Its’s so important and so easy to get wrong!

It’s hard not to take it personally when a customer sends you an angry email or starts shouting at you on the phone.

Its instinctual to feel indignation and defensiveness that the customer is wrong, how hard you are working, and you’ll start to feel angry before you know it.

Take a second to breathe and process what your customer is actually saying.

Most of the time, between the angry words, you’ll hear the customer is struggling or frustrated with your product or service to the point they have to take it out on somebody.
Remember people are human, all of us experience moments of weakness and don’t take their anger personally or hold it against them.

That being said, if they are so angry they are being rude, abusive, or aggressive in tone or language, you don’t have to tolerate that behavior. If at any point in a customer conversation, feel free to escalate it to your manager or supervisor for additional support, (however, this is tough to do if you are a sole proprietor business owner!).

Example: a customer calls you and is upset about a delivery date. They are clearly agitated and are shouting for a manager the moment you pick up the phone. You should remain calm and identify the three “what’s”: What’s the problem, what are the customer’s goals, and what are your options. 

If you can keep your cool and determine theses details, you ‘ll have an easier time de-escalating an angry customer.

2. Practice Active Listening

Pay close attention to the words the customer is saying, instead of focusing on the anger behind the words.

By active listening, (the ability to focus completely on a speaker, understand their message, comprehend the information and respond thoughtfully), you’ll be able to figure out what’s making the customer so angry and how to resolve the issue, instead of simply trying to comfort them and de-escalate the interaction.

You’ll be able to solve their problem and make them satisfied sooner by paying close attention to the angry words so you can respond as quickly as possible.

3. Repeat Back What Your Customers Say

A key part of active listening is making sure you and the customer are on the same page.
Once you have determined the root cause of the anger, repeat back to the customer what you’re hearing to make sure you understand each other. Let the customer know their concerns are being heard and will be responded to. 

Example: You can start by saying, “What I’m hearing is…”to get the ball rolling. Then repeat their words back to them. If possible, highlight how the problem is preventing them from achieving their goal.

This shows that you not only listened, but understand why they need your help.

4. Thank Them for Bringing the Issue to Your Attention

When your customer sounds angry and negative about a situation, thanking them for voicing their concern to you can go a long way toward building rapport with them. 

A simple thank-you to acknowledge their time and patience as you work to solve the issue will do the job.

5. Explain the Steps You’ll Take to Solve the Problem

Make it clear to the customer what you’ll do to get started addressing their concern. 

Whether it’s something simple you can do over the phone, or if you’ll need to go through a process with them, spell out your next moves so the customer feels heard and at ease. 

One way to do this is by creating a timeline for the customer. List out every step you’re going to take and when you expect to complete each one.

This lets them know exactly what your doing and when they’ll have a resolution.

6. Set a Time to Follow Up with Them if Needed

Sometimes, problems can’t be solved in just one phone call. If this is the case, let the customer know why you can’t handle the issue on the phone with them, and give them a timeline of when they can expect to hear from you next.

And as an added benefit, it gives the customer time to cool off, and will help you determine how to proceed.

If you need to set a follow up time with your customer, the best thing you can do is explain why the break will benefit them. If the customer is uneasy about this proposal, reassure them by providing a contingency plan. Let them know exactly when you’ll reach out next and what information you expect to have by that time. 

This will help justify why a follow-up meeting is best for their case.

7. Be Sincere

Just as important as remaining calm when dealing with an angry customer, it’s important to be sincere too. Customers can tell when they’re being talked to in a patronizing or equally angry manner. 

Make sure your word choice and tone are deliberate and respectful.

Nobody likes being talked down to, and even if the customer comes to you hot with anger or a raised voice, make sure you take the high road to diffuse tension and make them feel they’re being taken seriously.

8. Highlight the Case’s Priority

A common frustration for customers is the feeling their support case is not important to your business. If you have a large customer base, some customers may feel like their case is expendable and you or your team can afford an occasional poor experience.

I’s important to remove this feeling for your customer by highlighting how important their case is to you and your business. Let them know you doing whatever you can to lead to a faster resolution.

I hope you receive value from these two trainings on How to Deal with a Difficult (or Angry) Customer. I learned some great things myself and I am happy to share this information with you.

If you enjoyed this information, I have included a link for a handout on 10 Essential Customer Service Skills below: 

P.S.S. Today’s content was taken from HubSpot: ”How to Deal With a Difficult (or Angry) Customer: 16 Tips”, written by Meg Prater