How to Deal with Unhappy Customers
Remaining Calm is Key to Working with Angry Customers
Mar 27, 2009
Working with customers is a fact of life in many workplaces. If it weren’t for customers, businesses would have no reason to exist. Many times, employees can forget that the customers are the very reason for their job’s existence. Treat a customer right and that person will come back time and time again. Treat a customer poorly and a company will be lucky to see the return of that customer.
Certain customers can be difficult to work with and many times employees become overwhelmed with these customers. Remembering a few simple tips can ease the days when difficult customers seem to be the norm.
Remain Calm
Many times, irritated customers simply want someone to listen. That may mean an employee listens to the difficulties the customer had with the order or the service experience. Employees should avoid interrupting the customer and completely listen to the complaint. If an employee is empowered to deal with customer complaints, the customer will avoid having to repeat the same scenario to other employees.
Remaining calm is a key point when dealing with someone who is unhappy. Although the customer may become angry and agitated, the employee must remain calm at all times. Empathizing with the customer and offering a solution to the difficulty will go a long way toward keeping that particular customer in the future.
It’s Not Personal
Sometimes it can be easy to assume that an unhappy customer is making a personal attack. However, in general, that is not the case. Customers are usually upset only about the poor product or service they feel they have received. Employees that can remember it is not personal will be able to remain focused on the situation and trying to resolve it.
Documentation
Employees should document unhappy customer experiences and report any trends to upper management. Trends may indicate a service or product that needs to be changed to meet customer’s needs.
If a client poses consistent difficulties for an employee, the employee should document that as well. In some instances, clients may be calling attention to problems that do not exist.
Follow Company Protocol
When an employee receives a complaint, he or she should remember to follow the company protocol regarding handling customer issues. If a customer is unhappy about a mistake the employee made, it is best to own up to that mistake and develop a solution so that the mistake does not happen in the future.
The majority of employees do not like dealing with unhappy customers. However, keeping calm and following company protocol can ease the stress of dealing with those calls, if and when they do come.
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