Module nine recovering difficult customers. One of the hardest challenges customer service staff face is dealing with difficult customers. Sometimes customers have a legitimate reason to be upset and sometimes they don't. In either case, customer service staff needs to be prepared for dealing with difficult customers and finding ways to win them back. De escalating anger. No matter which method you were using to provide customer service, it is almost inevitable that at times, you'll have to deal with an angry customer, business, the case and even the best run businesses and for the best customer service individuals, sometimes whether justifiably or otherwise, customers will get annoyed with a company and will wish to vent that anger at the first available representative.
It will frequently be quite powerful anger which may boil over into verbal abuse. But the job of a customer service provider is to accept that it will happen and get on with solving the problem. The first step in doing this is to try and come the customer down because it will be difficult to solve a problem if they are boiling with fury, whether their anger is justified or not. The first thing you must do is speak to the customer Were in a calm manner and get straight to the nature of the problem. It may be the case that they want to scream and shout a bit to vent their fury and it is up to you how long you give them to do this, your opening gambit should be something along the lines of I can tell this is obviously a matter of some importance to you.
I'd like to do what I can to help you saying please come down or refusing to help until they have stopped shouting will simply escalate their anger. Very often anger arises as the result of a misunderstanding. In these cases, it is essential to get to the source of the misunderstanding as quickly as possible. You should speak to the customer and allow them to see that you realize the matter is important. Do not say I understand or I sympathize. They do not want your sympathy and they will doubt that you understand getting the problem laid out so that you can move forward depends on getting the customer to see that you're willing to help.
From that point on they will be a lot more ready to come down and proceed. Establish common ground. When your job entails dealing with customers. It is inevitable that from time to time some of those with whom you deal with will be just Satisfied and in something of a mode. Your job in this case as in all cases of customer service is to ensure that the issues are dealt with promptly and efficiently. If this should mean that you have to listen to some ranting First of all, then it is worth accepting that this will be the case and allowing a customer to say what they feel they have to say before getting to the heart of the problem.
When all is said and done, you will be seeking to get the point across to the customer that you both have a common goal the resolution of their problem. It stands to reason as a result of the circumstances that the customer will display signs of anger towards you initially, you to them are a symbol of the company for whom you work, which is also the company with which they have an issue. In the customers eyes you will be an opponent and someone to be overcome. Your task is thing to it that they realize that this is not the case. You are both on the same side here as people who wants to find an end to their problem. Of course they will not see it that way at the beginning and this is where you will need to employ good customer service.
Ask questions about the problem to demonstrate the You are taking it seriously, begin to formulate a solution and explain what that will be. Allow the customer to be part of this process and you will gain their confidence. In the long run, what you were looking for is the solution that the customer will be happy with. They may have begun your interaction by making known their dissatisfaction and being somewhat hostile towards you. But the fact of the matter is that as long as you maintain a calm demeanor, and address their problems seriously, looking to work with them as you go, they will recognize you as an ally rather than an adversary and will be a lot more ready to work with you on the issue. Once the issue is solved, they will remember you as the person who helped them and will see you in the company in a more positive light.
Setting your limits, sometimes the customer will come to you with a problem that you cannot solve. As a customer service representative, it is often expected that you will have the solution to all problems with your company's product or services at your fingertips. Of course, this is simply not possible. Sometimes a customer will come to you with a problem that is simply unsolvable and you will have to tell them so in the cases it can be difficult to get your point across in a way that leaves the customer satisfied and seeing your point of view, but it is important to at least try. There are many possible reasons why you may be unable to help a customer with their problem. It may be that they are simply being unreasonable, a defect may have occurred with a problem that they bought because they used it for an application that wasn't meant to perform.
It may be that the product for which they are seeking help is now obsolete and that the problem is impossible to repair. In either case, the factory means that you will not be able to grant their request and you will need to communicate this in a way that allows them to leave on good terms. So much of human interaction isn't how you say things and customer service is much the same. If you cannot solve a problem, then it is essential to explain why this is the case and to give the customer all the help possible to find an alternative solution. The more you can do for them along these lines, the more they will understand that although you could not solve the problem then in there. You gave it your best and you provided them with some help demonstrating that you're willing to do what is possible.
Well when you pointed In almost every case, managing your emotions. When dealing with a customer who is angry, it can sometimes be difficult to maintain your own composure in the face of their protests. Your job as a customer service provider is to try and solve their problem and to avoid getting agitated yourself. However, the fact is that we are all human and we all have our limits and Achilles heels. Sometimes you may well feel that you want to respond to a customer's goading by getting angry at them. This should be avoided as it escalates the situation.
Instead, you should try to remain calm and bring the customer towards your level of calm. In many cases, the extent of the customer's anger will be that they have had a problem with one of your products and they want to see it repaired. They will be angry because they spent money on something which in their view was not worth it. Your job in this case is to try and calm them down by allowing them to see that you will do whatever you can to help. Rather than being a faceless, nameless representative of a company which has given them a problem you are a human being. As much as possible, you should present this human face when talking to a dissatisfied customer.
Managing motion and although it may be difficult it is worth doing. Sometimes customers will state to provoke a reaction from you as they enjoy arguing the point and feel that seeing you get angry will prove that they are right. Try putting yourself in the shoes of the customer and think about how you would respond in such a situation and what you would want to hear. Reaching and understanding may take time and effort but it is worth doing nonetheless, particularly as getting angry can lead to getting fired case study. Jordan had thought he had seen at all but boy was he wrong. One morning a very unhappy customer came through the Office shouting and demanding help.
Jordan was the only customer service representative that wasn't currently busy so he had to deal with them in the angry customer was shouting but Jordan remain calm and collected. Jordan explained that he would try to help him in any way he could. The man eventually calmed down enough to have a discussion and the issue was resolved rather quickly. It was a simple misunderstanding and was dealt with accordingly. Jordan was proud of the way he handled the situation but would rather not have to go through it again anytime soon.