Customers from Hell
Marketing Articles
Submit Articles Back to Articles
Five Do's and Don'ts for calming cranky customers
by Jeff Mowatt
Perhaps you�ve noticed that customers are becoming
increasingly hostile. Case in point was the highly publicized incident
where a patron in a fast food restaurant became so enraged that he
attacked the restaurant manager. The customer spilled his coffee on his
breakfast and when the manager refused to replace the meal, the ensuing
argument led to violence that ended with the customer being arrested.
It seems in our fast-paced frenetic world customers are now
more tired, rushed, stressed, and downright fed-up. That�s why in my
customer service seminars both managers and frontline employees
frequently ask me how to handle the proverbial customer from hell. Here
are five Do�s and Don�ts for calming cranky customers.
1. Do consider the big picture. Don�t focus on the
single transaction
The fast food fisticuffs could have been avoided if the
restaurant manager (better yet the frontline employee) would have
cheerfully replaced the patron�s meal for free. The incremental cost to
the restaurant would have been nominal, and the loyalty and subsequent
return on investment would have been substantial. Instead, the manager
took the low road and focused on the cost of the meal and the fact that
it wasn�t the restaurant�s fault. Guy should have been litigator; he
certainly wasn�t a business person.
2. Do acknowledge feelings. Don�t say, �Calm Down.�
Ever.
Can you think of a single example in the history of the world
when telling somebody to, �Calm down� did anything other than make
things worse? Me neither. It�s never appropriate to tell someone how
they should feel. On the contrary, you�ll improve their demeanor by
validating their feelings with empathic statements like, �That sounds
frustrating.�
3. Do ask the four Ws. Don�t ask �Why�
When a customer has a problem and you need the pertinent
details, ask the four Ws: who, what,
where, and when. But avoid asking Why.
Generally, the response to why something went
wrong is that someone was inept. Imagine asking a customer, �Why didn�t
you read the instructions?� This is not constructive and just makes
things worse.
4. Do apologize for foul-ups. Don�t over explain
Over the 20 years that I�ve written and delivered customized
customer service seminars, I�ve discovered that the main reason
customers become irritated is simple - the organization broke a
promise; one that was either expressed or implied. Telling a customer,
�I�ll call you back�, then neglecting to do so is called lying. If we
normally complete a project in 3 days, and this time it takes 3 weeks,
we are now breaking an implied promise. In both cases the customer
didn�t get what they expected so we need to apologize. It�s also
helpful to give them something extra to make up for the customer�s
hassle factor. If there are extenuating circumstances then give the
customer a brief explanation. But keep it short.
Going into lengthy details about why you couldn�t keep your end of the
bargain sounds like trying to rationalize poor service. It only makes
matters worse.
5. Do be respectful. Don�t become a doormat
Some customers are not in their best when they get angry. They
can shout, swear, cry, or become abusive. That does not give us license
to react in kind. We do need to be respectful. We don�t need to kowtow.
Imagine a customer, upset about a late delivery, is swearing at a
supplier on the phone. In that case the supplier would do well to
respond with something like, �Sir, I want to help you. Using that
language however, is preventing me from focusing on resolving this
issue. So I�m going to ask you to stop using that language so we can
focus on fixing the problem.� If the customer continues with the verbal
abuse, close the conversation with, �Sir, as I explained earlier I want
to help you, but I can�t help you when you�re using that kind of
language. I�m going to hang up now, but please call back when you can
talk to me without using that language. Goodbye.� Then go immediately
to your supervisor and give them the details of the conversation. That
way, they�ll be forewarned when the customer calls back demanding to
talk with the manager.
Bottom line - have some empathy
Who among us can claim that as a customer, we�ve never been
terse or worse with a service representative who was in no way
responsible for the foul-up? Some customers are cranky because stuff
happens in their lives that has nothing to do with you. So before
becoming too self-righteous or casting proverbial stones at those miserable
customers, we�d do well to put ourselves in their shoes.
It�s also worth remembering that if work was supposed to be
fun they wouldn�t need to pay us. Dealing with upset customers
sometimes comes with the territory. Fortunately, by learning to handle
difficult customers well, you�ll make them even more
loyal than before the foul-up. That makes the job less stressful and
more rewarding for everyone.
About the Author
This article
is based on the bestselling book,
Influence with Ease�
by
customer service strategist and certified professional speaker Jeff
Mowatt. To
obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for
your
team, visit www.jeffmowatt.com
or call toll
free 1-800-JMowatt (566-9288).
Follow us @Scopulus_News
Article Published/Sorted/Amended on Scopulus 2012-08-09 09:02:48 in Marketing Articles
