Communication Skills: Addressing Customer Complaint Scenario Analysis

This assignment presents a case study involving an administrative assistant tasked with resolving a customer complaint. An elderly man, Mr. Beddinghaus, is unhappy about leaves from the business property falling onto his lawn. The student's solution outlines the steps taken to address Mr. Beddinghaus's concerns, including active listening, acknowledging his issue, and offering multiple solutions to find a mutually agreeable resolution, despite the business not being legally obligated to remove the leaves. The student demonstrates effective communication strategies, such as empathy and finding a compromise, while also addressing the challenge of gracefully ending lengthy phone calls and maintaining a positive business reputation. The solution also highlights how the company provided additional compensation in the form of a customer reward.

Running head: INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Interpersonal and Communication Skills
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Scenario 1:
After listening to the entire complaint carefully, I told Mr. Beddinghaus that his
complaint has been taken into account and that this concern that he is worried about, is being
looked after with serious importance (Erozkan, 2013). Even though the company is not under
any legal obligation to remove the leaves anyhow, yet I told him that I will recognise his
problem, acknowledge it and try to clarify the real issue that is bothering him.
After speaking with the boss and confirming the fact that the company would not be able
to pay to rake his yard yet we have to remain in good terms with Mr. Beddinghaus, I thought
about the issue thoroughly and offered multiple solutions to Mr. Beddinghaus to make him come
to terms with us. To begin with, I asked for some time to think through the issue and get his
complaint sorted.
Scenario 2:
The second time Mr. Beddinghaus called; I apologized for the trouble that he still was
facing and informed him that I was working on a solution that would be convenient for both the
parties (Koprowska, 2014). Multiple Solutions were offered like trimming the leaves once a
month, or providing contacts so that he could call for people who would clean his yard.
It was my responsibility to come up with such a solution that would be convenient for
both Mr. Beddinghaus and our Company, since we cannot afford to help Mr. Beddinghaus
financially to get his yard raked. After having a discussion with my boss and getting to know the
root cause of the problem, I put forth the alternative solution that I came up with and asked for a
little amendment in order to stay in good terms with Mr. Beddinghaus.

2INTERPERSONAL AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Scenario 3:
With a little convincing, my boss agreed about the eco-friendly nature of my solution,
and I waited for Mr. Beddinghaus’ agreement. I offered him a yard scraper who would rake his
yard along with the company’s yard twice a week, so that the leaves do not create much mess
around his property or ours.
Mr. Beddinghaus when came to an agreement with the alternative solution, it became
evident that he is not a chronic complainer even though he called in for three times to get his
issue sorted (Geisinger, 2016). Once he got a convenient solution, his agreement was polite and
he agreed to adjust in accordance to the company’s financial capability. In addition to the
solution I provided, our company also provided to gift him with a customer reward as a way of
compensating for the inconvenience he had to go through.

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References:
Erozkan, A. (2013). The Effect of Communication Skills and Interpersonal Problem Solving
Skills on Social Self-Efficacy. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 13(2), 739-
745.
Geisinger, K. F. (2016). 21st century skills: What are they and how do we assess them?. Applied
Measurement in Education, 29(4), 245-249.
Koprowska, J. (2014). Communication and interpersonal skills in social work. Learning Matters.