Tweet

Are You a Problem Solver or a Problem Blamer?

Guest post by: Maribeth Kuzmeski

Article Overview: I fly a decent amount and have had a lot of good and a lot of bad experiences with the airlines. The biggest issue I have with the airlines, especially my carrier of choice, is not that they make mistakes. I don’t expect any business to be perfect. At issue is how they deal with problems. Too often, their first reaction is to put the problem back with me. The protocol seems to be to assume first that the customer is wrong (blame), and take responsibility much later, if ever. How do you react when there is a problem with your product or service?

Are You a Problem Solver or a Problem Blamer?

I fly a decent amount and have had a lot of good and a lot of bad experiences with the airlines. The biggest issue I have with the airlines, especially my carrier of choice, is not that they make mistakes. I don’t expect any business to be perfect. At issue is how they deal with problems. Too often, their first reaction is to put the problem back with me. The protocol seems to be to assume first that the customer is wrong (blame), and take responsibility much later, if ever. How do you react when there is a problem with your product or service?

When I had an issue checking in to a flight this week, I immediately heard, “You must have entered your frequent flyer number in wrong… You must not have checked in properly… I see here, you didn’t pay a change fee.” But actually a previous agent didn’t complete the transaction properly, and there was no ticket number associated with the reservation. It is like being guilty until proven innocent. It is such a backwards method to customer service.

Are you a blamer or a solver? The first reaction of a greater part of businesses – especially those in service related businesses – is to react to a problem or complaint by assuming that the problem was caused by the customer. That’s why we set up FAQ pages, and often retrace the actions of our customers as a first step to solving the problem. Even if we try not to displace the blame from ourselves, our natural defense mechanisms kick in, and we typically react by deflecting any blame. Unintentionally then, the blame is often placed on the shoulders of our clients and customers.

Instead of taking this blamer approach, try the approach of a solver - listening to the whole problem your customer has, asking questions, checking and then solving - no matter who made the mistake. It seems like smarter business to me.

We are all customers to somebody. The best way to determine if our customers see us as solvers or blamers, is to consider how we react when something goes wrong with a business working with us. Consider what actions they take to resolve your problem and how it makes you feel. They may think they’re being helpful, while you feel they’re blaming you. For most of us, it is those companies that accept responsibility for the problem that make us feel like our problems are really being listened to and that we are being taken care of.

Are you ready to be a problem solver?

Related Articles
  Problem or Not the Problem?
  Problem Solvers Earn More
  LEADER IS THE ONLY WAY.
  First Things First - Solve The Right Problem
  The New Year

Article Tags: business problem solving, client service, customer service, Maribeth Kuzmeski, problem solvers, Red Zone Marketing



Related Forum Posts
What? - Problem fixed. Never mind!
How to get financed - We looked at doing the same thing. Problem is you own the truck out-rite, so most require a add on to your title or release of title to them for liability should you default. Contact Kevin at RV Lending, he assisted us with our stacker transporter, pretty easy to deal with and straight up with the answers before you give all you personal information. Good luck
Getting financed for conversion on an older truck - We looked at doing the same thing. Problem is you own the truck out-rite, so most require an add on to your title or release of title to them for liability should you default. Contact Kevin at RV Lending, he assisted us with our stacker transporter, pretty easy to deal with and straight up with the answers before you give all you personal information. Good luck
Keyboards and coke - [quote:3b3y75yj]The hardest part is raising the plastic piece above the keyboard without breaking it [/quote:3b3y75yj] Problem is I'm not very "ept" when it comes to mechanical stuff, even as simple as this appears to be. I'm sure if I tried anything like that I'd break something! Oh, well, it's now a glorified DVD viewer and message board reader. Everything works as long as I've got it bookmarked... I just can't type anything! Thank goodness for two computers...
Re: Prospecting for a Franchise? Hold Tight - Oh... I'm just full of cheerful news lately aren't I ? I'm trying to offset all of this miserable economic news with the occasional shot of whiskey. Problem is it wears off too quickly! I do try and step back and stay centered. I think what's happening here [i:1rx3472l]for so many of us[/i:1rx3472l] is a mystery. The economic and financial issues are so complicated that it's hard to make sense of it all. Anyone looking into buy into a franchise concept should take it slow.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Coaching Tip: Identify Your Core Values

Remind Me...

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.