Handling Difficult Customers the Right Way : The Benefits

Handling Difficult Customers the Right Way : The Benefits
Customer Service Management : Library

You may ask "What's in it for me?" or "why bother?"

The reason you should learn how to deal with difficult customer is FOR YOU. 1) It helps you to reduce stress. 2) It helps you to enjoy your job. 3) It gives you a sense of job satisfaction.

Handling Difficult Customers you will need : 1) The RIGHT mindset. 2) The Right goal. 3) The RIGHT techniques.

The RIGHT mind-set
You cannot satisfy everybody : There will always be an unhappy customer. Do not get stressed by the predictable. You CAN do something about it. You are in control of the situation. This mind-set will help you to: Become immune to attacts/insults from difficult customers. Reduce frustration and stress. Offer better customer service.

The RIGHT goal
The following should be your goal in handling difficult customers. "I want to deal with the person/situation professionally". "I want to end this nasty interaction as quickly as possible". What should NOT be the goal : To get even / to fight back. To defend yourself. To humiliate. Also you need not like the nasty person. Choosing the right goal helps you to: Prevent the situation from escalating into major time consuming conflicts. Safe yourself from stress i.e. frustration, anger etc.

The RIGHT techniques
1) Understand the 'rules of hostile interaction'.
2) Understand what the upset/angry customer wants.
3) Understand what to do when an unhappy customer is venting
4) Use the right words to defuse unhappy customers.
5) Use 'mirroring responses'.

Rules about hostile interactions
Stay away from responding to 'bait' : The hostile customer ( attacker) want to be in control of the situation. Bait consists of behaviors (verbal or non-verbal) that are designed to get you react, usually in an emotional manner. If you respond to the bait, you hand over control of the conversation to the attacker, thus wasting your time reacting and responding instead of helping the customer or ending the interaction in a positive way. Do not become defensive - defensive statements usually contains the word "I" or "We". Do not counter-attack - counter-attacking remarks usually contains the word "You".

What Angry Customer Need and Want?1. They want their problem solved.
2. They want help : They want you to be helpful even if you can't solve their entire problem. Show genuine effort to help them.
3. They want choices : They do not want to feel helpless, or trapped, or at the mercy of the "system".
4. They want acknowledgement : People want to feel that you are making an effort to understand their situation. Do not ignore their feelings.

Empathy
How do I like to be treated?
- When I am interrupted before I finish speaking, I feel ....
- When interest is shown in what I am saying, I feel ...
- When I have to wait until someone finishes paperwork, I feel ...

Venting
Often customer just needs to get something off his/her chest. It does not matter if the customer is right or wrong; they need to air their complaints. When the customer is venting : Listen attentively. Do not take the harsh words personally [ Imagine yourself as a sounding board; you receive the words but you let it bounce off ]. When the customer is venting : Do not interrupt. Do not tell the person to calm down [ Allow the rage the burn out , Visualize the customer cooling down]. Do not get angry yourself. Do not defend your self. Do not counter-attack.

Defusing unhappy customers
- Show empathy
- Encourage venting.
- Stay objective.
- Remain calm.
- Listen attentively
- Take responsibility
- Involve customer.
- Give added value / alternative.
- Provide action plan.
- Involve your manager.

Mirroring responses
Customer need to be acknowledged. Respond to customer's anger or frustration with empathy by using mirroring responses.

The angry / irrate customers
Things you can do to take control of potential hostile situations :

FIRSTLY:
- You need to look for signs of irritated or upset people : Non-verbal clues; clenched fists, staring, red-eye, restlessness.
- Anticipate anger by looking out for non-verbal signals so that you wont't be caught by surprise.
- By being prepared for any outburst, you will not react too quickly to hostile behavior.
- Prepare yourself mentally by telling yourself you CAN control the situation.
- Keep yourself under control. If you get angry yourself, you are likely to contribute to the deterioration or the situation.

SECONDLY
When in contact with a hostile customer, you must strive to present yourself in as un-bureaucratic a way as possible. Remember that the customer's anger is usually directed at the organization. If the customer perceives you as a piece of bureaucracy ( an object), he/she is more likely to be more abusive. If the customer sees you as a human being who is doing the best you can, he/she will show less aggressive behavior.

How to be un-bureaucratic : Speak in a friendly manner: do not speak in monotone. It implies that you are uninterested. When possible, use the customer's name. Great the person properly. Never say "I only work here" or "I am only following the rules". Avoid hiding behind policy.

Ways to defuse an angry / irate customer :
- Visualization; see the customer as a newborn baby screaming for attention.
- Gentle reminder: say "Is there something I have done personally to upset you? I would like to help you if you give me a chance".
- Transfer : If the customer is too wild for one person to handle, say, "I think my manager may be able to help you".
- Call security: If the customer is about to become violent, say "I'm sorry but we need to find way to work together. I think security will help".

Every hostile situation is different, and not all solutions will work all the time.
The general principle are : to be prepared by observing customers early in the process and to make sure that you come across as a real person who works hard to solve the customer's problems.

What's in it for me ?
You have been provided with the tools. It is up to you to decide to master them and use them. If you choose to do so, it is for your benefit : You will be able to reduce stress level when interacting with difficult customers. You will not feel like a victim since you are in control of the situation. You will be a professional!

AFFIRMATION
" I am not at the mercy of my customers. It does not matter whether my customers deserve good service or not; by choosing to give it to them anyway, I remain in control of how I feel".