Dealing with angry customers is an unfortunate—but necessary—part of an excellent customer service strategy. Luckily, if you’re prepared, you can turn those unhappy customers into loyal fans of your business!
Anger happens. It’s a natural response to frustration that researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara describe as a “bargaining emotion.” Internal anger is a defensive response to perceived unfairness. And the anger we express externally is our (admittedly not always productive) way of communicating our desire to resolve the situation.
When you represent your company, a game plan for addressing customer anger is key to successful customer service. It’s important to provide your customers with the opportunity to air and resolve their grievances, which helps you maintain your online reputation and provides valuable feedback for your business. Best of all, when your customer service teams are trained to handle angry customers, you have the opportunity to turn them back into happy customers.
With a few strategies, you can equip yourself to turn negative customer interactions into positive customer experiences.
1. Don’t take it personally
Stellar customer service is all about creating personal connections. But in difficult moments, it may be more effective to take the personal out of the equation—allowing you to better address their frustrations. Remind yourself that they’re frustrated with a product or a service, not with you personally. A little breathing room will better equip you to address your customer’s concerns head on.
2. Listen
Even if you’ve heard it all before, remember that your customer hasn’t had the chance to say it all just yet. To be sure you fully understand their concerns, give the customer room to express their point of view. Allow your customer to finish their thought before interjecting with a helpful solution. Often all they need is to feel heard, and more importantly, to feel like you care enough to take proactive action that will help them.
3. Empathize
Once your customer has had the chance to speak, repeat and rephrase your customer’s concerns to show that you heard them. If you’re unclear about your customer’s concerns, ask follow up questions to be sure that you’re fully comprehending their point of view. Demonstrating that you are attentively listening establishes that you and the customer are on the same page working towards a solution. A little bit of empathy goes a long way.
4. Apologize
Apologize for their frustration and mean it. As the representative of your business, it’s important to acknowledge faults and express your regrets.
Additionally, let them know that their complaints will be taken into account moving forward, that your company will learn from them. An authentic willingness to learn from mistakes and take complaints seriously can turn a customer relationship around.
5. Stay positive
It can be difficult to maintain a upbeat attitude in a difficult situation, but a little positivity can go a long way. Your confidence in yourself will instill your customer with confidence in you and your problem-solving skills. And your positivity, when genuine, will put your customer at ease.
How have you turned a negative customer interaction into a positive brand interaction? Tweet us @callruby and share your story!
