Almost all customers are honest. But some customers lie to get their way, free stuff or special treatment. Here’s how to identify and handle the liars.
Look for these five signs someone’s lying to you:
- Emotions are off. Customers who are overly emotional, or don’t show enough emotion, show signs that they’re pretending to care that much or that little.
- Timing is off. Customers who express an emotion, then act it out later, may be lying. For instance, a customer says he’s angry in a loud voice, then seconds later pounds his fist on a table.
- Resolutions are made. When asked a question, liars sometimes restate the question to make an emphatic point. You might ask, “Did you recently drop the remote?” A liar would likely say, “No, I did not drop the remote!” instead of, “No, I didn’t.”
- Speech is mumbled. Liars often mumble or talk in a low voice – probably hoping agents won’t catch everything they say and just take their word for it.
- Rate of speech is fast. Liars want to get what they’re after quickly, so they’ll try to move conversations along quicker than what’s natural.
When agents think they’re dealing with a liar, they’ll want to amp up their reliance on facts. Ask about specifics that could’ve or should’ve been documented. Check records and remind customers of what is known as fact.
