Good Communication in Action Flashcards
There are two basic types of complaints:
Justified
Unjustified
Justified complaints are
when a Member has a legitimate reason to complain.
Unjustified complaints are
when a Member doesn’t have a legitimate reason to complain but is still upset
Both, justified and unjustified complaints, require the same amount of
respect and attention.
Both, justified and unjustified complaints, may require different
solutions.
Justified Complaints require an
apology.
Unjustified Complaints need to feel they are
taken seriously.
When telling a Member ‘no’, give the reason before
the refusal.
When telling a Member ‘no’, avoid negative
language.
When telling a Member ‘no’, don’t question the Member’s
honesty.
When telling a Member ‘no’, don’t accuse them of incompetence or carelessness. Instead, try to save
the Member’s face.
When telling a Member ‘no’, use facts as
supporting evidence and be logical.
When telling a Member ‘no’, explain why past
decisions may have been different.
When telling a Member ‘no’, don’t reply
too quickly.
When telling a Member ‘no’, don’t blame
Peloton (or any of our partners).
Refusing a Member’s request that keeps the tone positive while communicating the limitation is called
The Hidden Refusal.
What are some good examples of Hidden Refusal phrases?
As much as we would like to honor your request,
Although previous Members have…, we are currently…
Common Language: “Yes”
Positive Alternative: “Absolutely!”
Common Language: “I can’t”
Positive Alternative: “I wish we could.”
Common Language: “This is the best I can do”
Positive Alternative: “I realize you want that, so we’re going to come as close as possible by doing this”
Common Language: “Here is the answer”
Positive Alternative: “Given what you’ve asked for, I’m going to suggest the following solution.”
Common Language: “I’m not the right person to fix this”
Positive Alternative: “We want to make sure this gets fixed for you. I’ll put you in touch with the right person to help.”
Common Language: “It’s my day off tomorrow”
Positive Alternative: “We’re going to work on this issue until it’s resolved. My colleague is going to take over and follow up.”
Common Language: “Policy”
Positive Alternative: “Here’s what we can do.” or “Here’s how we can handle this.”
Common Language: “No/I don’t know”
Positive Alternative: “I can find out.”
Common Language: “Why didn’t you”
Positive Alternative: “I can see why.”
Common Language: “The only thing that we can do”
Positive Alternative: “The best option, I think…”
Common Language: “Problem”
Positive Alternative: “Concern, issue”
A good way to help yourself follow through with commitments is to always provide the details. This includes:
Who will carry out the action?
What action is to be done?
When will the action be completed?
Always use clear, specific
time references.
Providing Members the ‘who’, ‘what’’, and ‘when’ on the details of action reduces and ensures what?
It reduces any potential confusion and ensures realistic expectations from our Members.
Vague timeframes can lead to
misunderstandings.
What are 8 situations that may require a phone call rather than any other type of communication?
When you need an immediate response.
When you have complexity with multiple people.
When you don’t want a written record due to sensitivity.
When the emotional tone is ambiguous, but shouldn’t be.
When there is consistent confusion.
When there is very important or bad news.
When there is a hint of anger, offense, or conflict in the exchange.
When a personal touch would be beneficial.
If a Member has a question that you’re unsure how to answer, never respond by saying “I’ll need to contact somebody else to find that out for you.”
Instead, simply say,
“Let me work on that for you.”
