customer service: how to deal with difficult customers.

If you are like me; you wake up, get your morning coffee, kiss the wife goodbye as she heads out the door to work, and then you sit down to read your emails. 

This is what I look like after a great start to a beautiful day.

 

As a small Business owner who works from home, I had to learn very quickly the power of communication.

(Even though I am by far not the best at this, I still realize that communication is the "make -or-break" of a sale, a satisfied customer who will return one day, or even making a new friend.)

For me my communication with others, is based on when my son is crying for my attention, working in the workshop, trying to keep house, etc

The Point is, just like any relationship communication is KEY! 

 

Communication can be a very rewarding thing for both parties, but sometimes it can get very ugly if the right tactics are not played out well. It could result in loss of a sale or a satisfied customer. This could easily leave you lacking confidence that you need to keep the dream of being a stay at home dad who could pay the bills.

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Here is a list i put together of of some things that I have learned that have helped handle some difficult customers. 

• Be Truthful! - Never Lie to your customer. Honesty is just as important as communication. If you screwed up and lost their order, tell them. Work it out to the best of your ability. The worst thing that could happen is that you didn't make that sale. But at least you went to bed that night a truthful person.

• Listen - Be a good listener – it’s a cardinal rule of being good at customer service and a handy attribute to possess when faced with an irate customer. Many a times, the customer only wishes to be heard and does not have a specific grouse in mind. By giving him a patient ear, you are letting him know that you are attentive to his thoughts and that you appreciate his position.

• Think and respond – Do not take the customer’s language and demeanor as a personal slur, if you do its going to affect your response. So be detached and professional. Do not offer excuses, the customer would rather want to know your plan of action to rectify the situation. Excuses will only serve to further inflame an already agitated customer. 

• If the going gets tough – Sometimes, it can happen that inspite of your regular efforts at managing a difficult customer, you may find that the customer has no intention of letting up. Try and assess if he is doing so only to play to the gallery, i.e. to drum up support with the other customers present there or is there something in his argument that’s escaping you. Involve a senior in the discussion.

• Empathize – A sure way to win over an agitated customer’s confidence is to empathize with him, letting him know that you understand. Remember, empathy is different from sympathy. A customer will only begin to have faith in your suggested solutions if he feels that you’ve grasped the issue.

• Resolve the issue – Actively initiate a process to tackle a customer’s complaint so that it gets resolved as soon as possible, ideally in front of him so that he leaves a satisfied man. Take the customer into confidence regarding the steps you propose to take. Promise to deliver only what you can and once you do so get in touch with the customer, a follow-up is a thoughtful gesture that customers appreciate.

• Be Firm when need be - Don't be a push over. Occasionally, you may have to get firm with an unruly customer and have to let him go, admitted that “Customer is King” but if the “King Customer” is being truly unreasonable, you should be prepared to deal with him in a firm manner. 

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