Top Tips For Handling Difficult Customers
No matter how good your customer care policy is you are bound to come across difficult and awkward customers. The key factor in dealing with them is to ensure that they go away feeling a lot better than when they first spoke to you.
Listen
Say nothing until the customer has stated their grievance. Do not interrupt them.
Empathise and apologise
Don’t argue with the customer. They want attention and respect so give it. Making a formal and genuine apology will help to calm and regain a customer’s trust.
Establish a reason for the customer’s anger
Is the company at fault? Have they been promised delivery on a certain and time and you haven’t fulfilled? Whether the complaint is justified, obtaining precise information is vital.
Give the customer your name
If you are on a front desk always wear a name badge. Give the customer your commitment to resolving their problem.
Call on management for help
If you can’t resolve a problem with a customer who continues to be angry, don’t hesitate to call on your manager.
Fact - Customers whose complaints are dealt with to their complete satisfaction will stay loyal to you.
For more tips on good customer care, contact Gregory-Jones Marketing Communications or visit www.successfulmarketing.co.uk
Full agreement with all the above. In addition, make sure you know the full name of the person complaining and call them by their title and surname, Mr. Jones, Mrs Smith etc. This too builds the relationship and shows respect.
If it is necessary to telephone back, ensure you take the telephone number down and read it back to the complainant, then say when you will phone - be precise. “OK Mr. Jones, I will telephone you back at 10:40″ (much better than in about an hour). Then make sure you call back at precisely this time, even if you only have half the answer.
April 17th, 2007 at 2:03 pmGood tips.
Can I just add that the mistake many people make is to move quickly to FACTS without dealing with FEELINGS first. This is crucial to the whole process and if FEELINGS aren’t managed early then the whole thing gets out of control. Stats show that dealing with complaints effectively increases customer loyalty and they will be more loyal than those who have no cause to complain (!).
My newsletter deals with this and if anyone wants to know “How to turn Complaints into Compliments”; drop me a line:
john.drysdale@noguru.net
We will also be running workshops on this topic very soon.
April 19th, 2007 at 8:38 am