Reflection: Interpersonal Communication Issue
Dear Brad,
Best regards,
Shu Ling
Posts commented on:
1. Cheryl
2. Shyartini
3. Jeaine
4. Delvine
In this post, I would be sharing an interpersonal communication problem that occurred during my part-time work at an insurance broker company. I was the admin assistant of a financial adviser. One of my job scopes was to help clients with the online purchase of travel insurance.
There are various types of travel insurance plans with different coverage and premiums. One day, I was instructed by my boss to assist a client with the online purchase of travel insurance. Amidst me being busy with other work, she verbally provided me with the travel details before rushing off for her appointment. I was tasked to settle the travel insurance before I head out for lunch.
Hastily, I went to the general insurance portal and was about to purchase the travel plan for the client. However, I realised that I did not take down the client's preferred plan. I tried contacting my boss but to no avail. Hence, in the rush of time, I made my own assumption that the client will most likely opt for the standard travel plan and proceeded to purchase it using the client's credit card.
A few hours later, I was questioned by my boss as her client was angry that the wrong travel plan was purchased and that payment was already made. The client wanted the plan with a higher coverage. I felt stressed and helpless at that point in time. Despite it being my mistake, I was upset that the information was not communicated to me properly and timely. Although the charges were waived off and the correct plan was purchased eventually, what could be done to prevent this mistake?
Best regards,
Shu Ling
Posts commented on:
1. Cheryl
2. Shyartini
3. Jeaine
4. Delvine
Hello Shu Ling!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience working at the insurance broker company. If I were in your shoes, especially dealing money, I would double confirm with my boss regarding the instructions that was given to me. However, given the circumstance and as your boss were rushing off for her appointment, I would assume that she does not have the time to clarify your questions. Therefore, I would still try to contact my boss through a text message (given that she will be in a meeting) or a phone call. In the case that there is still no answer, I would rather be safe and wait till further instructions were given. Anyway, were there any information on previous insurance purchases for the client?
Best Regards,
Zakiyah
Hi Shu Ling,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience and I am sorry you have gone though a tough situation. Personally, I am often intimidated when it comes to handling of money and making big decisions. Therefore, if I were to encounter similar situation, I would wait for my boss to be back from his/her meeting before making any decision as I would rather apologise to the client for the delay in booking than making a mistake. However, I understand your circumstances at that critical point of time and given the fact that you do not want to cause a delay in the booking for the client, you chose to use your instincts to make the decision.
Nevertheless, I believe you have learnt from the incident and you will be able to approach the situation better if you encounter similar situation in future. Once again, thank you for sharing your experience as I have learn from it as well.
Cheers,
Cheryl
Hi Shu Ling,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us your experience. If I was in your shoes, I would have confirmed with my boss regarding all the information needed. If I had missed the information as it was given to me hastily, I would have left a message right after my boss left to reaffirm the details. Waiting until I'm at the shop itself to clarify the details would be too late and hence not advisable. I hope this serves as a learning point for all of us.
Dear Shu Ling
ReplyDeleteI am writing on behalf of myself and Delvine with regards to the interpersonal communication issue that you have mentioned. We feel for your situation and understand that it would have been better if more comprehensive instructions were given earlier to you by your boss. We believe that you also reflected on the mistakes made.
If the situation were to arise again, we would recommend you to use the effective communication techniques for dealing with conflict. Firstly, after the situation has arise, you could used the defusing technique and address the client's anger. While addressing the client's anger, you could show empathy that you understood the client's concerns and messages were brought across. Subsequently, it is important for you to apologise for the mistakes and inconvenience that you may have caused.
However, if possible, before booking, you could have waited for your boss to be back or the client to be available to probe for more information and details with regards to the preference of the booking.
It must be really tough on you but we believed it also posed as a new learning experience for you. Thank you for reading this comment.
Warmest Regards
Jeaine
Dear Zakiyah, Cheryl, Nadiah, Jeaine, Delvine and other readers,
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my post and understanding the emotions that I had to go through at that point of time. I am also very appreciative for the comments and solutions that all of you had provided, which I strongly agree with. Nevertheless, do allow me to share on what I would have done to prevent the mistake in the following paragraph.
After the verbal instruction from my boss, I should have immediately note them down and send it to my her via Whatsapp message. I should not have waited till I was in the online portal before I tried contacting my boss, who might have been in the appointment. As my boss will require time to travel to her destination, I could have used the opportunity to confirm the details prior to her appointment.
With that said, I was upset over the incident but I have told myself not to get affected by it since mistakes are part of our learning milestones. This serves as a caution in future when it comes to communication, to ensure that both speaker and listener are communicating effectively.
Once again, thank you for reading my post and I wish you guys all the best for your upcoming internships!
Best regards,
Shu Ling
Thank you, Shu, for sharing this interesting conflict situation.
ReplyDeleteI see that you got useful feedback from each of your peers, though only Jeaine and Delvine referenced specifically info from one of the conflict resolution frameworks that we discussed in class. As several commentators do mention, and you conclude, having closer communication with your boss was really essential so as to clarify the situation and not make a faukty assumption.
I see that from your final statement that if you were in a similar situation, you would note down the key points made by your boss, which is sound advice when a listener is faced with an information overload. I suppose you could also mention the value of defusing when a client gets angry, having empathy with that person, and probing before making a final decision.
I appreciate your effort in telling this story and in reflecting on its value in the scope of your learning.
Cheers,
Brad
Hi Brad,
DeleteThank you for your feedback. I have taken note of how my writing could be improved, with mention of the value of defusing in this situation. I will apply that in my future writings.
Best regards,
Shu Ling