From business owners to consumers alike, dealing with an unpleasant client like Karen can be challenging. Understanding how best to approach these scenarios will make the experience simpler for both of you.
Dani Weller, team leader of Bionic, shares some insightful advice for dealing with this particular customer type.
1. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions
Strategic questioning can help build stronger connections with clients and better understand their needs, so you can tailor your work around real issues or knowledge gaps that they face.
Further, understanding what customers want can lead to more efficient solutions.
Karens can have an unfortunate tendency of canceling appointments at the last minute, which wastes both time and money for your business. Therefore, it is vital to have a clearly posted cancellation policy on both your website and booking system.
Before beginning work with any client, it is wise to have contracts in place that define policies, prices, and responsibilities. This will prevent Karens from setting unrealistic expectations or pressuring you into doing something against your will.
2. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Help
If you find yourself working with Karen, it is imperative that you reach out for assistance and ask for it without worry of jeopardizing your work.
Assuring this will prevent your client from feeling dissatisfied with the service they’ve received from you and ensure they will have positive associations.
One way to prevent this from happening is to put into effect a cancellation policy that outlines their obligations so clients understand them and avoid last-minute cancellations which can become an extra hassle for your business.
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Time Off
With today’s busy work lives, taking time off can often feel impossible; yet vacationing is essential to your health and wellbeing.
Many people feel guilty or stressed if they miss taking days off work, which defeats the purpose of taking such time off and can affect how easily you return to the workplace with refreshed mind and body.
Establishing fair and flexible time off policies that permit managers to exercise discretion will enable your company to better manage schedules. Furthermore, creating a roster of reliable part-time employees who can fill in when you are unavailable is also beneficial.
4. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Feedback
When dealing with Karen clients, it can be easy to take feedback personally – however this could be an opportunity to grow from different perspectives and gain more experience.
Feedback is given as an aid to helping you succeed, and so it’s vital not only to ask for it but also accept and act on it.
Karen originated as a meme referring to middle-aged white women who use their privilege to demand what they want, regardless of what’s considered normal. It gained momentum during 2020 during coronavirus pandemic outbreak and protests for racial justice.
5. Don’t Be Afraid To Say No
As part of any service business, you are sure to encounter difficult clients from time to time. In order to keep customers satisfied and grow your business effectively, knowing how to address these types of clients effectively is essential.
One of the key strategies when dealing with clients such as Karen is not caving in to their demands or pressuring them into something that runs contrary to company policy.
This can be especially challenging when Karen is being unreasonable, making you feel as if your business doesn’t matter because you don’t agree with their demands. To prevent this from happening, implement a cancellation policy into PocketSuite that automatically charges their credit card when they miss an appointment or fail to cancel within an acceptable time frame.
6. Don’t Be Afraid To Say Thank You
Saying thank you is key to building long-term customer relationships and can even attract new ones. Saying it has proven its effectiveness time after time!
FluentU is an ideal way to learn the correct way of saying “thank you”, providing users with access to a host of vocabulary and grammar exercises in an entertaining, interactive learning environment.
As far as business names go, Karen can only help. It’s an easily remembered name that brings smiles when people hear it. Just be wary of any potential pitfalls when selecting this name – remember it will remain prominent for years, which can only benefit your venture!
7. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Feedback
“Karen” has become a common insult online for certain types of individuals; typically middle-aged white women with short bob haircuts known as “speak to the manager hair”.
Attitude-wise, they tend to be self-centered and insistent of their rightful place in society; often rudely and racist towards service staff.
This has led to numerous unfortunate incidents worldwide; for example, one viral clip depicting Karen fighting with a Red Lobster employee is absolutely priceless.
Some observers have drawn parallels between today’s Karens and Carolyn Bryant, the white woman who falsely accused Emmett Till of offending her, leading to his brutal execution by the KKK. To protect those affected by such actions and to preserve our nation’s progress. It’s therefore vitally important that people are made aware of any potentially racist undertones in such actions taken against individuals like Karen.
8. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Time Off
One of the primary reasons people don’t request time off is fear that their manager will deny them. Yet we all deserve some much-needed R&R – and asking in such a way will make both you and your manager pleased!
At your workplace, ensure there is an acceptable vacation policy and follow it religiously. Career coach and consultant Julian Phillippi noted that by adhering to this plan, it will make it easier for your boss to grant you time off when needed.
9. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For Feedback
Feedback can be an effective tool to help individuals improve their performance, but giving and receiving it may be challenging due to feelings of anxiety, defensiveness, frustration, guilt or disappointment.
SkyeTeam CEO Morag Barrett emphasizes the importance of including feedback in everyday communication as a part of professional growth and creating an ideal work culture. By doing so, giving feedback won’t seem like something special but rather part of daily business practice and an integral component of building an inclusive culture at your workplace.
However, it’s essential to remember that dealing with clients like Karen doesn’t need to be hard or unpleasant. With some preparation, patience, and understanding on your side, every situation can become an opportunity for collaboration – follow these 10 tips above so you can ensure they feel heard, understood, and appreciated!
10. Don’t Be Afraid To Say Thank You
No matter if it’s your friend who drove across town to bring dinner after realizing how busy you were or an international client who flew in for an important project with you – showing appreciation is one of the best ways to show how much we care.
But why is thanking someone so important? Gratitude can have many positive benefits on both you and those around you; not to mention helping foster stronger relationships among them all.
