Reclamação? Cuidado com as desculpas

"It’s the first rule of customer service: When something goes wrong, apologize. In many cases, the apologies continue throughout the interaction as an employee goes the extra mile to convey empathy and concern. But surprising new research shows that approach can backfire: An apology that extends beyond the first seconds of an interaction can reduce customer satisfaction. Employees should instead focus on demonstrating how creatively and energetically they are trying to solve the customer’s problem—that, not warmth or empathy, is what drives satisfaction.
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Employees who expressed a great deal of empathy or tried to appear bright and cheerful did a poor job of satisfying customers, especially if this relational work extended beyond the first moments of the conversation. And customers cared less about the actual outcome (for example, whether a missing bag was quickly located) than about the process by which the employee tried to offer assistance. “It’s not about the solution—it’s about how you get there,” Singh says.
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We’re all trained to apologize when something goes wrong—and the desire to do so is almost instinctive. Lately, though, I’ve avoided words like “apologize” and “sorry.” Instead, I’ll say something like, “I acknowledge the problem, but you probably want us to move immediately into finding options to solve it, so let’s start talking about the options.” This goes against our instincts, but it’s very effective. Clients care less about the apology and more about how quickly and effectively you present options and solutions.
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the researchers point to leadership studies that have found a trade-off between perceptions of warmth and perceptions of competence. They hypothesize that the same phenomenon exists in service recovery: If employees project a lot of warmth, customers perceive them to be less competent.
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After those opening seconds, the researchers say, employees should focus on energetically and creatively exploring a range of potential solutions to the problem. This brainstorming phase, more than anything else, is what customers will use to assess the encounter—and the more ingenuity an employee shows, the better.
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So instead of obsessing over the perfect language to use, employees should learn to dive in. “Just get into the task and generate interesting options for the customer—that makes all the difference,” Singh says."

Trechos retirados de "“Sorry” Is Not Enough"