Handling for Squad Leads : Supporting Gurus During Difficult Interactions - Support without taking over
Supporting without taking over: The Live interaction
Live listening & support
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Hop on that call or chat - it can be better to not let the guru know you’re there to prevent them from feeling self-conscious or accidentally saying a manager is listening
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Gain additional context on the merchant's tone and position
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Give them wording they can use in the moment:
Help to identify the root cause of the merchant’s frustration and which gameplan is best.
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Ask the guru what they have so far - provide suggests or pivot if needed.
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Can you reach out to another team while your guru handles the call and gathers more information?
Look for Red flags
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Some things are indicators of an interaction going wrong and can help guide the solution
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Merchant is repeating themselves
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Raised voices
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Swearing
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Using phrases such as “make this right”, “do the right thing”
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Look for any defensive language or slips in confidence which can derail an interaction
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Long pauses/Holds
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Using filler language like “Um” & “Like”
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Sighing
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Using phrases like “As I’ve already…”, “As I’ve said…”
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Guide them to a more productive place with options and alternatives
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What can we do for the merchant?
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Walk them through the de-escalation process, scripting them if needed
Reminding them “why”
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It can be tough when you’re being yelled at to find empathy for the merchant or even remember why you’re doing this.
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Give them back that motivation to help - the merchant will sense it and will be more likely to work with the guru.
Help to find appropriate guru cards/docs
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We’ve all had tough interactions and finding resources under pressure can be a challenge
It's not an incident but you need guidance? Don't forget that your lead has your back and there are lots of resource in Guru - Search "Handling for Leads" and you can always reach out for peer support in #ir-strategy-discuss Reflect after the call
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In the moment, the tips above can help a guru get through a live interaction with a successful outcome. After they have had time to cool off though, we want to ensure we close the loop and talk through the why’s and decision making process so that they can rock it on their own in the future :)
Supporting without taking over: The follow-up interaction
Before we send a follow-up email or make an outbound call after a tricky interaction - help your Guru prepare for success
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Have a prep hangout or touch base in Slack
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Prepare questions that the merchant might ask (to answer proactively)
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If we anticipate the merchant’s needs they will know we want them to be successful
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Help with positioning and tone (editing)
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Reminding them of the “why”
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This can help prevent defensiveness or argumentative language slipping through
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Talk about the successes with difficult calls/situations in their past
https://app.getguru.com/#/facts/b4d9ec5c-8fe0-41b4-a9b8-70e37dc7458d