| Understanding unreasonable customer demands | | | | or when we have difficulty trying to decipher what the |
| Why not try this the next time you are in your bank's | | | | person wants (they might just have called for |
| branch: Demand from the counter staff that they | | | | company!). Firstly, be realistic and consider advice |
| write off your mortgage or your credit card bills. | | | | from those who work with people who, for example, |
| When staff politely respond that this is not possible, | | | | have a mental illness associated with disorders linked |
| accuse them of giving you a mortgage or credit you | | | | to personality, anxiety, mood, development, etc. They |
| could not afford - so it's their fault! They might then | | | | recognise the difficulty of trying to manage and help |
| look at you incredulously and try again to turn you | | | | someone with such a condition over many months and |
| down politely. If you stopped at that, all would be fine | | | | years, so what can we expect to achieve in contact |
| for all concerned. However, what if you insisted and | | | | lasting a matter of minutes? |
| started to shout and swear at them? Staff may now | | | | Sometimes there is little or nothing you are going to |
| get a little bit stressed and hot under the collar. The | | | | achieve apart from managing yourself - how you |
| bottom line is, you are not going to get what you want | | | | respond and react. Don't 'beat yourself up' because |
| but that does not really help the staff who have to | | | | you should have done better, said something different |
| deal with your unreasonable demand. | | | | or made the customer happy. This is the path to high |
| Many staff dealing with the public find themselves in | | | | stress levels. |
| this position every day. Staff having to deal with | | | | Stay calm and in control because it's easy to get |
| patients not happy with the care they have received | | | | frustrated when faced with someone who is not |
| even after their case has been fully investigated, | | | | responding to what we see a reasonable. Getting |
| people wanting benefits they are not entitled to or | | | | frustrated with the customer will only make matters |
| properties that are not available, and others wanting to | | | | worse. |
| build skyscrapers in their back garden. | | | | Slow up, take a bit more time and give the customer a |
| Customers have many reasons to make demands | | | | chance to speak. They may not be operating at the |
| that to us can seem so unreasonable. They may | | | | same mental speed as you so don't jump ahead |
| have real basic needs such as shelter, food, or | | | | thinking of possible solutions before you have |
| safety. They may have a need to rage at the world | | | | understood the 'problem'. Keep listening and trying to |
| due to a perceived sense of injustice or unfairness. | | | | understand what they need and what they are feeling. |
| They may have a range of factors inhibiting | | | | Not everyone who makes unreasonable demands has |
| communication and understanding such as mental | | | | a mental illness. However, if for example, a customer |
| illness, learning difficulties, or are so 'full' with day to day | | | | telephones every week or 3 times a day (which |
| problems that they are barely functioning. It's | | | | happens frequently in many offices serving the public), |
| important to consider that factors such as these may | | | | they may have some 'issues' which may be beyond |
| lie at the heart of demands that seem reasonable to | | | | your (or their) control. |
| the customer but totally unreasonable to us. | | | | So be flexible, calm, and respectful. Often that is a |
| So what can we do when faced with such demands | | | | large part of what the customer really wants. |