How to handle Angry Customers
If you work for customer service you might have already come across angry customers who would not listen to anything you say. Sometimes it’s the company’s fault and sometimes it isn’t. Whoever’s fault it is, in the end you are the one who has to cope up with their frustration.
In today’s article, let’s focus on things which we can do to handle angry customers in a way that doesn’t affect our mental wellbeing and at the same time improve the overall customer experience.
Listen
“One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say”- Bryant H. McGill
We all love people who are great listeners, don’t we? Because we all enjoy talking about ourselves much more than hearing others’ life stories. It is no different in customer service as well. If customers are frustrated they want someone to hear them and understand their problems without any interruption or justification.
Being present and providing undivided attention to the customer helps in creating trust and putting them at ease. Also, it makes our job easier as by choosing to be an attentive listener you have not added further fuel to their anger and shown them that you are here to help.
Don’t take it personally
“If they don’t know you personally, then don’t take it personal”- Anonymous
It sometimes takes a troll on us to be in a job where you never know when a customer can spoil your entire day with their rude behavior especially when it is not your fault. At the same time it is one of those jobs where you get a chance to make a difference in a customer’s life. The only way we can enjoy every bit of our job is by developing a good emotional intelligence.
Emotional Intelligence makes you see the bigger picture on why the customer is angry in the first place. It might surely feel that they are angry with you but it is more of an anger towards the situation they are in. This gives us a clarity on not taking things personally and diverting our focus on the solution. Always remember we are representing the company and for customers we are the face of the company. It certainly gets difficult sometimes but it also teaches us one of the most important skills i.e communication.
Put Yourself in Customer’s shoes
“Until you understand your customer -deeply and genuinely- You cannot truly serve them”- Rasheed Ogunlaru
We humans have opinions about everything and everyone. We all must have been guilty of passing comments on someone’s life without even knowing what they are going through. Similarly there are situations when reps start defending their company or issue by giving reasons to customers even before hearing them out. As a customer service professional we should ensure that we really understand customer’s problems without any biases. For us, customers come first and their experience is much more important than our reasons.
Putting ourselves in their shoes helps bring empathy towards them and identify their disappointments. Additionally, it makes them feel heard, trusted, connected and creates a belief that you are there to help them which in turn makes customers less frustrated and more open in resolving the issue.
Focus on the Solution
“There is always a solution to any challenging situation”- Lailah Gifty Akita
Once you have heard the customer and let them vent out their frustration the focus should shift on resolving the issue. Bear is mind that just because they are angry doesn’t mean that we have lost them. I have seen many angry customers who have stayed with the brand because of quality services.
Try to find the solution or alternate option for the issue raised. There will be times that things won’t be in your control and it might need additional time. Give them proper turn around time and ensure to get it done by follow ups with the right team. Also, keep in touch with customers with regular updates as this makes them appreciate that someone is working for them which leads to building a strong relationship as well.
Personalize
“Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”- Damon Richards
I have personally noticed as a customer myself that many times the criteria to track service rep performance doesn’t relate to how the customer is being handled. I have witnessed reps in hurry to transfer the call from one department to another, or denying customer’s minor request without thinking of it as an opportunity as it is not in their process or finishing the entire script even if it is not required in that situation and many more.
These things are not reps fault it’s more of a management’s fault who evaluate reps based on these metrics rather than how much effort reps has put to provide the best possible solution to the customer. As a manager we should give some flexibility to our team to do well in their job. If we try to restrict them and put control on how they should talk , the reps will focus on avoiding mistakes instead of providing better service to the customer.
Put Customer in Your shoes:
“Communications leads to community, that is, to understanding intimacy and mutual valuing”- Rollo May
Yeah you read it right. This is as important as putting yourself in the customer’s shoes. There are times when we cannot help customers even if we want to. In certain situations making them be aware of why we are not able to help them by telling your side of story will make them know the real picture.
For instance, Whenever a consumer is adamant about a certain issue where you can’t help them in any way, I personally like to ask them questions on what they would have done in such a situation. Remember most of us work for the service industry and even if we don’t realize we all go through these struggles. Majority of the time they do recognize our limitation and agree to accept it. This method helps in two ways; first, they don’t feel dissatisfied even if they didn’t get the resolution as expected and second it gives them a personal touch in the overall experience as rep is not trying to answer a straight no but rather providing a reasonable reason for not helping. Additionally, it also helps us in getting ideas from customers in solving the problem.
To conclude, working in customer service can be very challenging and is certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. However, figuring out the way to approach customers and understanding their needs can certainly help in managing it better and enjoying the work we do.
