Conflict Resolution - 2 Hours

1. LHAP 301 - Conflict Resolution

2. Measuring Customer Service

How do you know a customer is happy with your work?

• Verbal acceptance of the finished product● Positive body language● Issuing of Final Acceptance Certificate (when applies)● Prompt payment of invoices● Willingness to provide positive ratings online (a satisfied customer will tell five people…)● Repeat customers● Tips and Compliments

It is often a combination of these that will give you the actual assurance

You HAVE to get good at reading body language / non-verbal cues.

You have to recognize if you have a natural filter - some people always interpret everything to the negative. It could be that they are just not charismatic people. Black

• Hat people

3. CONFLICT - Conflicts happen when expectations are not met

Very Important could be expectations of either party

4. Who do you have conflicts with?

❏Normie Know-it-All: the nitpicky, asks a million questions❏Deirdre Dragon-lady: starts sweet and then becomes a dragon❏Cheapskate Charlie: Constantly tries to make a deal and save a buck❏Condescending Connie: The snob who treats you like a child❏Lose-it Lyle: The one who loses their cool to get their way

Paraphrased From: Genocrys learning Group

❏ Normie may also just be incredibly indecisive as well - keep good records! Be patient! Be knowledgeable. Be clear that there is a cost associated with extra time spent…

❏ Many Deirdres are avoidable by setting clear expectations, admitting when you’re at fault, and trying to dodge those jobs from the outset.

❏ Charging for your consults weeds most of these out. Being very clear with your contract and not promising reductions in cost is important.

❏ It can be tough when working hourly as these people will watch how long your staff is onsite and they won’t pay for travel or disposal costs.

❏ First of all, be careful you are not that person!! All you can do is treat them with courtesy and professionalism

• ❏

5. Conflict Resolution

Prevention is the best first-step!!

• Foster a culture of professionalism● Have clear and organized communication○ When will you be there? how long will it take?● Have a clear outline of services rendered with samples/concepts● Sign a Contract that includes payment schedule / amounts● Regularly check in with client throughout construction● Be cognisant of non-verbal interactions

“Unmet expectations are at the heart of every conflict”

• Clear expectations and deliverables are critical

6. Conflict Resolution

Set aside your feelings!

❖Attitude is communicated in tone of voice (and body language)❖Be empathetic ❖Be responsive❖Be factual❖Do not take it personally ❖The window for quick resolution can be small...

“It’s not personal, it’s business” - much easier for some than others - but vital to being able to resolve conflicts quickly and simply. Emotions escalate everything!!

Consider

• this may be the first time they’ve ever worked with a contractor.
• They may be over stretched financially
• They may have personal challenges that they are projecting onto you
• It is possible that you were not as clear as you could have been?

You may need to take a moment before answering… but you must answer in a timely manner.

Hide behind the facts. What was written down? What was done? What is fair?

Often your first response can incite someone, or totally diffuse the situation… remember that if you have a receptionist, they are the face of the business! (Do they know how to use the phone system, do they know what the correct response is? Can they show empathy without stirring the pot?)

7. Conflict resolution

• Complaints can start with a telephone call○ Remember, attitude is conveyed in your voice○ Phone greetings and tone are important○ Reception affects customer impression○ The customer may ask to meet you in person, don’t dodge them. ● Hopefully never by text!● Alternately it is written.

Telephone is tough - especially for Millennials and Gen Z ers who don’t like using phones. It’s also tough when companies are small and don’t have receptionists. You can’t always answer the phone all the time, and you really SHOULDN’T answer the phone if you don’t have time to talk… but listen to your messages and do respond promptly.

I hate conflict - but the faster you deal with it, the less likely it is to be a problem.

Having a good foreman do a solid walkthrough during, and at the end of a project, is key.

What is nice about written conflict resolution is that you have time to frame emotion-free responses. You can THINK. You can take a break. You also have record of what has been said in case it ever were to escalate.

8. Conflict Resolution

When dealing with complaints

• Actively Listen.○ Remember, you share a common goal: resolution!○ Take notes, make eye contact○ Summarize the facts so they know they have been heard.● Relax (be aware of your non-verbal communication)
• Know your product● Do not be afraid to apologize.● Thank them for bringing the problem to your attention ○ This could be a recurring issue in your company
• Give a concrete timeline for resolution

Your response can maintain and/or build your business!

VALIDATE their concern… Customers talk to you about problems because:

• They are looking for a reduced bill (were you clear about costs?)
• They WANT to come to a satisfactory resolution. You have the SAME GOAL.
• You’re on the SAME TEAM

An apology goes a long way. You can apologize without incriminating!

• Apologize for the communication breakdown! (obviously there was one).
• You can say, “I’m sorry you feel that…” (just don’t be patronizing).

Word of mouth is the best way to get more business - a happy customer tells 5 people…

9. Conflict Resolution

When things get heated

• Try to take a step back and remain calm2. Find a way to assure them that you WANT to help!a. Telling them to “calm down” is never a good idea…
• If a customer uses profanity… 4. Do you need a third party?
• Remember, upset customers typically form a very small percentage of your client base.
• As a professional, it is your job to maintain a positive reputation.
• Profanity - politely reinforce that you do want to help, but that continued use of that language will prevent you from assisting further…

10. Conflict Resolution in Writing

11. Bad News Letters

The Primary Goal

The Receiver understands and accepts the bad news.

Secondary Goals

Reduce bad feelings. Convey fairness. Eliminate future correspondence.

You really do want a customer to WANT to come back and do business with you.

You can have negative interactions that are resolved well and result in the customer being satisfied. At very least, you want them to be happy enough to not go online and try to destroy you, or follow up with litigation or refusal to pay a huge bill. Lawyers are expensive.

Eliminating future correspondence - is about communicating in such a way that there’s no argument. “It’s not you, it's me.” The reason this is such a classic line is that

I can’t argue or bargain. This is a real skill in communication.

12. Written Communication

• Bad News Letters - Direct Approach
• Use this when conflict is unlikely (eg: a report of a jobsite incident - yesterday’s assignment; or cost increases prior to customer commitment - see next slide).
• State the news simply and directly:○ Salutation, introductory statement, give the news, give the reasons (if possible or relevant), give an alternative if possible, close with goodwill.
• Content borrowed from Bertrand Bickersteth

Write carefully - it is difficult to give bad news but maintain positive relationship.

13. Bad News - the direct approach

• Dear Mrs. Canner

It is time for us to gear up for Spring Cleanups, and I wanted to see if you’d like to continue with our services this season.

Unfortunately, we are going to have to increase our pricing. Our new rate will be $275.00/hour plus GST for our three person crew. This rate includes a Journeyperson plus two helpers. It also includes truck fees, tools, disposal and all associated overhead.

We have appreciated your loyalty over the years and sincerely hope that you would like to continue partnering with us to keep your property maintained at the highest possible standard. If you would like to reduce frequency of service to biweekly or monthly, we can accommodate this; although it may be better to reduce scope of service instead. For example, we could continue mowing weekly, but only weed and prune once per month.

If you’d like to proceed with our services, please email me back with your preference for scope and frequency.

Kind Regards, [insert signature here] Do NOT err on the side of informality in this case!

This is very likely the same approach taken in your emails from the last assignment.

Get right to the point, offer supporting statements and sign off.

14. Bad News Letters - Indirect Approach

• Use this if: ○ The news is unexpected (a quote cannot be honoured due to a cost increase)○ You don’t know the reader very well ○ To avoid a negative reaction (firing an employee)
• Introduction statement provides the background information, State the Bad News as positively as possible, Give a suggestion or alternative, Goodwill statement
• Content borrowed from Bertrand Bickerstetch

15. Bad News Indirect Approach

Hello Max, As you know, coming to work on time is mandatory. Our staff handbook states that all employees must arrive at the shop ten minutes prior to their scheduled work time so that they are present and ready to go when the crew truck leaves.You have arrived at work late three times this month. Our company policy allows only two late arrivals before disciplinary actions are taken, in this case, termination of employment. You are a valued member of our team and we appreciate your hard work. As a result, you are receiving only a warning at this time, and an extension of your probationary period. If you incur no further late arrivals within the next three months, and continue your exemplary work, I will remove the probationary status. This will allow you to work toward an apprenticeship in our company and earn a pay raise. Tonight, I would like you to email me three strategies that you will employ going forward to ensure your punctual arrival at work. Kind regards,[Insert signature here]

The same news, stated directly would read

• Dear Max,

You have arrived late three times this month, and are being put on probationary status.

• If you incur no further…

16. Written Communication - a reminder

Proofread for

❏Grammar, sentence structure, punctuation and spelling❏Tone - Bad news is usually more formal. Try to keep emotion out of it. ❏Content - stick to the facts, be clear, be concise.

You cannot unsay what has been said!

Tip: if its a difficult message to send, leave out the addressee at first.

Be careful about your subject choice as this can also set the tone for the message!

As always, make sure the email makes sense… especially when people are processing bad news, it has to be clear.

Don’t over complicate information about a cost hike, or be spineless and nebulous

(we’re going to increase our costs by 30% so you’ll pay $25.00 per hour more)

Don’t give a ton of extra details or a cop out that everyone’s sick of hearing (Because of COVID… ) (Gas, staffing, vehicles, our rent, our utilities, everything has gone up so much!! - if they want details, you can give those in a further correspondence).

With the “subject” line - try to make it something neutral so that you don’t induce emotion before they’ve had a chance to understand.

17. Apology Letters:

• Apologize immediately and be clear about what you’re apologizing about2. Be accountable3. Provide a solution4. Reaffirm the value of the recipient's relationship with you.

Direct Approach, Professional formality, Clear and Concise, Proper Closing.

18. Apology Letter - Direct Approach

Dear Mrs Canner,I am very sorry about the miscommunication regarding the wood mulch we applied during Spring Cleanup. Your email clearly stated that you would prefer cedar over dyed brown mulch, I did not relay this to my foreman in time.

My crew will be back on Thursday morning at 8:00 AM to rectify the situation. They will haul out as much of the dyed brown mulch as they can and then topdress with a 10cm depth of cedar mulch. This will obviously be completed at no further cost to you, and will be completed by end of day Thursday.

In addition, I’d like to offer you a 25% discount on your next service with us. As you know, miscommunications like this are rare in our company, and I want to assure you that we’ll be taking measures to ensure it does not happen again.

• Kind regards, [insert signature here]

19. Conflict Resolution:

You receive an email from a customer who just received their bill for a pruning job: “I just got your invoice and it’s totally ridiculous that you’re charging me for 4 hours! Your crew was only here for 3 hours and they spent the first hour standing around while one person fought with the chainsaw! I’m only willing to pay for 2 hours of work since that’s all that they actually did.”

• Ava Smith. a. You billed them for 4 hours plus GST.b. Fact: The employee time card (with GPS tracking) reads they were onsite for 4.5 hours plus .5 hour of travel time to site, and 1 hour at the dump. They confirm they had some trouble with the new chainsaw they had to use but can’t say for sure how much time they spent fighting with it.c. Fact: You do not charge for travel time because your hourly rate covers about 1 hour, but the crew took too long at the dump so you’ve lost money there already.d. Fact: You also took off 30 minutes because you knew the new chainsaw had to be assembled onsite (chain put on, filled with oil and gas, started for the first time). In total, you are already operating at one hour of loss by billing only 4 of 6 hours.

Create an email to respond, using the indirect approach, and upload it to Moodle.