Credibility is the key to managing disputes

People often ask me what is the single most important factor in successfully managing major problems and disputes. One word - credibility.

In a complaint or dispute scenario, the usual life of a problem sees it bounce from person to person as it works its way through the management chain. Each person along the way promises to fix the problem only to realise that they can’t, so they escalate it to their manager or to another part of the company. At each step the customer is given promises that it will be fixed only to find that for whatever reasons that person can't, won’t or don’t want to.

The longer this goes on, the more the customer will become agitated and frustrated at the lack of progress and failure to resolve. 

The key person in your organisation who manages complaints and disputes is seen by customers as the last remaining hope that their problem will be resolved. When you are the last point of escalation, you must remember that everyone who has touched the problem before you in the process is seen to have failed in one way or another. Otherwise the problem would never have landed on your desk!

Through the eyes of the customer those people have made promise after promise and despite their good intentions they have not succeeded.

Credibility is all about making promises you can keep. It is about making a commitment to do something to a deadline....and actually doing it!

In every situation, people always start off with their credibility intact in the eyes of another. They only lose credibility the moment they fail to meet a promise or a commitment.

Here are 4 key tips for you to use to manage problems and maintain your credibility.

Tip 1: Set realistic and achievable expectations

When you are the last escalation point, you can't afford to fall into the same trap as those before you, or you will be simply be seen as one of the same. Make sure that you keep your action plan and promises realistic. Don't commit to what you know can’t be achieved or you will be setting yourself up for failure.

Tip 2: Never miss a promise or a milestone

If you promise to have a task completed then make sure you get it done. If you promise to provide an update by a certain date, make sure you do so by that date. Missing a deadline, no matter what the task, leaves the other person thinking you too are not capable of addressing their problem. There is never an issue if the date needs to change or if the information you were waiting for is delayed, keeping the customer informed is the key.

Tip 3: Follow-up on every action

Don't skip any of the actions on your list. Your attention to detail is crucial to maintaining credibility.

Tip 4: Always communicate

There is nothing wrong with making a phone call to say "I am calling to let you know that I don’t have anything new to tell you". When you make that call, whilst the customer may not be happy with the lack of progress, at the very least they recognise that you kept your promise to call. The alternative is that you don’t make the call and they are left wondering if you have forgotten them.

Credibility must be at the forefront of every decision and every action you make. Just remember that everyone starts with credibility but you only need to fail once to break it and lose it for good.