Unit 5 Vocabulary: Dealing With Difficult Customers

Noun (thing)
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Allegations
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claims where blame is placed on someone, without proof, such as bad service, theft of personal property, or rude behavior
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"The allegations the customer made about the waiter were untrue, he had not been rude to them."
Noun (thing)
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Argument
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a verbal disagreement, often angry, by two or more people who cannot find common ground on a given topic
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"I had to be careful how to deal with this customer because I had heard her arguing with the manager earlier and I did not want to cause another argument."
Noun (thing)
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Behavior
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what people commonly do or act like
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"My manager is watching my behavior towards the customers and if he is pleased with what he sees, he will give me a pay rise."
Noun (thing)
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Defense mechanism
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behavior of people protecting themselves, often automatically or unconsciously as a result of anxiety
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"Last time I dealt with this customer, I was so afraid I used a defence mechanism; I blamed someone else to get away from them quickly."
Noun (person)
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Difficult customer
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a guest who constantly complains, even if the service was good
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"I was very worried when my manager said I had to deal with the difficult customer."
Noun (person)
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Employee
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someone who is hired to perform certain duties, and is given set roles and responsibilities to carry out
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"I was so pleased at becoming employee of the month; it showed that my boss appreciated how hard I had worked."
Noun (thing)
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Golden rule
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the most important thing to remember about a job, such as "treat others as you wish to be treated"
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"Housekeeping said the golden rule to keeping this customer happy was to make sure he had plenty of fresh towels."
Verb (infinitive)
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Interact
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to communicate with someone else with or without speaking, such as smiling, nodding, waving, and saying "Good morning" when you pass in the hallway
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"Learning how to interact with customers is a really important part of working with the public."
Noun (thing)
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Open body language
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the non-spoken communication of a person, to show a person that they are approachable, and friendly
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"When my friend was very cross with the waiter, remaining calm and collected, and showing open body language helped calm the situation down."
Noun (thing)
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Paraphrasing
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the ability to summarize the main point of a longer conversation or speech, but in your own words
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"Paraphrasing is something I am not very good at, because I nearly always forget something that is said to me."
Proper noun (thing)
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Reputation
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the general public opinion of a specific person or entity
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"The hotel had a fantastic reputation, so we immediately booked the largest suite when it became available."
Verb (infinitive)
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Summarize
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to rephrase everything that has been said in a shorter way, usually to clarify intent or meaning
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"Summarizing the customer's complaint helped me see how I could solve it for them and it also helped to put the customer's mind at ease."
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