6 Effective Ways to Deal with Angry Customers

Customer is the king’ is not a new marketing mantra and the least that you can do to make your customers feel like a king is offer great products and/or services. However, at times, things can go wrong and customer service representatives have to deal with angry customers.

It is important for every customer service representative to learn how to handle angry customers. It is very much a part of their customer service job. So, if you are planning to join a customer service team or will be handling one, a few tips on dealing with angry customers will come in handy.

Here, in this article, we will discuss six important and effective tips to deal with angry and dissatisfied customers. Read on to know more:

1. Stay Calm and Listen to the Customer’s Complaint

Never ever shout back at the customer! This will only worsen the situation and complicate things further. Most customer will be happy to speak to a representative who is there to understand his/her problem. Listen to the customer’s grievance and see if you can do something to solve the problem. If not, you can always ask for some time from the customer and say that you will be back after talking to the relevant authority. Make sure to give a proper timeline for the same.

2. Do Not Take Things Personally

Do not make the mistake of taking things personally. Remember, the customer is not angry with you but angry with the company you are representing. Customers, generally, do not enjoy talking to customer service representatives. However, if they are forced to do so, chances are high that they would love to disconnect the call as fast as you do. Most customers will get straight to the point, shout about the poor quality of the product or services and ask for a replace or refund. Please understand, that they are not mad at you. Do not sound irritated and if the customers seem to threaten, tell them that you will talk to your manager and get back.

3. Be Patient

Regardless of what profession you are into, being patient will always help you. It will, however, help you more, if you are into customer servicing. Customers call just to vent out their frustration and they want someone to listen, and in this case, it is you. Being all ears while a customer is talking you is important. It will help in diffusing the situation to a great extent. A customer is happy when acknowledged. Let the customer explain his or her problem properly. Once done, summarize the complaint and ask questions to clear any doubts you have. The customer should not for a moment think, that you are not paying attention.

4. Sympathise and Apologise Actively

After listening to the customer’s problem, do not forget to express sympathy for his or her unpleasant and unexpected experience. Do not be rude as there is no need for that. Customers just want to be understood and a few kind words are all you need to make them feel confident that their problem will get solved.

Also, do not forget to apologize gracefully. This holds true even in situations you think that the customer is at fault. If you want your customer to stay, you will have to apologize for the problem that he or she is facing. Saying ‘I am really for sorry for your problem. Let me see what I can do to make things right.’ is all that you need to say.

5. Let the Customer Find a Solution

Now that you know what the customer’s problem is, you will have to offer him or her a solution. And the best way to go about it is asking the customer what he or she wants. Most customers will readily tell you what he or she wants. If the solution provided by the customer is something that can be done, you will have a happy customer on the other side of the phone call. This will help in building customer loyalty.

However, do not forget that you are running a business here. Overcompensating the customer is never a solution and most customers will understand that.

6. Relax and Move-on

Once the situation is resolved and the customer has cut the call, have some ‘me-time’ for yourself. This is important as it is highly unlikely that you will have to deal with only one unhappy customer in a day. Relieving stress is important or you might end up venting your frustration on some other customer. Take a break, go for a short walk, enjoy a cup of coffee, or treat yourself to something you like to eat. This will only prepare you better for the next call you take.

Working long hours in a call center is not easy. Also, developing customer service skills takes time and it is an on-the-job learning process. Be calm and try your best to handle every situation professionally. Keep the above-mentioned pointers in mind to help you deal with angry customers. All these will surely help you to go up the career ladder.