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Passing the Test of an Angry Customer
Karen Grahams
printplace
You just can't avoid it forever. No matter what kind of business you're in you will come face to face with an angry customer. Maybe they're angry for a reason you couldn't help, and maybe you honestly made a mistake, but no matter what, you should view it as an opportunity to show just how good your company is.
You can't really trust a person until you see them in a time of crisis. These are the moments when you find out just how nice they truly are, and this is the time when you can gain a very loyal customer if you handle things properly.
But first, before that customer ever walks through your door, you should be prepared by having the best atmosphere that you can. Did you get any custom greeting cards to hand a person when they first come into your office? Did you set up a friendly environment that lends itself well to deflating anger and getting people to talk about things rationally?
If you accepted that you were going to get an angry customer at some point, then you should've taken the first steps towards ensuring your office environment is the best it can be.
Now, going beyond your custom greeting cards, the first thing you should do with your customer is sit them down and listen to exactly what they have to say. This is important to them, and you need to treat it just as importantly if you want to fix the situation.
Never assess blame no matter what the situation looks like. Instead ask them what you can do to make things better. I think some companies avoid asking people that out of fear that the answer will be too extreme, but quite often people are more reasonable than you might believe.
If the solution they offer isn't possible, try to work out a good balance between what they want and what you can provide. Don't try to force solutions on them, but be sure that they're happy with what you're offering.
Explain to them exactly what the situation is for you if you can't provide them with what they want. Be sure you explain why you can't, and try your best to work out alternatives with them.
Never lose your temper or ever confront anger with more anger. That's about the worst thing you could do in an already heated situation.
If you stay level headed and if you listen to the customer's needs you'll be on the right track to ensuring they don't have any continued problems and walk away happy. Knowing that you were able to help solve their problems will increase the odds of them being happy with future transactions with you, because they know you're willing to listen.
And remember too that things like custom greeting cards or nice plants and chairs in your office might not be very big, but they do wonders to set the mood, and ease back emotions.
For comments and inquiries about the article visit Custom Greeting Cards
Article submitted Thursday, October 02, 2008
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