How to Communicate During High-Stress Moments? | KnowledgeCity

Описание: This video is from the Managing Crises in Customer Service online training course. Click here to view full course: https://www.knowledgecity.com/en/libr... When systems fail and pressure builds, your team faces a surge of questions and complaints. Frustrated customers want clear answers and quick updates. In these moments, the way you communicate can either help solve the problem or add to it. There are three core principles that can help you with this. They’re called the “3 C’s”: clarity, compassion, and control. These ideas can guide every message you write. Clarity means being direct and specific. So, avoid using vague phrases that leave people guessing. Just say what the issue is and what’s being done. This helps people understand the situation without confusion. Compassion means showing that you understand how the problem affects people. If customers can’t log in, say so, and acknowledge how frustrating that must be. And control involves showing that your team is actively managing the situation. Focus on the actions being taken and what progress has been made. Also, cover what steps will be taken next. This helps reassure people. It’s also important that no one shifts blame, so your team only focuses on the facts and the next steps. Let’s look at an example. Imagine a message that says, “We’re sorry for any inconvenience.” That doesn’t tell the customer much. Now try this: “We know some customers were double-charged during checkout this morning. Our team has identified the issue and stopped the extra charges. Refunds are already being processed, and you’ll receive a confirmation email within two business days.” That version is specific and empathetic. It focuses on action and follows all three C’s. Once you’ve got the right tone, figure out what information you should share and in what order. This is called information prioritization. People need the most important facts first. A good way to structure this is to include details about: What happened, Why it happened, if you know the reason, When it might be resolved, And what happens next. This gives people a clear timeline and sets realistic expectations. Try not to share technical details or internal steps too early. These can often overwhelm or confuse people who only want to understand the impact of the event. Instead, focus on clear, useful information up front. If you wait too long to say something, your customers will get more frustrated, so it’s better to speak early with what you know than to stay silent. It’s also important for the tone of the message to be just right. In a crisis, people are often stressed or upset. Your messages should show that you recognize those feelings, but you don’t want to sound robotic or too casual. You’ll want to communicate in a balanced manner. If you sound too unemotional—like saying, “Your request is being processed”—it can come off as cold. But if you try too hard to be friendly—like stating, “Hey, no worries, we got this!”—it might sound like you’re not taking the issue seriously. Instead, aim for a calm and respectful tone. A better approach might be to say, “We’re looking into this now and will share an update shortly.”. Another part of strong communication is audience segmentation. Not every customer needs the same message. High-value accounts often expect quicker responses and more detailed updates because of their long-term relationship or larger spend. New users may need extra context and reassurance since they’re still learning how your service works. And bulk buyers usually care about delivery times or order accuracy, so updates should focus on those points. Understand these differences so that you can communicate more effectively during a crisis. You can tailor updates by group. That might mean sending a personalized message to your biggest clients and a general update to everyone else. Or you may give your support team a list of top customers to contact directly. You can also create focused frequently asked questions, or FAQs, to give each group quick answers to the issues that matter most to them. This way, people get the kind of communication that will most benefit them. In a crisis, clear and honest communication builds trust. Give people the facts and use the right tone when speaking to any group or stakeholder. That’s how you lead with confidence when it matters most.

https://www.knowledgecity.com | Online Employee Training Platform. KnowledgeCity offers 50,000+ online video tutorials in Business, Technology, Safety, Compliance, and Finance.

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: http://bit.ly/2gcNXRH

Check our Blog
https://goo.gl/q47XKK

Connect with KnowledgeCity!
Twitter
https://goo.gl/wToC6s
Facebook
https://goo.gl/3eMEq9
LinkedIn
https://goo.gl/vg1aXt