Are you frustrated because of difficult customers? Is there any way to deal with them?
Often, dealing with some customers can be a frustrating experience. They might not like your quality of services, products or become angry for any other reason. But if you listen to them and make them feel heard, you can build long-term positive relationships. It is a vital factor in building better rapport with your customers.
It’s important to have trained people in your team that know how to handle such situations. You need to resolve it professionally to win your customer’s heart.
But how can you do this?
No matter how difficult the customer is, there’s always a way to deal with them. Remember, your focus should be on resolving the customer’s issue. In this article, we’ll share a comprehensive guide on how you can deal with difficult customers.
So keep reading.
Importance of Dealing With Difficult Customers
You should develop a positive relationship with your customers as it improves your brand reputation. It also leads to an increase in brand revenue and customer retention.
According to a survey on customer behavior, around 80% of customers never do business with a brand. Why does that happen?
It’s because of poor customer service.
The popular phrase that the customer is always right might not be 100% true. Dealing with difficult customers is a challenging task. But with the right strategy you can convert this into an opportunity to provide customer-centric solutions.
5 Types of Difficult Customers
Before knowing how to deal with difficult customers, you should know about who are difficult customers. Let’s dive deeper and understand five common types of difficult customers. It’ll help you set a clear roadmap for dealing with these customers.
1. Angry Customer
The customer is extremely dissatisfied with the company’s services or products. Some of the reasons behind negative feedback could be that the product is:
- Broken
- Damaged
- Malfunctioning
Another reason why customers become angry is late delivery. The situation can become even more frustrating if customer service isn’t responsive.
It’s normal for customers to raise their voice while sharing feedback. But you should never stoop to that level. Instead, quickly relax and find an effective solution.
2. Silent Customer
Silent customers are the complete opposite of angry customers. They purchase your product and use it. But they never share their feedback or experience with the brand. Instead of communicating with customer service, they resort to stop doing business with the company. Silent customers keep bad experiences to themselves.
They are the biggest asset of your business.
Businesses should actively engage with these customers to improve their services. Reach out to them and get their honest feedback. Do quick calls and make sure to personalize your
interactions.3. Indecisive Customer
Just by the name, it’s clear that these customers need assistance in making decisions. They contact customer service for questions. If you don’t explain properly, they’ll keep switching between different options.
It’s because customers want you to understand their problem. You might feel like you interact with these customers daily. It’s best to formulate a strategy to assist these customers.
Communicate with these customers. Give them all the possible solutions. Afterward, let them weigh all the options and their consequences.
4. Demanding Customer
These are also referred to as Entitled customers. They don’t have any idea about how you can help them. Usually, they have unrealistically high expectations. These include huge discounts, impulse purchases, and requests that don’t fall under your scope of work.
The only way to tackle them is by setting clear boundaries. Explain what your team is capable of and in which areas you can help them. Don’t wait for them to be rude towards you.
Tell them what the best solution is for them. Thus ensuring that all their needs are met properly.
5. Frequent Complainer Customer
These are the customers who have issues with your products. No matter how hard you try to satisfy them, they are unhappy. In short, they are hard to please.
You can identify these customers by noticing how frequently they contact the customer support team. They never hold back from leaving negative reviews on minor inconveniences. It can ruin your brand reputation.
While dealing with them, have an empathetic approach. Listen to them and try to remain calm. Incorporate their feedback only if it’s valid.Â
Deal Difficult Customers Professionally Step-by-step Guide
If you’re having difficulty dealing with difficult customers, here’s a detailed guide to help you. It’ll help you achieve a high customer satisfaction rate.
So next time you encounter a similar customer, read this guide.
Follow A Zen Mindset
If the customer starts becoming rude, then what’s your first response?
Most often, the natural reaction is to become defensive. The brain enters fight and flight mode. That’s why you should take a deep breath and relax. Don’t act rashly because that will only make things worse.
So, practice deep learning. It’ll calm your nervous system and minimize stress levels. In this situation, you might be too focused on finding the problem. Instead, dive deeper to understand the root cause of the issue.
Keep your emotions in check by implementing stress-relief techniques. If customers feel understood, almost half of their tension will be reduced. It’ll make them more receptive to listening to your solutions.
Ask Relevant Questions
Your motive should be to ask relevant questions. But why is that necessary?
It’s because asking questions helps them calm down. Changing a calm person’s mind is hard and here you are trying to change a difficult customer mind. Arguing will only make the situation tough.
So that’s why you should ask them questions. Get to the point and ask the issues they are facing. Why are they unhappy with the service or product?
Listen to them, but don’t cast any judgment at this stage. You can also try ego boosting by thanking them to shed light on the issue.
Give a Quick Recap Of What You Understood
The customer service team often doesn’t fully understand the intensity of customer issues. You can lighten the mood by summarizing the entire situation with light hearted comments. Share all the concerns back to them. That’s the ideal way to ensure that you’re on the same page. It gives them a feeling of reassurance.
Take the first step of building trust with your customers. Ask questions to show you’re here to genuinely help.
- Did I get that right?
- Am I missing anything?
- Is there anything else you would like to share?
It’s also a confirmation that you’re not misunderstanding customer queries. The customer realizes that their feelings are not dismissed.
Genuinely Apologize For the Issue
Right now, your customer is in emotional turmoil. They are angry about a situation that isn’t even your fault. Humans tend to blame others, and that’s what your customers might be doing.
You can tell them that it’s not your fault and they are responsible. What’ll it do?
It’ll make customers hate your brand and shake word-of-mouth marketing. Instead, apologize to your customer. Open the doors for resolution by doing this.
Apologize → Actively listen → Be sincere → Find a proper solution.
Be Clear About Your Boundaries
You might have an excellent grip on handling rude customers. However, never allow customers to speak with you in abrasive language. You might work in an industry where customers often become abusive. Then what should you do?
You should make a fine line between empathy and maintaining boundaries. So first identify the customer and then maintain your boundary.
If you’re emotionally involved, then you can face burnout. Don’t be an emotional sponge, and let people walk over you.
Be Honest With Customers
After following the above steps, you should get to the crux of the problem. Sometimes, you might not see the solution immediately. So you have to do the most challenging thing.
It is telling bad news to the customer. Because lying will only give them false hopes. But at the same time, you don’t want this situation to negatively impact customer loyalty. Then what should you do?
Create a plan and deliver with confidence. Tell customers that you’re still trying to find a solution to their problem. After acquiring all the data, you’ll reconnect with them.
Don’t Take Customer Behavior Personally
If a customer is vocal about their dissatisfaction, understand that it’s not about you. You can be sensitive because of their hostile language.
But remember, their annoyance is because of services or products. If you forget this, then you can lose your professional tone. Gather all the information and help them as much as you can.
Provide Different Support Channels
Suppose one of your support channels is busy. It might be because you’re understaffed or your staff isn’t working. But you’re facing a difficult customer. Then what should you do in this situation?
You should use another channel to help the customer. If you don’t have agents to attend the call, assist customers via email. So your customer doesn’t need to wait for their issue resolution.
Give Compensation If Needed
You might go above and beyond to resolve the customer issue. But is that enough?
No.
A mere resolution is not enough to satisfy the customer. According to statistics, more than 72% of customers switch back to competitors because of negative reviews. You can provide them with discount vouchers or complimentary products as compensation.
Stay Connected With Them
Don’t leave your customers hanging. Even after you’ve provided a solution, keep them in the loop. Ask them if they’re facing any further issues.
It shows that you’re genuinely invested in helping their customers. Gather the data of your customers and call them. You can use these customer stories to build a long relationship with your customers.
Ending Thoughts
Difficult customers need to be dealt professionally. Even if your customers act angrily, remember it’s not about you. They might be having a rough day or putting someone’s frustration on you.
In a nutshell, view this as a potential opportunity for you to help them. Change their narrative by providing the best customer experience. Prioritize active listening and acknowledge their annoyance. Try to dig deeper and find the root cause of the issue. Don’t over complicate the situation. If you don’t have clarity on their situation, don’t hesitate to ask relevant questions.Â
Dealing with difficult customers is an art. You can turn them into enthusiastic brand fans.
It’s a golden opportunity which you shouldn’t miss.
