Dealing with Difficult Members: 5 Foolproof Techniques

Dealing with difficult people is an unfortunate byproduct of the financial services industry. From the teller line, to the call center, to collections, dealing with borrowers who are confused, angry, and looking for somebody to blame is a daily occurrence. In the financial industry, the member is almost always right – even if they aren’t. Frontline staff need to develop a thick skin and a solutions-oriented toolkit to work through these challenging interactions – and remember that the member is not always expressing frustration with the institution. Their ire is most often tied to external events or other triggers. Unfortunately, we live in an age where a single negative interaction could multiply through social media and internet reviews to become a real danger to your reputation. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to meet their needs with as little emotional trauma as possible.

Fortunately, there are methods that focus on a positive outcome and work through most situations. Anger is a natural emotion and one which is almost universally experienced. Rather than return anger for anger or lose a good member, why not try to build a better interaction? Join financial industry veteran and former collections attorney, David Reed, as he walks through real-life scenarios and effective techniques to manage angry members and achieve transactional success.