Let’s face it. 

Even the most long-standing, well-reputed businesses suffer their rainy days. From moments when the customers prove a little too irksome to reason with. 

Only interested – as they are – in hearing themselves speak. 

Placating their – often entitled – egos at the expense of passive recipients. Shunning every sincere offer. Discounting all attempts to make ends meet.

So as a cell phone repair shop or tech, how do you deal with such situations? 

You can’t afford to ignore the said bothersome. Neither can you accept every unreasonable charge made as is. There needs to be some ‘win-win’ middle ground here. 

If only you could click on a suitable repair shop software button; do your troubles away. 

There’s only one solution here.

You’ve got to take the old-fashioned approach. 

Get down and dirty with the soft-skilling. Reach for a comfortable mind-meld with the seeming foe. Make them see your vantage – and fulfill it with an ‘icing’. 

In this blog, I’ve listed 5 social psychology-derived hacks on taking back control. And putting a smile, believe it or not, on that beautiful face with a snarl. ?

So here goes (I hope you’ve got your pen and paper handy)!

1. Do the Good Ol’ Narrative Reframe

Every argument bases itself on logic. Or at least it should – if we’re being all technical. 

Your job as a cell phone repair shop conflict-resolver?

Finding gaps in the argument which you can use to lighten its accusative thrust. 

Picture it as an attempt to puncture holes in a balloon’s (the argument’s) soft spaces. You’re aiming for an all-out deflation.

Now, this approach works only if you’re in the right. Otherwise, you risk your contender catching on; putting one over you instead.

More so than psychology, this recourse is rhetorical. It comes from the world of ancient sophistry.

Every argument, of course, comes with its emotional attachments. It is these pesky complements that lie at the heart of the problem. The subject of our next step.

2. Weed Out the Hurt

Emotions complicate things.

They exaggerate a problem more than its actionable scope.

In a business relationship, they only favor your end when they veer more towards mirth. The joviality expressed by your customers in the wake of a good job done. 

So for the most part, you want to try to defuse them.

One effective way to do this is to take the Stoics’ route. 

In practice, this looks something like this:

When an angered customer comes your way, all bellowing and heaving, go neutral. DON’T smile in the least. That’s a surefire way to appear like a prat. A smug know-it-all who is confident of holding the upper hand over the rager. Symbolizing a power imbalance that only puts more fire to the flame.

You don’t want to appear too worried either. That would invite further bullying. And a doing away of all the respect that you’re deserving of. 

Instead, you want to appear impassive. Keep your facial features soft but opaque. Don’t reveal anything. At most, put on the lip-turn of slight concern.

This careful tinkering – natural to spurn for some people – comes with practice. But when done right, it allows you to convey your message. Diffuse the situation. And not let the mice run away with the cheese!

3. Get Creative with Gifts (No – they’re not bribes!)

To the average human, nothing conveys sincerity more so than a gift. When given by a deemed offender, it imparts a certain ‘power’ to forgive the clients’ court. This, further, makes it easy to do the placating.

Now the gift doesn’t need to be something over-the-top. Something inexpensive would do. What counts here is the body-rendering of an apology. 

A wily technique adopted by many brands involves wrapping such trinkets in paper. These packaged goodies – often a simple quill – resist all attempts at valuation.

Nowadays, many repair tracking software allow for gift wrapper labeling. They understand the need for these handouts and cater with default printings. The sorts that make them ideal for well-frequented outlets. 

4. Sit Down, Son – and Vent

Sometimes, what you and your customers need is a simple sit-down affair. The chance where the client gets to voice their concerns. Whether imagined or not, you need to consider them legit. At the same time, your customer will get to hear your side of the picture.

More often than not, clients are willing to forgive honest hiccups. But to cajole this large-heartedness, you need to be beseeching in your approach. No airs of superiority or high-handedness.

Oftentimes, you can learn a new business idea or two from such encounters. What’s more, your benefitting customer, when made aware, will feel good about the exchange. These back-and-forths tickle their ego. On occasion, they can even become part of the brand story. 

Brand representatives have emerged from more unlikely scenarios!

As a repair tech or store owner, you just need to be willing to connect. 

5. The Cell Phone Repair shop Software Trick

If you didn’t already know this, there’s a neat trick you can use that involves the above. No – nothing untoward. Only a cognitive lapse that you can take advantage of. 

Both you and your clients understand that no software solution is foolproof. Bugs happen – they’re a part of the modern, lived experience. 

As a repair tech, you need to be willing to shift the blame a bit. 

Whenever you’re faced with a taxing customer complaint, put it on the tech. Say that you’re sorry for the experience; that the culprit is the nuts and bolts. It happens. Cell phone repair shop software oops tales are as plentiful as the stars in the sky. So this shouldn’t be a hard sell.

Now, this is a last-resort option, as you might understand. Suited to the times when you’ve messed things up on your end, and you need a scapegoat.

Until the time that AI frameworks develop consciousness, I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t make good on this route.

Cut your losses short, as they say.

And please don’t feel guilty about it.