How does solving difficult-customer situations benefit you personally?

Eva works at a hotel registration desk. When a customer was checking in tonight, Eva reminded him that checkout time would be 11:00 a.m. “No, it’s not!” he exclaimed. “It’s always at 11:30!” Eva’s customer is

Rich works the cash register at a retail store. The store is unusually busy today, and Rich’s line has grown long. A woman at the back of the line remarks loudly, “This is absolutely ridiculous!” Rich’s customer is

Stacey works at a fancy gift shop. Many of the items in the shop are expensive collectibles, and Stacey is very knowledgeable about them. Today, a man comes in looking for a gift for his wife. Stacey offers to help, but he just grunts at her and turns his back. Stacey’s customer is

Jonathan works in his small town’s only grocery store. He is on a first-name basis with most of the customers who come in. Cheryl is a difficult customer. Sometimes she’s really friendly, and other times she snaps at Jonathan. She is a(n) __________ customer.

Darcie is a lifeguard at the local beach. Sometimes, she has to blow her whistle to signal to swimmers that they have gone out too far. Today, one of the risky swimmers runs up to her and shouts, “I wasn’t out too far! You must be blind!” This is an example of a(n) __________ customer.

Ellen works at a golf course. During the summer, she drives a golf cart around the course, selling cold drinks and snacks to the golfers. It’s a beautiful day, and the course is especially crowded. Ellen offers one golfer a cold drink, and she replies, “Well, I guess I’ll have time, since the play is so slow. It’s not very fun to have to wait so long between holes. Who is running this course? You always set your tee times way too close together!” Ellen’s customer is

Carrie has a summer job cleaning and maintaining backyard pools. Her boss thinks she does a great job. Today, she has a new client. For a while, he was watching her from the porch, and then he came out and stood just a few feet away from her. “Don’t do it that way,” he instructed. “You’re using too much chlorine. Should I just measure it out for you?” Carrie’s customer is

Mitch works at the layaway counter in a retail store. The store’s layaway policy is clearly posted on a sign over the counter, but sometimes customers just don’t “get it.” Today, a woman asked about 15 questions to make sure she understood the policy correctly. She was a __________ customer.

Jill works behind the counter at a fast-food restaurant. The restaurant prides itself on great food and quick service. Right now, a man is staring up at the menu trying to decide what he wants to order, and a line is quickly forming behind him. Jill asks, “May I take your order?” but he remains silent. This customer is

Randy works at a batting cage. Today, a customer came to him to complain that the machine did not give as many pitches as she paid for and demanded a refund. Randy checked out the machine and didn’t find anything wrong with it. He had a feeling that the customer was just trying to practice for free but didn’t have any proof. Randy’s customer is

Which of the following is the best way to handle argumentative customers:

Which of the following is the best way to handle dishonest customers:

Which of the following is the best way to handle impatient customers:

Which of the following is the best way to handle slow/methodical customers:

Which of the following is the best way to handle leave-me-alone customers:

Which of the following is the best way to handle suspicious customers:

Which of the following is the best way to handle irritable/moody customers:

Which of the following is the best way to handle domineering/superior customers:

A complaint is any expression of

Which of the following is a common way for customers to express their complaints:

Mark is unhappy with the way his new shirt wrinkles, and he shows it to the salesperson. Mark’s complaint is an example of a

Which of the following skills can an employee use to uncover the hidden reason for a customer’s complaint:

Customer complaints can affect a salesperson by

Which of the following is a potential cost of customer complaints:

Negative “word of mouth” advertising due to unresolved customer complaints can cost a business its

Spending a lot of time on customer complaints can cause a business to be

Which of the following are the three major areas of customer complaints:

Which of the following situations could result in a product complaint:

A customer complained about the new toaster she had purchased because, even on the lowest setting, it burned the toast. This kind of complaint is caused by the

Which of the following is a common source of product complaints:

Sometimes, “false” product complaints can occur when a customer

Which of the following is a common source of complaints about personnel:

A customer tries to pay with a credit card, but the employee tells him, “I’m sorry, sir. We only accept cash.” This situation is likely to generate a complaint about

Which of the following is a reason a customer might complain about a business:

Which of the following is a true statement regarding customer complaints:

Handling customer complaints appropriately can create

A general rule that employees should follow is called a

Gloria, an employee at a party supply store, has encountered an unhappy customer. She has a step-by-step process she’ll follow to deal with the situation. This process is known as a

The first step in handling customer complaints is

Employees often find that it is difficult for complaining customers to remain angry when they

After re-stating a customer’s complaint, the employee should

Which of the following is a true statement about company policy:

The last step in handling a customer complaint appropriately is

Many people make the mistake of thinking that customer relationship management refers solely to

Which of the following is an example of a customer relationship management initiative:

In the past, customer relationship management was used mainly as a way to

Customers tend to look at a business as a whole despite the number of __________ they experience.

In the modern business world, a growing number of interactions between businesses and customers are taking place

Which of the following is no longer a consideration in customers’ buying decisions for many products:

Our economy has shifted from a service economy to a(n) __________ economy.

The main goal of customer experience management is creating

The main difference between customer relationship management and customer experience management is that CRM focuses on

Having clear customer relationship management goals before putting a program into place helps businesses to avoid

Which of the following types of information does a company need customer input to obtain:

Which of the following is a common customer relationship management practice:

Customer relationship management can help a business to identify its

Which of the following is a benefit of customer relationship management:

Customer relationship management increases sales and profits by increasing

A business’s organizational structure can sometimes have a negative effect on customer relationship management because

What component of customer relationship management often “makes or breaks” a business’s program?

When a business communicates customer-centric values and ideals to its employees on a consistent basis, it is developing its

A business improves its technology so it can better meet customer wants and needs. This results from a business activity known as

When a business evaluates its business processes to make them more efficient and effective, it can improve its relationships with customers. This process is called

A logo is a brand’s

Brand promise connects to customers on a(n) __________ level.

“I’m lovin’ it” is one of McDonald’s famous brand

Which of the following is a true statement about brand promise:

Which of the following is a benefit of brand promise:

Brand promise helps to increase brand awareness and brand

How does brand promise affect employees?

When a customer sees a news story on television about a certain company or brand, it’s an example of a(n)

Which of the following is considered a pre-sale touchpoint:

During-the-sale touchpoints should be designed to

Which of the following is an example of a post-sale touchpoint:

Which of the following is a true statement regarding touchpoints:

A certain electronics brand portrays the characteristics of youth, energy, and hopefulness. This is an example of

A certain company values creativity and encourages this trait among its employees, affecting how its brand promise is carried out. This factor is called

The most important factor in carrying out brand promise is

The benefit that a brand promises to its target customers must be

Customers are more likely to be loyal to brands that they feel

The easiest way to learn your company’s brand promise is to

You can recognize a true brand promise if it

When it comes to the brand promise, employees should