Dealing with irate customers

Customer service representatives (CSRs) live in constant danger of receiving nasty telephone calls from angry customers. Almost always, these calls come at a bad time, and without warning. Nonetheless, CSRs must be able to handle each call calmly and skillfully.
For example: A call comes in from one of your company's largest customers that has been working with your company for 10 years.
The client sounds angry. She complains that someone said her job would ship two days late. She swears that if you do not deliver her job on time, it will be the last order you ever get from her company.

WHERE DO YOU START?

Here are some basic steps that can help CSRs deal successfully with an irate customer:

LISTEN, LISTEN SOME MORE AND KEEP LISTENING

Interrupting with denials or possible justifications before the customer has had his or her complete say will only make that person more angry. At appropriate moments, however, do ask questions that will help clarify the situation.

EMPATHIZE

Really feel sorry for the customer because he or she is in a terrible situation. Once customers know they are talking to an empathetic human being who understands their problems and really wants to help, the way is cleared for rational conversation. Don't apologize on behalf of the company early in the conversation. Most likely, you still won't know who is at fault. One good early response would be: “I understand exactly why you are upset. If the same thing happened to me, I would be as upset as you are.”

DON'T TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY

Remain calm. One unnerved CSR mixed with one irate customer leads only to greater chaos. Remember, customers are yelling at the CSR, but the real target is the company as a whole, and at the situation in which they have been placed.

GET THE FACTS FROM ALL SIDES

If feasible, get off the phone and go on a fact-finding mission. Before getting off the phone, make it clear that you will do everything possible to solve the problem. Talk to everyone involved and investigate all sides of the story. Find out what is really happening. Ascertain the true status of the job.

IF THE FACTS WARRANT IT, APOLOGIZE

One sincere apology placates customers more than 20 lame excuses. It is best not to put the blame on any one individual. Say we made a mistake, and we intend to make it right.

LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW WHAT YOU CAN DO

You cannot promise the impossible. Probably, a consultation with others is needed, especially with production management. Find out what they are able to do. Try to put them in a frame of mind to do their best.

LEARN WHETHER THAT WILL SATISFY THE CUSTOMER

There is no point in having production go to great effort, and even incur expenses, only to learn that what was done still did not satisfy the customer.

IF NOT, FIND OUT WHAT WILL SATISFY THE CUSTOMER

Ask questions, such as: “What would you like me to do?”, “How would you settle this if you were me?” and “What will make you completely happy?” At this point, you may have to go back to production or upper management to get a more favorable solution for the customer.

AGREE UPON A SOLUTION

Naturally, if you cannot reach an agreement, you will probably have to bow out gracefully and turn the problem over to somebody else. If there is agreement, restate it, and make sure it is clearly understood. A letter of confirmation is also a good idea.

ENSURE FOLLOW-THROUGH

If, after all of that back-and-forth, there is no follow-through, you and your entire company have blown it. You should keep a close watch over events, and either you or the sales rep should call the customer with progress reports.

THE REAL SOLUTION

The best way to deal with irate customers is to avoid giving them reason to become angry in the first place. CSRs should enter complaints into a customer complaint log. A well-kept log shows the kinds of mistakes that keep happening. Sales, customer service, production and upper management should work together to eliminate poor procedures that lead to customer dissatisfaction. Then the new methods need to be implemented, applied consistently and improved upon.

One of the most important duties of any business owner is to ensure that their customers are satisfied. Often times, this includes talking to a customers who, for whatever reason, are angry or upset.
Tactics for dealing with an upset customer over the phone are something that can be learned. Possessing these skills will help make you a very valuable employee.

Steps

1. Actively listen. Let the angry client talk through their problems and get it all out of their system. As they talk make indications that you are listening such as "uh huh", "really?", etc.. This step is important because the more time a customer spends airing their grievances, the more time they have to calm down.
2. Allow the client to express their opinions. Allow them to communicate their feelings however they choose to without passing judgement. Step in only if the client becomes directly abusive towards you.
3. Maintain your personal integrity at all times. If the customer is abusive, calmly interject something to the effect of "I appreciate your frustration with the situation however attacking me will not improve anything - I would like to help you."
4. Be sympathetic. Make sure the customer knows that you understand their frustration and acknowledge any mistakes that have been made. Recognize the customer's feelings about the mistakes - that is, how it must have felt to be the customer in this situation.
5. Be empathetic. When appropriate, show empathy. Empathy implies that you feel the same way as the customer and truly understand their feelings. It can create further issues to say "I understand your anger" if you do not truly understand, as the customer may shoot back "You have no idea!". Using a phrase like "I can imagine how upsetting that must have been" is a better way to phrase this.
6. Ask questions. After they complete their story, ask about the facts and details of the matter at hand.
7. Move into solution-mode - know when to ask open-ended questions, and when to stick with "yes" or "no" questions.
8. Apologize when appropriate. Apologies can often be interpreted as an admittance of guilt. There are three types of apologies that can be employed in these situations, choose the most appropriate:
   • Direct: "I apologize that we did not send your order on time."
   • Blameless: "I apologize for the fact you are frustrated - let's see if we cannot turn this around."
   • Fake: "It sounds like we owe you an apology."
     • Many customers interpret this to be an apology when in fact none is ever made.
9. Offer to try to fix the problem. Never promise to outright fix the issue, but always promise to try. If you make an attempt and fail, it will create further issues if you promised total resolution.
10. Gain agreement on your resolution. Make sure your client understands what has been done at the end of the call. Even if the issue is not totally resolved, gain agreement on the resolution that was reached.
    • Example 1 (total resolution): "So just to confirm, I have walked you though reinstalling your application and now everything works - correct?"
    • Example 2 (pending resolution): "So just to confirm, we have decided that your toaster is in need of a repair under warranty and I am sending you a box for you to ship it back to us - correct?"
11. Write a clear, concise log of the incident. Document (in detail) every major point of the call. It is not important to note every single word uttered, but keep a point-form log of anything that may assist others who deal with the customer in the future. Example:
    
    

CUSTOMER: Bob Smith
ISSUE: The customer is calling because he recently visited store #112 and claims that the representative at the cash register was rude and condescending.
DISCUSSION:
- Allowed the customer to explain the situation fully:
-- The customer states that on 01/01/09 he went to store #112 to purchase a do-dad and when he went to pay had some issues with the pin number for his debit card. The customer states that at this point the cashier became rude and made comments about the customer's age.
- I apologized for the customer's feelings, but did not make a direct apology.
- I offered to call the store and speak to a manager on the customers behalf : the customer agreed to this.
- I also offered a 20$ gift card to thank the customer for calling in today : the customer declined, and stated he just wanted to make us aware.
RESOLUTION: Calling Store #112, will confirm employees for 01/01/09 and register a formal complaint on behalf of the customer.
Your Name * Your Department * Your Phone Number

Tips

• After the complaint is handled, follow up and be sure the resolution is completed.
• Keep a complaint log. If you see the same thing popping up over and over, you can recommend a change in policy.
• During the interaction with the customer's complaint, it is always important to monitor your own tone of voice and volume. Never raise your voice, as that can easily escalate into a shouting match. Having a consistent calm tone of voice will subconsciously encourage others to do the same.
• Don't forget to thank the customer for taking the time to speak with you and work to a resolution.
  • The customer has done you a favor. They have identified a problem in your business and they have given you the chance to keep their business by fixing it.

Warnings

• Problem customers can become expensive if they continually make harsh demands. Keep records of complaints and any compensation or refunds provided. A customer who is always offered a refund may be complaining only for monetary gain.
• Some customers use complaints as a way of getting discounts or credits. Beware of the client who is constantly grinding you for any little thing they can think of. Accurate records should protect you from this occurring.