A customer enters a photo studio, visibly angry and upset. Apparently the studio ordered the wrong prints and overcharged the customer for the sitting and package. The customer’s voice is raised; she is going into great detail about each part of the order that is wrong. The receptionist begins to feel uncomfortable. She has a choice – either React or Respond to the customer.


React: The receptionist will focus on her own discomfort at being the focal point of the customer’s frustration. She may cave in quickly and give away the entire order to make the customer happy immediately. Or, she may get defensive and blame the customer for not checking the order more carefully when she signed it. She’ll say something like, “There’s nothing else I can do,” to try to end the conversation. Because the receptionist was focused on her narrow experience of the situation, either the studio loses (no revenue) or the customer loses (no satisfaction).

Respond: The receptionist recognizes that other things are more important to the situation than her own discomfort. Once she is able to focus beyond this narrow experience, many more options and opportunities become available. She can ask the customer questions and begin to find a solution that achieves the objectives of both the studio (making a profit and having a loyal customer base) and the customer (getting a correct order and compensation for inconvenience).  She quickly sees that her discomfort is only a small part of the overall situation.

From this perspective, the solution might be a discount on the sitting fee or a free extra print. However, the receptionist can only think on these terms if she’s not consumed by her own discomfort. If she’s Responding, she stands a better chance of making everyone happy and successful.

These skills can be taught! Click here for more information on Cultivating a Wise Response.