One Tough Customer: How To Effectively Deal
With Customer Complaints

At some point, even the savviest entrepreneur (with top notch customer service) must face The Difficult Customer. It’s inevitable and never an easy situation to deal with, but there are ways to make it go smoothly. Knowing what those ways are and how to use them only serves to benefit your business.

Depending on which stats you find, anywhere from 90-96% of disgruntled consumers will simply take their business elsewhere without ever telling you what was wrong. That’s a lot of lost business. Additionally, more consumers will tell others about a bad experience than they will about a good one…a double whammy!

If there’s a bright side, it’s this: A large number of those who complain will actually stay with a company, if they feel their issue was handled well, and may even relay that encounter to others. This is exactly what you want because it builds strong consumer loyalty when customers feel they can count on you if there’s ever a problem. Thus, a complaint becomes the perfect opportunity!

When dealing with a tough client, it’s important to remember that the key ingredient to a great customer service recipe is knowing how to diffuse this type of situation effectively and to the satisfaction of everyone involved.

Here are some guidelines that can help you through the maelstrom…

Maintain Professionalism
Sure, it sounds like common sense, but doing it in a highly stressful environment can be like pulling a lion’s long tooth…far from easy! The most effective way is to strike a balance between lack of emotion and empathy. Yes, it’s an oxymoron but it’s one that can go a long way toward calming an irate customer and tackling the issue at hand. You want to stay objective to the situation, but you also want to be able to understand why your client feels the way they do in order to turn the tide and conclude on a more positive note.

It helps to keep in mind that they are not upset with you personally, but with your product or service. Remember that your customer purchased from you with the trust that they needed this item and you could provide the quality they desired. Somewhere along the way, they became disappointed and, feeling as though that trust was shaken, are emotionally involved by the time they come to you. The last thing you want to do is meet their degree of upset with your own: it will only succeed in your client feeling that the confrontation is justified, however hostile it may be.

The tone you use with your customer is a very important aspect in the exchange between you. You don’t want to appear as though their anger has upset you or that you’ve taken it personally; otherwise they will feel they aren’t being listened to and will persist in pushing their point. This naturally leads to a lack of resolution in the matter, which neither of you want. Whether in person or on the phone, you want to keep your voice low and calm. What this tells a patron is that you are in an authoritive position and are, therefore, capable of helping them.

If the discussion is via email or instant messenger, you can set and maintain the tone by the words you choose to the same effect. One of the worst things to say to an upset customer is “Are you sure you read the manual right?”. This will only elevate the level of hostility your client is feeling toward your company. A better approach is to keep a neutral tone by, instead, saying something like “I understand why you’re upset. I’m sure I would be too, in that situation. Let’s a take a look at the manual and see if we can figure this out”. By carefully constructing your words, you can create an entirely different vibe for your client, setting a tone that’s more difficult to respond negatively to.

Reassure Your Customer
Even if your customer is in full-on rant mode, you can often calm them down by simply letting them know that you’re listening, understand their issue and will do what you can to resolve the situation. Read through their anger to get to the root of the problem, so you will better know what you can do about it. As hard as this sounds, it really isn’t that difficult. It can be done by maintaining the tone you’ve set, listen to what they’re saying rather than the emotion it’s said with, and suggest logical/helpful solutions based on the root issue.

One thing you do not want to do is place blame, whether it’s on the patron or yourself. You want to diffuse the situation without suggesting your customer may be a liar/mistaken or saying something that downgrades your company (i.e. “we’ve been having that problem with X Dept. lately”). Neither will earn you any brownie points! Take a more neutral ground, let your client vent and reassure them that you have their best interests at heart.

Turn a Negative into a Positive
No, this isn’t some crazy math problem, but it is a way to further your goal of nurturing consumer trust to get things between you and your customer back on track. This is where you take what you’ve gathered about the problem and apply the best solution for it. This could mean a compromise of some kind, a refund, or even a coupon good toward a next purchase…whatever the situation deems appropriate. A simple apology, for a mistake on your part or just for the inconvenience of the situation, can go a very long way toward making your customer feel appreciated and heard.

Pay It Forward
If you have employees, it isn’t enough that you know how to diffuse a touchy situation. They must be trained to handle them as well. Otherwise, you’ll wind up fielding every complaint and, let’s face it, you’ve got a business to run. Taking the time to train upfront can save so much more of it later on! Having a well-trained staff is an added value to your customers, also, making it doubly worth the time spent.
Consider the fact that angry consumers actually take the time to tell you (however irrationally or demanding) what they feel is lacking in your product or service. Consider, also, that it costs less to retain existing customers than it does to draw in new ones and that word-of-mouth marketing is the most viral. It soon becomes easy to see that you can thank your difficult patrons for giving your business the opportunity to improve.