We have all witnessed the news headlines that commence during Black Friday sales, which depict consumers competing in the retail store to obtain the most recent toy, the most favorable sale price, and the most advantageous bargain.
It is a situation that retailers despise due to the negative consumer experience, potential safety hazards, and the impact on store associates.
While it’s most notable during the holiday season the consumer tension factor is an increasing challenge for retailers as well store staffs and the aim of providing a rewarding customer experience.
In an email interview, RetailCustomerExperience contacted Christine Miles, the author of the book “What Is It Costing You Not To Listen: The Power of Understanding to Connect, Influence, Solve & Sell,” for advice on how retailers can prevent arguments and tension with their customer base.
The location of the tension is Q. Has there been an increase in retail holiday tension since the pandemic? Is this tension limited to brick-and-mortar stores or does it also encompass online support and retail call centers?
A. The occurrence of stress and tension during the holiday season is not a novel phenomenon. For years, research has consistently demonstrated that stress levels rise during the holiday season, with eight in ten Americans reporting that the expectations and events surrounding the holidays contribute to their increased stress. According to the most recent data, 48% of Americans attribute their holiday tension to financial concerns.
Although holiday tensions are not novel, the pandemic has resulted in a general increase in stress, anxiety, and melancholy, which has served as additional fuel to the holiday stress inferno. In 2022, the World Health Organization reported a 25% increase in global anxiety and depression. Furthermore, the prevalence of remote work has resulted in a reduction in daily social interactions with colleagues and an increase in isolation, despite the fact that we are no longer under mandatory lockdown. Although remote work is frequently preferred, the repercussions of spending less time with others appear to have resulted in a decrease in social awareness and tolerance during our social interactions. We are experiencing a decrease in the collective tolerance for interpersonal interactions. Individuals appear to be less patient and less inclined to engage in cordial interactions with one another. Additionally, their emotional endurance is shorter. Retail is bearing the burden of this collective emotional duress.
Potential approaches
Q. What can a retailer do to alleviate the tension — training, HR programs. etc.?
A. The emotional skills necessary to navigate the challenging emotions of customers and achieve a positive outcome are necessary when dealing with agitated and stressed-out customers. It is imperative to instruct retail personnel on how to listen in a manner that is consistent with the customer’s experience, regardless of whether the customer is correct. This will ensure that the customer feels heard. Associates are better prepared to address these emotionally latent situations when they acquire the emotional skill of active listening. Retailers establish a unique connection with their consumers by investing in listening training, which results in the acquisition and retention of customers for life.
Q. What actions can a retail store manager take at the local level to alleviate the tension experienced by store associates?
A. Associates are subjected to the same holiday stress and tension as their customers, in addition to the additional challenge of dealing with dissatisfied customers on a daily basis. Research has demonstrated that being subjected to complaints for a period of 30 minutes or more can cause physical harm to the brain, resulting in its transformation into sludge and an increased likelihood of exhibiting similar behavior. It is imperative that local retailers mitigate the consequences of these detrimental interactions. One recommendation is to conduct routine debriefing sessions with your colleagues to address their sentiments regarding their interactions with customers. Nevertheless, rather than emphasizing the challenging customer situations, encourage them to recount anecdotes of their most positive and memorable interactions with customers. An antidote to the negativity that can have an enduring impact and harm employee contentment and retention is to redirect attention from what has gone wrong to what has gone right.
Tips to manage tension
Q. What are some strategies for reducing tension with holiday shoppers?
A. Tip No. 1: Let go of the mantra “the customer is always right.” This message can result in associates feeling demoralized and/or the need to tolerate poor behavior from a customer, as it places them in a one-down and frequently no-win position with the customer. Modify the mantra to “the customer must feel understood.” Rather than insisting that they are correct, the most effective approach to managing difficult consumers is to actively observe and comprehend their emotions and circumstances.
Tip #2: Integrate visceral language into your sales process. Rather than merely inquiring about your consumers’ well-being, inquire about their emotions. The advantages of inquiring about an individual’s emotions are that it normalizes negative emotions and experiences by facilitating their disclosure. We are all human, enduring the pressures of life and the holidays. In addition to alleviating tensions, an emotional connection with consumers creates a unique and memorable purchasing experience.
Tip #3: Cease expressing comprehension. The words I comprehend are not indicative of comprehension and may result in a consumer being more argumentative than they otherwise would be. For what reason? If you tell a customer that you comprehend them, but the customer does not feel understood, it can result in a more combative customer. Alternatively, you could say, “Let me see if I understand you…” Subsequently, provide a concise summary of their concern, including their emotions, within a 30-second timeframe and inquire once more, “Do you understand?” This establishes a cooperative approach to assisting the customer in feeling understood, as opposed to a competitive one, and grants the customer the authority to determine whether they feel understood.