Difficult customers are one of the aspects of running a business that no one enjoys. But if not handled properly, they can cause long-lasting negative impacts on a company, its reputation, and employees’ morale.
The types of difficult customers range from those that are indecisive about what they want to those that will yell and use abusive language when things don’t go their way to those that are never satisfied. The first thing to do is find out if a customer has a valid complaint. The only way to do this is to give the customer an opportunity to explain why they are dissatisfied. Take the time to fully hear the customer out without arguing or talking over him. By doing this, you may find out that there was a mistake that needs to be corrected. However, for customers that are difficult even without a valid reason keep the following suggestions in mind.
• Always remain calm and don’t take anything personally. No matter what is said or done by a customer, getting in a shouting match will only make the issue worse. Remaining calm, on the other hand, can sometimes help diffuse the situation, help the customer calm down and allow a rational discussion of the issue.
• Respond promptly to complaints. Many people put off dealing with complaints because they do not want to deal with conflict. But when it comes to customer service, this only makes a customer feel ignored and can increase the frustration level.
• Make sure you understand what the problem is. When people are angry, they often do not describe what the problem is in a clear and concise manner. After listening, repeat back to the customer what you think the issue is and give them the chance to confirm that you understand what upset this person.
• Directly ask what you can do to fix a problem. This will quickly let you see if the customer has a reasonable request. This allows you to determine if you can fix the situation in some reasonable way or if the person is just being difficult.
• Tell your customers what you are doing to fix the issue. This is most applicable for issues that take several days or weeks to correct. By keeping customers aware of what steps are being taken, you will prevent them from feeling like they have been forgotten. Communicating regularly and personally lets customers know that you can be trusted to take care of their needs.
• Never promise something that you cannot deliver. Always be honest and realistic about what corrective actions your company is willing to take. Doing otherwise will only cause additional problems.
• Make sure that employees know they can always ask for a supervisor or manager to become involved. Simply having someone further up the chain of command become involved can quickly calm some customers. If the customer is put on hold or has to wait alone for a few minutes while a manager is called, that time can also help them calm down.
• When a customer repeatedly changes his mind, consider whether he may need to be educated more about the industry. If he does not fully understand how the industry works, he cannot have the information needed to know what will really fix his problem.
• Consider no longer doing business with the customer. While a company does not want to jump to this conclusion, if a customer is constantly hard to please, take time to evaluate whether the business that a customer brings is worth the hassle that accompanies it.
