Customer Service

HOW TO HANDLE ANGRY CUSTOMERS

We all are very Angry2

Handling angry customers can be one of the most challenging

aspects of a job. Whether they confront you face-to-face, or you

speak with them over the phone, chances are you are going to

be met with frustration, aggressive anger, and little patience.

The key to successfully managing an angry customer is to

remain calm.

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Remain calm and adjust your mindset

No one likes to get confronted by a yelling, heated

person. However, your job in this situation is to stay

cool and collected. While you may have the urge to yell

right back at them, fight the urge!

Yelling and getting angry will only escalate the situation.

Instead, put on your best customer service attitude and

buckle down--it’s time to get to work.

Never use sarcasm or obviously faked politeness.

Behaving in such a way will only fuel the customer’s

rage and will make the situation a whole lot worse.

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Listen actively to what the customer is saying

An angry customer generally just wants

someone to vent their anger to and today, you

are that person. That means that you need to

do your best to listen carefully to what they are

saying. Give the customer your undivided

attention--do not look around, space out or let

other things distract you.

When you listen to them, listen for the answers

to these questions: What happened to make

them upset? What do they want? What can you

do to help?

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Separate your feelings from the situation

If the customer is particularly angry, he or she may

say something (or several things) that are really

rude.

Keep in mind that you should not take it personally-

-he or she is upset with the business, the product,

or the service they have been provided with--they

are not upset with you as a person.

You will have to set your personal feelings aside.

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Also bear in mind, that if the customer becomes

too abusive, or seems really threatening, you

should tell them that you will go get your

supervisor or someone else to help you resolve

this problem.

When you are walking back to the customer, fill

your supervisor or helper in on the situation and

explain why you felt you needed to come get them

(i.e.. you felt really threatened, etc.)

If worse comes to worse, you may have to end the

call after informing the customer.

Separate your feelings from the situation

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Repeat the customers concerns

Once the customer is done venting, make sure you

know exactly what it is they are upset about. If you are

still feeling a little unclear, repeat what you think the

customer is upset about, or ask him questions.

Repeating the problem back to the customer will show

him that you were listening, and will also let you

confirm the problem that needs to be fixed.

A good way to make sure that you know exactly what

the problem is, is to use calm and collected wording

like “I understand that you are upset, and rightly so,

that the product is still not delivered to you and its way

beyond the time mentioned.

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Actively Empathize

Showing empathy will help make the customer

understand that you really are trying to help them.

Once you have confirmed what the problem is, show

them that you feel really bad about it, and completely

understand why they are upset. Say something like.

“I completely understand your frustration--waiting for

the order, especially when you’re really excited about

it.”

“You are right to be annoyed--delivery delays are

upsetting.

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Apologize wherever necessary

Let the customer know that you are genuinely sorry

that this happened to them--regardless of whether or

not you think they are being a bit dramatic about the

situation.

Along with empathizing, apologizing can go a long

way. Sometimes upset customers just want to have

someone apologize to them for the bad service.

“I am extremely sorry about the whole deal of the order

not reaching you in time as promised and let’s see

what we can do to make this right”

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Call your manager over if the customer asks you to

If you are in the process of handling a situation and the

customer demands that you call your manager or

supervisor over, it is best to follow the wishes of the

customer.

However, if you can avoid having to get your manager

involved, do it.

Handling a situation on your own will show your

supervisor that you have the wherewithal to deal with

angry customers in a calm and collected manner.

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Offer a possible solution or solutions

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Now that you have heard what the customer is upset

about, you should come up with a solution to provide

them with.

If you feel like you know a solution that will make your

customer happy, then present it to them. For example:

“I completely understand you being upset about the

order you were so anxiously waiting for. I want to make

an attempt to do something extra for you. Please

accept the voucher of ___amount that can be used at

no minimum purchase value. I will ensure this voucher

gets to your email in no time.”

Ask the customer for feedback

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If you are not completely sure what would make

your customer happy, then simply ask them what

would they like to have be done about the problem?

Is there an outcome that would make them

satisfied? Say something like; “What would you like

to have happen? If it is within my power, I will see

that it gets done.”

Take action immediately

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Tell your customer what you will do next to ensure that

the problem is resolved.

Give them your contact information, particularly if you

are speaking with them over the phone, so that they

can contact you if the problem arises again.

Take several minutes to yourself after the ordeal

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Once your customer has left or you have hung

up with them, take a few minutes to process

what just happened and allow yourself to calm

down.

Even if the customer left happily, these sort of

situations can be really stressful. Take a few

moments to destress and clear your mind.

Follow up with the customer

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Give your customer a call once the problem has

been resolved.

Ask them if everything is going smoothly.

When you can, go the extra mile by sending a

handwritten apology or by giving them a discount on

their next purchase.

Tips

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Try not to take their complaint personally - even if it's about your own job performance. If you feel

yourself become emotionally involved in the issue, it is best to step aside and let another employee

handle the situation.

Think about how you would want a problem handled if you had a complaint. Then, treat your angry

customer as you would want to be treated.

A customer complaint can be a vehicle for customer retention. If you handle the customer

appropriately and apologize effectively you can turn a negative into a positive.

Tips

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One technique to help you not take things personally is to remind yourself that while customer

opinions are "important", they pale in comparison to those of your family and friends. Remind

yourself that you don't want to allow a stranger to ruin your day, or an hour, or even a minute of your

life.

Some customers are known to complain about anything. If you come across one of those customers,

try to discuss with your manager whether this client is beneficial to the company or whether it might

be worth it to lose him. The time wasted on one client like this could be dedicated to patients that are

"true" customers.

If you simply cannot give the customer what they want, give them something for free (you may need

a manager's approval) to make up for it.

Thank you

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