Regarding upset customers:

                At some point in your career you’ve probably, or probably will, come across a customer that’s simply having a bad day. This customer might be very unreasonable, irrational, demanding, and downright angry for whatever reason. Here’s what we suggest in the short term for handling an upset customer.

·         Listen to their problem.

o   Often, the customer is not mad at you, they’re just upset at the situation.

o   Realize that you’re talking to the King or Queen of the castle, they have the right to be upset in their own home and property.

o   Let the upset customer talk, respond only if you need to, but hear them out completely.

o   A lot of customers WILL CALM DOWN after they’ve vented a bit. Some even apologize.

o   AGREE with the customer about something they’ve said.

§  If we’ve made a mistake, ADMIT IT.

§  If you’re not sure that we’ve made a mistake, take the POSSIBILITY that we have into serious consideration and let the customer see you taking their concern seriously.

§  Even if you know for certain we haven’t done anything wrong, DO NOT immediately shut down the idea that we have until the customer has calmed down. Let the possibility exist in the customer’s mind until they’ve come back to a somewhat rational frame of mind, and then exercise extreme discretion.

§  The customer must know and feel that we’re on their side, or they will lose any and all trust in us to fix their issues and concerns.

·         KEEP YOUR COOL.

o   If you’re going to argue a point, do so with clear and concise reasoning. 

o   Remain polite, do not try to dominate or speak over them. Do NOT lose your own temper in the process.

o   Pick your battles. Sometimes a customer can flip flop from being angry to receptive, to angry and then receptive again. Be observant and patient.

·         Root of the problem and the solution.

o   Once the customer has explained why they’re upset, the only thing left to determine is what we’re going to do to make it right.

o   If you don’t immediately have a good idea, your next best option is to simply ask the customer what it will take to make them happy. Use your own words to do that, it should sound natural and sincere.

o   If the customer doesn’t know, it’s probably past time to call a service manager anyway!

·         At any rate, you should let a service manager know what happened just in case we end up needing to speak with that customer further. Very few customers are beyond reasoning with, and most can be dealt with in the manner we’ve described.

·         Keep in mind that we DO NOT LEAVE AN UPSET CUSTOMER, and we certainly DO NOT TAKE MONEY FROM AN UPSET CUSTOMER. Always call a manager if you’re in a bind with a customer!