By Katie Kabat
Dealing with difficult customers can be… well, difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. With the right attitude and action, you can effectively navigate these tricky customer situations and emerge (hopefully) unscathed.
This post offers tips and insights to help you do just that. Our hope is that by the end of the article, you and your staff will be more prepared to handle difficult clients.
1. Have the right attitude
It is important to put yourself in the right mindset before dealing with such difficult customers. Remember that they’re not necessarily mad at you, but more at the situation. Having the right attitude will help prevent your buttons from getting pushed and enable you to respond in a calm and professional manner.
Ricky Marton, the founder of Be Robin Hood says that the most important thing to do when dealing with troublesome clients is to not let them see that they’re getting to you. “Once they realise they aren’t in charge, they’ll either leave or calm down and (hopefully) apologise.”
2. Develop thick skin
On top of having the right attitude, you must develop thick skin to any bad things said to or about you. You and your team must be trained not to cave under difficult client situations.
It may help to view these situations as a new challenge rather than a drawback. Start assuming that these clients are preparing you for a better future.
3. Listen and empathize
People who are upset need to be heard, so let your clients talk, and don’t interrupt them. It’s important to engage in active listening, which is the practice of consciously assimilating what the client has to say, instead of just standing silently in front of them.
Active listening also entails that you listen with your whole body. This means using positive body language such as having an open stance and nodding along to show the other person that you’re listening.
4. Communicate what you can and can’t do about their situation
Once the customer has finished voicing their concerns, you will need to inform them on what you are able to do for them as well as what you are not able to do. Ask questions to clarify exactly what needs to be done. Whether it is company policy or straight up impossible for one reason or another, make sure they know exactly what can’t be done and why. Then, apologize — tell the customer you are sorry they have had this experience.
5. Act quickly
If you can resolve the client’s problem immediately, then, by all means, do so. This has several benefits:
For one, being able to quickly address a client’s concerns may just turn their negative experience into a positive one. If you can get on top of things and defuse the difficult situation, they might end up as a loyal customer who buys from you regularly and tells their friends.
6. Compensate for their discomfort (if necessary)
This step is not always necessary and depends on the situation. If the issue is on the company’s side, then it may be in your interest to do something extra for the customer. Most the time difficult situations like these come from a customer feeling like their service was not satisfactory. As to not gain a bad reputation, you should make it up to them.
7. Practice diffusing anger
Staying calm while someone is blaming and maybe even yelling at you for something can be difficult. However, it is entirely doable if you practice. Some companies routinely conduct training meetings on diffusing anger in these situations. With this, staff members and employees with feel more empowered and comfortable when dealing with angry and upset clients. You can even incentivize them to handle angry clients by offering rewards, benefits and praise. It will raise moral and keep your customers happy.
To conclude, dealing with difficult customers isn’t easy, but it comes as an unavoidable aspect of running a business. Always, remember that something positive can also arise from these situations.
