Karen is not your usual customer; they represent an entirely unique breed of challenging customers who can quickly take control of any situation and dictate its course. Think middle seat on a long flight or humidity on a sunny day: this person needs attention!
Bionic has reported that women named Karen are among the most unfavorable customers, yet no clear guidelines exist on how best to handle a Karen?
1. Try to Listen to Their Complaints
Karens can be an immense drain on any business’s resources. Not only can they waste your time with last minute cancellations or no shows, but they can cost money as they demand appointments at their convenience instead of yours. To prevent such situations, it is crucial that there is a clearly stated cancellation policy which makes it evident to Karens that they will incur a cancellation fee for any cancellation within a certain amount of time or no shows.
Dani Weller, Bionic’s customer service team leader, shares her advice for dealing with Karens: “Stay calm and listen to their issues,” she advises. Even if you disagree with them, listening can help create solutions that benefit both parties involved.
2. Keep Calm
One of the key steps when dealing with Karens is remaining calm. They thrive on drama and mayhem, so losing your cool only makes matters worse for them.
Be patient as you listen to their complaints and determine whether there is any way you can accommodate them. If this cannot be accomplished, attempt to convey this news without raising emotions; stick to facts when explaining this news.
Try to keep the encounter as short as possible, since allowing her to drag out could result in her venting her frustration online and posting one-star Google reviews or derogatory social media comments about your business, which would damage its reputation and encourage further confrontational behaviour from her in future interactions. Therefore, aim to minimize or avoid this scenario at all costs.
3. Don’t Give In to Their Demands
Karens can be notorious for last-minute cancellations and no shows, so it is vital that your cancellation policy be made known to clients so you can proactively deter them from taking advantage of you and charge them should their appointment be cancelled at short notice.
Keep in mind that Karens are not rational people; they tend to see the world through only their own perspective and cannot understand alternative viewpoints.
Good news is that efforts to dismantle white supremacy have started to reduce Karens’ power in workplaces, yet their brutal ways remain present in our society until permanent change takes place. Here are some steps you can take now to manage them effectively in your workplace.
4. Remind Her of Your Cancellation Policy
Karens have become a common facet in service-based industries. Although they can be irritating to deal with and can create an hostile work environment for other employees, there are ways to manage these individuals successfully.
One of the most critical steps you can take is reminding clients about your cancellation policy and cancellation fee, to avoid Karens from trying to take advantage of you. Make your cancellation fee highly visible through emails or an all-in-one scheduling app such as PocketSuite that automatically charges clients’ cards if they cancel within a specified amount of time or fail to show for their appointment.
Keep a record of all interactions with Karens; this will come in handy should the need arise to escalate it with management or HR.
5. Let Her Know You’re Not Going to Change Her Mind
If you have been active online in recent years, chances are you have come across “Karen.” Karen is the unfortunate nickname given to a middle-aged white female employee who displays complain and entitled behavior such as demanding to speak to their manager.
Karens can be an enormous source of irritation for bosses trying to run businesses focused on providing exceptional customer service. But don’t despair: There are steps that you can take to manage Karen encounters and prevent them from spiralling out of control.
Remind her of the contract that was signed when she accepted the job. This will serve two purposes: 1) it may make her reconsider escalated complaints and 2) it will remind her that she must adhere to all policies set out by her employer.
6. Remind Her That You Have a Contract in Place
Karens can make it difficult for your team to focus on its tasks, with their complaints and entitlement creating an unpleasant work environment for all involved. While you cannot change a Karen’s mind, there are steps you can take to manage their behavior more easily.
Bionic’s customer service team leader, Dani Weller, advises taking time to listen and consider all concerns from your clients – even if their point of view seems off. “Even if their point of view seems wrong to you, at least show a willingness to hear their perspective out,” says Dani.
Karen also recommends reminding Karens of your cancellation policy to prevent them from making last-minute cancellations or no shows, and inform them they will be charged if they do not cancel at least 24 hours in advance – this is an effective way to protect both yourself and your business from possible abusers.
7. Remind Her That You Have a Cancellation Policy in Place
Karens are an extreme example of an unreasonable customer. These individuals don’t simply complain about minor issues; instead, they make outrageous demands that can demoralize employees and cost companies money in lost productivity and productivity losses.
Many associate Karens with Baby Boomers, but now also Millennials and Gen Zers are often being called Karens. Some have even coined the term “Karencore” to refer to the style and aesthetic associated with these women — “speak to the manager” haircuts, minivans and Spotify playlists of 2000s pop music all come to mind as indicators.
If you find yourself facing Karen, it is essential that you remain calm. By not giving in to her demands and maintaining an effective cancellation policy in place, reminding her that late cancellation or no-show appointments will incur charges will ensure a successful interaction.
8. Remind Her That You Have a Cancellation Policy in Place
Karens can make life at work very challenging for everyone involved. It’s important to remember that their presence creates a toxic atmosphere for those around them, causing frustration and stress in turn.
Remind Karens of your cancellation policy so they understand it will deter last-minute cancellations or not attending appointments, knowing they will incur charges should this occur.
Implementing and reminding clients about an effective cancellation policy is vital to the success of your business or practice. When creating it, keep your individual circumstances and clientele in mind as you formulate it, then implement and remind clients about it via your website and appointment reminders – this will reduce last minute cancellations/no shows faster and help get things back on track faster!
9. Remind Her That You Have a Cancellation Policy in Place
Remind her that they signed the contract and agreed to its terms and conditions if they attempt to pressure you into doing things that go against your policy (like giving her discounts or free service). Show them this document, remind her they signed it, and that this demonstrates they understand they signed it and accepted its terms and conditions.
Doing this will help keep the confrontation short and prevent her from trying to wear down your resolve with her entitlement claims. Furthermore, having this documentation will give you some protection should she decide to bring in an attorney or file a grievance with HR.
As a business owner, you must ensure you enforce your cancellation policy while providing exceptional customer service. Karens may present unique challenges when it comes to customer interactions but keep in mind they could turn into loyal clients if given enough convincing arguments! Good luck with that goal!
