We have spoken about the angry, disgruntled or bad customer before, but not every bad customer is the bane of your business; we actually should get to know what makes them tick. These types of customers often become a catalyst for training service agents to achieve excellence, and take the business to the next level.
- There are always a few items that are relevant to all angry customers – these are:
- What brought on the anger – in other words, the issue at hand.
- The anger and how to deal with the interpersonal aspect of this.Resolution – how and can we rectify the issue satisfactorily
- Moving on – what can we do going forward to ensure the same problem does not arise.
In a situation where the customer service agent has told the customer – “you are stupid”, used a swear word or two, hung up, or told the customer that there is “nothing more we can do”. Even the calmest of souls might be expected to get angry. These are blatantly obvious CS mistakes, and are used as teaching tools of what not to do. But people are a different, they all have different tolerance levels, and temperatures at which blood boils.
The job of the CS rep is dealing with the four points we mentioned above, not necessarily to evaluate whether or not the anger is appropriate. The job entails taking the complaint seriously, listening, and coming to a solution as fast as it is possible to do so. Research indicates that the majority of customers who have had a good outcome to a problem, remain fiercely loyal to that brand.
No-body enjoys dealing with angry people, this is a decidedly awkward situation, and it requires a thick skin. Sensitive people should not become customer service reps, and it is always best to let the customer rip. Blow the energy out of their anger, never try to cut it off at the pass. This is not personal, so, we don’t take it personally, and we can only work on a solution once we understand the details of a problem.
Resolution may not come easily, but generally speaking, the only thing the customer wants is that product or service they have paid for, and they are entitled to this. Solve the problem, most customers will be happy, but throw in a little freebie if you can, this always makes people feel special. This is an acknowledgement that the customers inconvenience has been recognised. Free upgrades, discounts, free delivery, are of value, not a useless cap or a pen, and they also ensure that the customer will use your service again to take advantage of a good deal.
Be frank with them – ask him/her how you can make things right. Be prepared to put your money where your mouth is, that is how business works. Stepping up to the plate, and taking hit could mean a lifetime of loyal buying from your business, no matter how mad that customer is. It is a fact of life that customers will get angry now and then. But this is a fact of life of owning a business, and knowing how to deal with these guys, could be the one thing that puts you ahead of your competition.
