How To Deal With Difficult Customers: 15 Best Psychological Hacks
In today’s article you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to deal with difficult customers.
Deal with angry customers on an everyday basis, and begin to lose your mind? Try some of these ways to defuse a situation involving a difficult customer.
How to Deal with Difficult Customers:
1. Learn the art of listening
If you’re a new frontline staffer who has to deal with every kind of shoppers every day, the very first thing you should develop are listening skills.
Most customers can tell if you pretend to have an interest in a problem raised. Listen and show sincerity and offer to fix customer complaints or problems.
2. Avoid over-apologizing
One surefire way to make a customer feel really aggravated is to hear the word “sorry” time and time again.
If that’s all you can say rather than asking for details and offering a solution, you are likely to piss off the customer who has approached or called you.
3. Show empathy
Your demeanor and voice will reflect empathy, so bear in mind of how you relate to and speak to customers, particularly difficult ones.
In addition to agreeing or accepting what the customer wants, empathy shows understanding of a difficulty or problem. Respond in a genuinely helpful and genuine way.
4. Let the customer vent
It is important to let the customer vent his disappointment and complaints. Don’t interrupt.
Instead, gather as much detail as possible and only ask questions after the customer has finished bemoaning or retelling the situation.
5. Identify what went wrong
Avoid pointing faults whether to your company, or worse, to customers. Listen to the customer to find out what is wrong.
Knowing the full details, you can then think of reasonable steps to remedy the situation.
6. Keep calm
When a customer can’t be appeased (and subjected to angry tirades) even after hearing a complaint and after suggestions for improving the situation have been offered, and after an apology for the inconvenience has been expressed, the only thing you can do is remain calm and composed.
Avoid snapping or yelling at the customer, which will only escalate the conflict.
7. Show the customer some highlights
Showing the customer how important he’s can be done not only by listening carefully and not interrupting or arguing, but by offering workable solutions.
Take the opportunity to show excellent service (1). If faulty products are a customer’s top complaint, offer something free
8. Complaint validation
Ditch the notion that almost all customer problems are unfounded.
Get full details, including the customer’s name, contact number and address, together with the subject of the complaint, and make sure that correspondence is sent instantly if you promise to do so, as soon as possible.
9. Offer concrete solutions
Customers want action. If you tell them you will be contacting them for feedback on the matter, and fail to empathize, you may lose them.
Offer concrete solutions and follow up.
10. Practice your problem solving skills
Customers generally seek help because they aren’t getting the service or product quality they know they deserve.
Show accountability.
Instead of explaining company policy and disagreeing with the customer, take responsibility for fixing the situation/problem. Contact the person directly responsible for solving the problem raised.
11. Show kindness
You can defuse a situation with a hostile customer by showing kindness and understanding. The right choice of words and tone of voice can make a big difference.
By communicating well and showing kindness, you can win over even the most difficult customers.
12. Avoid arguments with customers
There are difficult customers who make reasonable requests, and there are those who tend to be impolite and demanding.
Whichever type you encounter, restrain yourself and avoid verbal altercations. Be patient and avoid using a condescending tone and attitude.
13. Follow up
After offering a solution to a customer complaint, remember to act on it.
After you have shipped a promotional item or replaced a product, send a letter or have a customer support representative call the customer to check if she or he received the item sent.
Don’t forget to thank customers for using your company’s services or products (2).
14. Make connections
Relationship building may not occur overnight, but do not neglect easy things like a kind word, empathy, and other customer-oriented approaches to win over customers.
15. Show a genuine interest in customer needs
After listening and finding a mutually acceptable solution, show a genuine interest in the customer – offer ways you can help and make sure any other unmet needs or requirements.
Thank you for reading this article on how to deal with a difficult customer and I actually hope you take action on my advice.
I wish you good luck and that I hope that its content has been a good help to you.