You can't shy away from dealing with customers,
especially those difficult ones.
During your career as a manager, you will have
to deal with a number of difficult customers.
Those customers who are unhappy with the
service you and your staff provide. The
'unhappy' customer will want to talk to the
person in charge - you, the manager.
So how do you deal with difficult customers?
Well this is what it takes.
Providing great customer service to a difficult
customer or client can feel like walking a
diplomatic tightrope. But if you handle a
customer's complaint the right way, you
can turn the situation around and even
turn that person into a happy, satisfied
and loyal customer. Here are some tips
to help you when faced with a difficult
customer.
Don't Take It Personally
How you handle the first contact with
a dissatisfied and unhappy customer is
critical to diffusing the situation. If a
customer or client approaches you with
an adversarial attitude, voice raised, he
isn't seeing you as an individual at that
moment - only as a representative of
your company.
Try to remain objective, and don't take
it personally. If your first reaction is to
become defensive, you're already well
on your way to losing control of the
situation.
Let him/her do most of the talking initially,
and just listen.
Try Honestly To See Things From Your
Customer's Point Of View
Show respect for your customer's opinions.
Whether he's (she's) justified or not in being
upset, it's important to put yourself in your
customer's shoes for a moment.
Use phrases like, "I can certainly understand
why you'd feel that way."
Draw on your own experiences as a
dissatisfied customer. You may have been
more diplomatic in the way you asked to
have your complaint resolved, but you
did expect to be treated with respect
and taken seriously.
If you can do this for your difficult customer,
in most cases he'll begin to calm down at this
point.
Call Attention To A Customer's Mistake Indirectly
It's seldom a good idea to directly tell anyone
that they're wrong. Such a direct accusation
causes embarrassment, builds resentment and
hardens someone's attitude, and makes it less
likely that the person you're talking to will want
to listen to what you have to say.
If you think that your customer or client has
made a mistake, begin by using phrases like,
"Well, I thought otherwise but I might be
wrong. Let's look at this together." Being
willing to admit that you could be wrong
will make it easier for your customer to
admit that he might be wrong, too.
Even if you know for a certainty that he's
wrong, begin by using diplomacy so that
your customer can 'save face' if he's
proven wrong. If he feels humiliated,
you've probably lost any chance for
future business with him.
If You're Wrong, Admit It
If you or someone at your company has
made a mistake, admit it and apologise,
sincerely and in no uncertain terms.
If you've missed a deadline, mixed up
an order or delivered a product or
service below your usual standards,
there really is no acceptable excuse
to a customer who was depending on
you.
If you agree that your client has a
right to be upset, you've effectively
removed any grounds for argument
and you can begin to negotiate a
resolution.
When a customer complains, sometimes
what they're really saying is, "How are
you going to make this right?"
In effect, they're giving you another chance.
The customer you've truly lost is the one
who doesn't complain, but simply never
returns.
Decide If You Really Need The Business
The only way to win an argument is to
avoid it. But there will be times when,
despite your best efforts, you will have
to decide if the difficult customer's
business is worth the time and
emotional strain it costs you.
Fortunately, these situations are the exception.
Handling difficult customers can be
challenging, but it's well worth mastering
the negotiation skills required to win their
loyalty.
When they're satisfied with the way you
handle their complaints, they can also be
among your biggest sources of referrals.
And since customers are the lifeblood of
any business, the more you can rely on
regular customers and referrals then the
less time and money you'll have to spend
to get new business.
Andrew
Head Office
Worthing
Sussex
BN14 7SJ
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