How to Deal with Irritated Customers

Getting it right at the start can diffuse a situation that could turn nasty

1. Stay Positive

A customer will appreciate ‘hearing’ your smile over the phone or seeing your smiling face in person. Studies have shown that over the phone, people are able to identify when the speaker is smiling because it results in a positive, friendly atmosphere. Stay polite, professional and kind during the conversation. A more pleasant tone in your voice will show that you are neutral and polite. Your sense of calm can also help the customer trust that they can rely on you to find the help they are looking for.

2. Listen 

Be sure to listen to your customer and hear them out, no matter how ridiculous you may feel their concern or request is.   Let your customer have the priority to take out all the frustration and ask questions to get the information you need to assist them. You are looking for facts.  A customer becomes angry or rude when they feel mistreated or when they’ve had a bad customer service experience in the past.   Allow them to talk through their frustration by listening without interrupting them.   Sometimes, a customer will calm down when they feel they’ve been listened to, acknowledged, and sympathized with. This is a type of active listening, and it’s essential in good customer service interactions.

3. Apologise and stay neutral 

Though the issue may not be your fault, you should assure the customer that their concerns have been validated by just saying “sorry about that”.   The customer will feel heard, which sets the stage for a more appropriate interaction without rudeness or aggression. Keep your voice and tone neutral, even if the customer is raising their voice. Try to truly understand the issue. To remain neutral, you can’t express impatience or annoyance to the caller. You must act as you are a third party and remember that cooling down the situation is your main goal. Take notes on the customer’s concerns and complaints so that you can better help to solve the problem. The best way to keep control of the conversation is to stay in control of your emotions, stick to the facts, and remain neutral while your customer speaks. Showing kindness and remaining calm to a rude customer is a smart way to calm the situation and come up with a working solution that leaves everyone satisfied.

4. Don’t take it personally

Never make negative comments when dealing with an aggrieved customer. Let him or her know you appreciate the honesty and that you want to help. Positive words are a good contrast to rude behaviour. Simply remaining polite by not taking statements personally can cause the customer to rethink their behaviour and reasons why they are angry therefore they can work with you instead of against you. Remember – rude customers aren’t necessarily angry with you. They are simply dissatisfied with the quality of service or the performance of a product your company makes or simply they had a bad day and are taking their frustration out on you. After you handle a rude customer, you may need to take a few minutes on your own to collect your thoughts, relax before going back to your work day to ensure you don’t carry the stress over into another call.

24th October 2019