One of the most challenging jobs in customer service is dealing with unhappy customers. An unhappy customer is often fueled by frustration or anger, which can lead to some pretty unpleasant behaviors.
If you want your CSRs to deal with difficult customers, you need to teach them effective customer service strategies. But where do you even start?
Effective Strategies for Dealing with Difficult Customers
Angry Customer Scenario: Sally Smith’s brand new refrigerator ice maker stopped working on August 1st. The product was still covered by the manufacturer warranty. After a thorough diagnosis, your technician found that the part needed to fix the ice maker is on back order for 3 weeks. Your parts department contacted the customer on August 2nd to inform her that the part is on back order and won’t arrive until August 21st. They don’t get a hold of her, so they leave a voice mail.
On August 14th, the customer calls enraged because two weeks have passed and NO ONE from your office has called to follow-up. She wants to know why her ice maker still isn’t fixed.
I’m sure you can imagine this very call!
“Your technician was here 2 weeks ago and said he’d order the part. I have not heard anything from you people! I can’t go another week without my ice maker. You need to get someone out here tomorrow to fix it. This is unacceptable!”
How would you handle the situation? And more importantly, how would your CSR handle this situation?
Your initial instinct might be to tell the customer that it’s just too bad–after all, it’s not YOUR fault that the manufacturer hasn’t made the replacement part! You ALREADY told her that the part wouldn’t arrive until August 21st; jeez, wasn’t she listening when the parts department called her?! Maybe she should relisten to the voice mail.
Don’t get stuck in the our-customers-are-stupid mindset! This mentality can have detrimental effects on your customer service experience.
Fix the mindset of your CSRs to improve your customer service.
What’s worse than an angry customer?
An angry customer being tended to by an easily offended CSR!
Teach your CSRs to follow these steps when dealing with angry customers to improve your customer service experience.
Listen – And Do It Actively.
Listen carefully to identify the root of the problem. In most cases, the person answering the phone isn’t the problem. The problem is overdue parts, or an expired warranty, or any of the other numerous reasons why an appliance repair is delayed or over budget. But when you mix an offended CSR (why are you being so mean to me?) with an enraged customer (why is your company so incompetent?), the root of the problem gets buried under emotions.
It’s important for CSRs to remember that most customers don’t understand the ins and outs of appliance repair–especially when it comes to the peculiarities of dealing with the manufacturer’s warranty.
Teach your CSRs to turn off their defenses and look at the problem from the customer’s point of view. Even if the customer isn’t right, it’s important to acknowledge their perspective and identify the misunderstanding.
After you’ve listened to the customer’s problem, restate your understanding of the problem.
“Mrs. Smith, I understand that it has been 2 weeks since our technician diagnosed the problem and your ice maker still isn’t fixed–that must be really frustrating. I truly apologize that you didn’t receive our voice mail. Let me take a moment to explain what’s going on with that part. “
Remember, this isn’t personal. It may feel as though her frustrations are directed at you, but let those angry words roll off you like a waterfall. Keep your focus on the issue at hand, rather than your personal feelings about the customer’s behavior.
Be Empathetic – But Don’t Take Unnecessary Blame
Empathy goes a long way in building a bridge between you and your dissatisfied customer. We all like to feel validated–your customer is no exception! Empathizing with a customer doesn’t mean you are taking the blame for the problem, it means you are genuinely conveying you’re sorry that they’ve had a bad experience. It means you are positively communicating that you understand they are frustrated, and sincerely want to help by providing quality service.
Don’t blame the manufacturer or your parts department for the delayed parts! That will add fuel to the fire. Instead, simply acknowledge the frustration and your commitment to finding the best available solution to make things right.
Show your empathy:
“I know that this repair has been inconvenient for you, so I’d like to do my best to make the rest of your experience as good as possible.”
Be an Active Problem Solver
When customers are busy ranting, they often omit or gloss over details they don’t realize are critical to the issue. Take a moment to clarify the details so the customer knows that you’re doing your best to get her appliance fixed fast.
“I want to assure you that we are doing everything within our power to get that part as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the part supplier can’t get us the part until August 20th. The part is on back order, which means that it won’t be available for shipment any sooner.”
Offer a Solution
Once you’ve uncovered the problem, find a solution. Some issues will require assistance from upper management, but many smaller problems can be solved quickly and with relative ease.
In this scenario, the problem is completely out of your hands. You can’t get the part any faster. What you can do is assure that any further interactions with your company are treated with extra care.
Provide your best solution:
“Sarah, let’s schedule a tentative appointment based on the part’s estimated arrival date to make sure we get the part installed as soon as it arrives. If for any reason there’s a delay with the part, we’ll call you on August 20th to give you an update. Does that sound like a fair solution?“
Follow Up
If you’ve offered a solution, be sure to follow up to make sure that the solution was executed properly. In the ice maker scenario, flag your parts department to call the customer when the part arrives. This is especially important in scenarios where customers feel like you have poor communication.
At the end of the day, you’ll likely find that there are some customers that just can’t be pleased. And that’s ok. Don’t hang on to old baggage. As long as you’ve done your best to provide a solution, you can move on to the next customer with a good attitude and great customer service.