preventing them from escalating into incidents. While temporary fixes or workarounds can be provided to users experiencing related incidents, it's essential to record the problem in the KEDB and escalate it to seek a permanent resolution through Problem Management.
5. Problem investigation and diagnosis
In this step, the focus is on identifying the underlying causes of the problem and determining the most effective remedial actions. A thorough investigation into the root cause should be conducted, considering the impact, severity, and urgency of the problem.
Standard techniques include reviewing the KEDB for similar issues and resolutions, as well as recreating the failure to pinpoint the cause.
6. Problem resolution
After identifying the root cause of the problem, a solution is developed and implemented . The solution is then implemented using the standard change procedure and tested to confirm service recovery. If an average change is needed, an associated Request For Change (RFC) is raised and approved before applying the resolution to the problem.
7. Problem closure
After confirming that the error has been resolved, the problem and any associated incidents can be closed . The service desk technician should verify that the initial classification details are accurate for future reference and reporting.
Subsequently, the problem is closed in the Problem Management system, and all documentation is updated to reflect the resolution.
8. Problem review
Once the problem is closed, the Problem Management process undergoes a review to identify improvement opportunities and ensure that lessons learned are incorporated into future incidents.
This process flow should be iterative, with each step influencing the others, maintaining a continuous focus on enhancing the quality of IT services and minimizing the impact of problems.
4 best practices to implement a proactive Problem Management approach
Implementing a proactive Problem Management approach involves numerous practices that will help you align your business objectives with ITIL best practices :
- Continuous monitoring – Regularly monitor systems, applications, and infrastructure to identify potential problems before they cause incidents. Use monitoring tools to track help desk performance metrics and detect anomalies.
- Root cause analysis – Conduct thorough root cause analyses for all incidents to identify underlying issues. Use techniques like the "5 Whys" to delve deep into the root cause of problems and implement preventive measures.
- Knowledge Management – Maintain a knowledge base containing known errors, workarounds, and resolutions. Ensure that this knowledge is accessible to support teams to expedite incident resolution and prevent future occurrences.
- Change Management integration – Integrate Problem Management with Change Management to proactively address potential problems arising from changes. Review and analyze change records to identify trends and potential problems that may arise from planned changes.
By implementing these practices, organizations can anticipate and prevent problems, leading to improved service reliability and customer satisfaction.
How to Build a Change Management Workflow
Key takeaways.
In conclusion, implementing a proactive Problem Management process is crucial for minimizing the impact of recurring incidents and improving service quality.
Key concepts include:
- Structured process: Implement a structured Problem Management process to identify, address, and prevent underlying IT issues.
- Integration: Integrate Problem Management with other ITSM processes like Incident and Change Management for a holistic approach.
- Continuous improvement: Regularly review and improve the Problem Management process to enhance its effectiveness.
- Proactive practices: Use practices like continuous monitoring, root cause analysis, and knowledge management to proactively manage problems and prevent future incidents.
Overall, Problem Management aims to improve service reliability, reduce downtime, and enhance customer satisfaction by addressing IT issues effectively. By implementing the ITIL Problem Management process flow, you’ll certainly find a more structured approach to effectively prevent and resolve problems.
Read other articles like this : ITIL , Change Management , Problem Management , InvGate Service Desk
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The Five-Step Problem-Solving Process
Sometimes when you’re faced with a complex problem, it’s best to pause and take a step back. A break from…
Sometimes when you’re faced with a complex problem, it’s best to pause and take a step back. A break from routine will help you think creatively and objectively. Doing too much at the same time increases the chances of burnout.
Solving problems is easier when you align your thoughts with your actions. If you’re in multiple places at once mentally, you’re more likely to get overwhelmed under pressure. So, a problem-solving process follows specific steps to make it approachable and straightforward. This includes breaking down complex problems, understanding what you want to achieve, and allocating responsibilities to different people to ease some of the pressure.
The problem-solving process will help you measure your progress against factors like budget, timelines and deliverables. The point is to get the key stakeholders on the same page about the ‘what’, ‘why’ and ‘how’ of the process. ( Xanax ) Let’s discuss the five-step problem-solving process that you can adopt.
Problems at a workplace need not necessarily be situations that have a negative impact, such as a product failure or a change in government policy. Making a decision to alter the way your team works may also be a problem. Launching new products, technological upgrades, customer feedback collection exercises—all of these are also “problems” that need to be “solved”.
Here are the steps of a problem-solving process:
1. Defining the Problem
The first step in the process is often overlooked. To define the problem is to understand what it is that you’re solving for. This is also where you outline and write down your purpose—what you want to achieve and why. Making sure you know what the problem is can make it easier to follow up with the remaining steps. This will also help you identify which part of the problem needs more attention than others.
2. Analyzing the Problem
Analyze why the problem occurred and go deeper to understand the existing situation. If it’s a product that has malfunctioned, assess factors like raw material, assembly line, and people involved to identify the problem areas. This will help you figure out if the problem will persist or recur. You can measure the solution against existing factors to assess its future viability.
3. Weighing the Options
Once you’ve figured out what the problem is and why it occurred, you can move on to generating multiple options as solutions. You can combine your existing knowledge with research and data to come up with viable and effective solutions. Thinking objectively and getting inputs from those involved in the process will broaden your perspective of the problem. You’ll be able to come up with better options if you’re open to ideas other than your own.
4. Implementing The Best Solution
Implementation will depend on the type of data at hand and other variables. Consider the big picture when you’re selecting the best option. Look at factors like how the solution will impact your budget, how soon you can implement it, and whether it can withstand setbacks or failures. If you need to make any tweaks or upgrades, make them happen in this stage.
5. Monitoring Progress
The problem-solving process doesn’t end at implementation. It requires constant monitoring to watch out for recurrences and relapses. It’s possible that something doesn’t work out as expected on implementation. To ensure the process functions smoothly, you can make changes as soon as you catch a miscalculation. Always stay on top of things by monitoring how far you’ve come and how much farther you have to go.
You can learn to solve any problem—big or small—with experience and patience. Adopt an impartial and analytical approach that has room for multiple perspectives. In the workplace, you’re often faced with situations like an unexpected system failure or a key employee quitting in the middle of a crucial project.
Problem-solving skills will help you face these situations head-on. Harappa Education’s Structuring Problems course will show you how to classify and categorize problems to discover effective solutions. Equipping yourself with the right knowledge will help you navigate work-related problems in a calm and competent manner.
Explore topics such as Problem Solving , the PICK Chart , How to Solve Problems & the Barriers to Problem Solving from our Harappa Diaries blog section and develop your skills.
COMMENTS
What is problem-solving in customer service? Solving customers' problems is more than just fixing the bugs or providing detailed instructions. It's about being prompt, patient, polite, and staying by their side all the way through. Basically, you need to say what consumers want to hear while not instilling false expectations.
What are the steps of a successful problem-solving process for customer support? Powered by AI and the LinkedIn community 1 Identify the problem 2 Analyze the problem 3 Choose the best...
October 10, 2023 Author Donna Dane Share In the customer service world, challenges arise when you least expect them. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting, mastering the art of problem-solving is essential.
With this guide to effective customer service problem solving, we give you a three-step process to follow: take stock of the information you've been given, gather any additional information you need, and then work to solve the problem and respond to the customer. Let's get started. Assess the information you have
Customer service problem-solving is the process of resolving customer service issues. This can be done through a variety of means such as by phone, email, or in person. It is crucial for...
Lesser Conversions and Loss of Customers Inefficient solving of customers' problems, slow response times, and frequent negative experiences make prospects less likely to become customers and make current customers less likely to stay loyal. "53% of customers are likely to stop buying from a brand after a poor customer service experience." -source
1. Define the problem Diagnose the situation so that your focus is on the problem, not just its symptoms. Helpful problem-solving techniques include using flowcharts to identify the expected steps of a process and cause-and-effect diagrams to define and analyze root causes. The sections below help explain key problem-solving steps.
Does machine learning sort of revolutionize the problem-solving process? Or are these actually just other tools in the toolbox for structured problem solving? ... you need to kind of say, "OK, I'm going to converge again." Then you go and you bring things back to the customer and get feedback and iterate. Then you rinse and repeat, rinse ...
12 Key Customer Service Problem Solving Do's and Don'ts Do's. Do Regularly Train and Update Your Team's Skills. Why It's Important: Customer service training plays a vital role in keeping your team equipped to handle a wide array of customer issues effectively. Example: Implement regular training sessions that cover new customer service tools, communication techniques, and updates about ...
Problem-solving in customer service goes beyond simply fixing a specific issue. It involves understanding the root cause of the problem and implementing long-term solutions to prevent similar issues from arising in the future. This proactive approach not only resolves immediate concerns but also helps businesses improve their overall operations ...
The first step of the problem definition process is to clearly outline the context of which your problem exists. The SCQ framework (situation, complication and question) is a helpful tool in setting boundaries for your problem solving effort. An example template of how you might capture the context of your problem solving effort is outlined below.
Sometimes, it's complicated. Having workers well-versed in problem-solving skills and techniques for customer care representatives helps. Approaching issues in a systematic way simplifies the problem-solving process. Below is a 9-step process that can help CSRs resolve even the most complex customer service issues:
What Problems Do You Solve for Your Customers? Selling is about solving customer problems, whether those are problems customers are currently facing, or problems they will face as their marketplace evolves and their needs change. Book Excerpt:
CIRCLES stands for the 7 steps it takes to solve a problem: C omprehend the situation. I dentify the Customer. R eport the customer's needs. C ut, through prioritization. L ist solutions. E valuate tradeoffs. S ummarize recommendation. CIRCLES framework for problem-solving.
Effective Customer Service Problem Solving LiveChat helps you delight your customers and fuels your sales. A customer-centric culture is crucial for exceptional problem-solving and lasting business success.
It's a systematic approach to problem-solving, one that is essential for solving customer problems effectively. ... Design Process Template Step 1: Problem Identification and Definition. In this initial phase, the objective is to precisely define the problem that the design aims to solve. It's all about understanding the issue, its context ...
To uncover the reason you received a complaint from a customer and solve the problem in order to retain that customer, use this five-step process for handling customer complaints. Step 1: Dig deeper by asking the right questions Complaints — even angry ones — can contain insights, and it's your job to seek out the point of friction.
Problem-solving is an important part of planning and decision-making. The process has much in common with the decision-making process, and in the case of complex decisions, can form part of the process itself. We face and solve problems every day, in a variety of guises and of differing complexity.
1. Managing customer expectations The core of all customer service interactions is understanding the customer's needs and the best way to satisfy them. It begins with customer service agents actively listening to the customer as they explain their issue.
Apologize to the customer. Take ownership of the problem. Get to the root of the issue. Solve the problem. Offer something extra. Follow up with the customer. 1. Apologize to the customer. The first step to service recovery is offering a sincere and heartfelt apology to the customer.
Problem-solving is a mental process that involves discovering, analyzing, and solving problems. The ultimate goal of problem-solving is to overcome obstacles and find a solution that best resolves the issue. The best strategy for solving a problem depends largely on the unique situation.
2. When Customer Reps Do Not Listen Carefully to What the Client Needs. Your customer service problem-solving starts by diving due importance to listening. This is often overlooked, which may result in catching the customer service agent off guard with questions to which you may not have the appropriate answer.
However, if the problem has not been recorded, a problem record should be created promptly to ensure service performance. 2. Problem logging. The second step involves tracking and assessing known problems to ensure teams are organized and focused on the most relevant and valuable issues.
1. Defining the Problem The first step in the process is often overlooked. To define the problem is to understand what it is that you're solving for. This is also where you outline and write down your purpose—what you want to achieve and why. Making sure you know what the problem is can make it easier to follow up with the remaining steps.