Customer Service Success

Taking ownership is one of the most important problem-solving skills in customer service. It involves accepting responsibility for finding a resolution, even if it means putting in extra effort and navigating around obstacles that get in the way. It’s important to note that there are many reasons why customer service professionals might be tempted to avoid taking ownership. Here are just a few. One is: that’s not my job. Taking ownership doesn’t necessarily mean that you personally solved the problem. Rather, it means making sure it gets resolved, even if you have to coordinate with someone else whose job it is to take care of that issue. Another one is: I don’t want to get blamed. It’s natural to want to avoid being blamed for a problem, especially if you didn’t create it. Ownership is not about accepting blame, it’s a process for steering away from blame and focusing on finding a solution. Finally, some people say, “I don’t have time.” It can be difficult to take ownership of a situation when you’re already very busy. However, avoiding ownership is often worse because the problem doesn’t go away. Keep in mind that customers often view us as representing the entire company and they don’t care who does what. They just need someone like you to step up and help resolve the issue. Accepting responsibility for solving a customer’s problem often starts with the language we use.

One of the benefits of taking ownership is it can help you prevent customers from getting angry because they feel like you’re on their side and want to help them resolve their problem. If a customer does get upset, you can often use ownership to help them quickly feel better. Think of it as customer service judo, where you take all the energy that’s focused on the problem and redirect it towards finding a solution. Here are three steps you can take to accept ownership. 

1. Acknowledge the problem and the customer’s feelings so the customers know you’re there to help. For example, you might start by saying, “I’m sorry that happened,” or, “I can understand why you’re frustrated.” 
2. Refocus on finding a solution. Try to steer the conversation towards moving forward and solving the customer’s problem. So you might say, “Let’s see how we can solve this.” 
3. Follow up. In cases where you don’t personally fix the problem, it’s important to remember that you must still ensure the problem gets fixed by following up with the customer to ensure the problem is resolved to their satisfaction. For instance, you might check with a coworker to make sure your customer was happy with the solution. 

Many customer service problems come down to ownership. Problems often linger or fall through the cracks because nobody steps up to take responsibility. Many problems can be quickly fixed if just one person accepts ownership for finding a solution.