5 Things NOT to Do With Upset Customers
No one likes a complaint. It's an unpleasant, typically disapproving, usually negative thing to have to handle. But the reality is that complaints happen and you'll need to do something about them. When you're faced with an upset customer — which could be a coworker, an employer or boss, or a client — hold on tight- these five things will NOT help you get through it:
1) Berating the customer
2) Denying their claim as "impossible"
3) Arguing with them
4) Slowing down the resolution process
5) Ignoring their complaint completely.
The "no" list, especially #1 and #5, can be very frustrating and annoying. They're also usually ineffective. The biggest reason for that is that upset customers are more often than not more reasonable than you think:
So how do we deal with customers who are upset? I wrote this article to help guide you through the process and give you some ideas to make it a little less painful. I will be adding more points to this list, so check back if you have more complaints that need addressing.
1) Don't berate customers for making a complaint. You know what this one does? It makes them mad as hell, and it gets them thinking about quitting.
2) Denying claims as "impossible" isn't going to help you out of the situation, either . . . . Sometimes, it's true that something the customer said is impossible. BUT, they're probably not speaking from their own experiences or observations. It's highly unlikely that they're making things up to make you look bad in the eyes of others. So, instead of blowing it off and saying, "That's impossible," take the time to figure out if there's more to the story.
3) Arguing with customers rarely ever helps. As an employee, you're going to want to defend your company and prove that they're wrong (or right). But, you know what? Even when they are wrong or right, there's a better way to handle it than just arguing. You'll lose credibility and make them even angrier when you argue with them. When they ask for something in exchange for their business, do NOT fight them on it.
4) Slowing down the resolution process doesn't help either. You're in charge of their problem and they need to help you solve it. This just makes them angrier (and you're wasting a little bit of time that could be spent on the solution).
5) Ignoring their complaint completely is both ineffective and very unprofessional. You know what else does? Tell your boss about it when things get out of control, and try to make a deal with her where you'll let it go if she never tells others about it. You definitely don't want this story talked about at work because it's likely to make people not want to buy from your company or give you helpful references…this one is pretty self-explanatory, too.
So, what CAN you do? Get to the bottom of the problem.
My best advice is to listen carefully and try to see things from their viewpoint. For example, someone that you think is constantly late is a huge pain in the neck for your team. You have no idea what it's like on their side, though. Do they have children? Pets? They might have been stuck in traffic or had something unexpected come up during their day that caused them to be late. Now, don't get me wrong – if they're constantly late and they say they're going to do something but then don't do it – then it's time to take action (usually termination of employment). But, if for some reason they were late for those reasons – and it was perfectly reasonable (for them) – then you need to find out why. Because if you don't, there's a good chance that they'll continue to be late, and even worse – complain about being late.
It's like taking an umbrella with you when the sun is shining outside. Don't assume that the rain is going to come . . . . . . because it may not.
You could also ask to hear the story from another source. That way, you can hear it from their viewpoint and try to understand what they went through (or what they think they went through).
If that doesn't work, then you need to bring in a third party and stage a mediation between them. Let them air their complaints out and have someone else mediate the situation on your behalf. This should not be done in person – instead, have them submit it. That way, you're not exposed to any extra criticism or anger that might happen if you're sitting right there with them when they complain.
This might take a little bit of time, but it's worth it in the end. You can't fix what you don't know is wrong. So, find out why they're complaining. Be empathetic and try to put yourself in their shoes. Maybe their office lighting is really bad and they didn't know how to ask for it to be fixed – now that you know, then you can take care of the issue for them. If there are other people present when you have this conversation (or the online submission), explain that you'd like to hear about any complaints so that you can help fix them for everyone involved.
I've been in a number of situations where it's obvious that the person I'm talking to is upset, but it takes a lot for them to do something about it. Cases in which a customer must be spoken to by you personally (and not via email or through someone else) are ones worth getting involved with. If they're still upset after speaking with you, then something else is going on that you need to find out about.
You can find some resources on this website that teach you how to help customers resolve their problems instead of having them file complaints – and get paid for the job . . . . . . check them out HERE . What are your best coping strategies for dealing with customer complaints? Where do you think I went wrong in my last post? Please share!
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Conclusion: I've had this issue before – some rude customers just not wanting to understand. I've had to tell them that they have no right to talk that way to me, and I have asked them to stop. Usually they'll apologize and we can go on from there. However, sometimes it continues on and I'm left with a very clear choice . . . . . if you don't want the business – fine! Tell me and leave the store. We'll be happy without your business, so please do go away! It's normally very rare that this happens – but it does happen.