How should you handle irate customers?

Answer

When dealing with a ‘difficult’ customer make sure you:

1. Stay calm and polite;

2. Take notes of what the complaint is about;

3. Actively listen to the customer by saying “yes”, “I see”, and “I understand”.

4. When the customer has finished explaining his/herself, go through your notes with him/her to verify if you understood him/her correctly.

5. When both your customer and yourself have been through the notes, explain to him/her what is going to happen next and how your company goes about dealing with complaints. For example, you can tell him that this matter will be taken to the manager and issues are usually resolved in 24 hours.

6. Take responsibility. Follow up on the issue with whom ever you passed it on before the 24-hour deadline expires and make sure it has been resolved. If it hasn’t make a point to call your customer and let him/her know that it is taking a bit longer then expected but that you haven’t forgotten about his/her issue. That will keep the customer happy because he/she realises that his/her issue matters and that someone cares about getting it resolved. This customer will not only come back but will most likely refer other people to your business.

7. Alternately, if your business were lucky enough to have a good helpdesk software, these cases would be easier to follow up with. For example, the first level of response would take the call and type in the complaint. If the issue isn’t resolved within the normal deadline, it is escalated to the next level - a manager. This second level should be able to solve the complaint and get back to the customer is due time.

Answer

What specifically is happening, handling is different depending on circumstances. B Clear.

Answer

It depends on why the customer is angry, and on your company's policy with regard to angry customers.

Generally: Customers are usually angry because they feel they are being treated indifferently, something has gone wrong, and they feel they are being ignored.

Some people just get angry, because they like getting angry, it is the only way they know how to behave.

And some people get angry, because they sit in an office, taking calls from their own angry customers, and when they become a customer themselves, they like to dish out what they have to sit and take every day.

Listen and take Responsibility: The best way is to listen, to show that you are listening, and then take responsibility for the problem, apologize for causing the problem, even if you didn't personally cause a problem, as far as the customer is concerned, you represent the company, therefore by default you have a measure of the blame for the problem. So it's no good saying "it wasn't me it wasn't my fault".

Hopefully by now, the customer has calmed down a bit. If you have convinced the customer that you are willing to take responsibility for the problem, then it is likely that you can explain you will need to investigate the problem, and as soon as you discover what went wrong, and what you can do to put it right, you will ring the customer back. Now you must ring the customer back as quickly as possible, if you can within ten minutes. If it looks like it is going to take you more than half an hour to sort out, then ring and tell them What is happening, reassure them that you are sorting it out. Do not wait for them to ring you, that is the worst thing you could do.

Rude Customers. There is never any need for someone to be rude. Well we did have one exception, I worked for a gravel firm, and occasionally we delivered gravel to the wrong house, so in this situation, if the house owner came home, and found a load of gravel on their drive that they did not order, and they were abusive on the phone, then we had to take it with a pinch of salt!

But all barring exceptional circumstances, you should never except rude language and abuse from anyone. Warn the customer, say if you continue swearing Sir/Madame, I will hang the phone up. If they then continue with the swearing and abuse, then hang it up. If they ring back and complain that you hung up on them explain again, that you want to talk to them, but you do not talk to abusive people and if they continue the abuse, you will hang up again. If they threaten to come to your place of work, to sort you out or whatever, then you should call the police.

First answer by Ranger22. Last edit by Ranger22. Contributor trust: 3543 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 77 [recommend question]