How To Turn An Angry Customer
Into A Repeat Customer
If you are in business, chances
are you learned how to turn an angry customer into a repeat customer, If
you are reading this you have dealt with an angry customer. Because
business is very rarely perfect, things come up from time to time that
upset even our best customers.
Whether you are late with a delivery
or your product or service is not performing the way it should, it is
beneficial to know how to deal with this situation when it arises. How
you deal with an angry customer could determine if you strengthen your
relationship or sever it and most of it depends on how and when you
respond.
Many business people cringe at the
sight of an upset customer. I learned long ago that I had better
learn how to deal with them because they are just a part of doing
business. I took it a step further and asked the question; how could I
turn this negative situation into a positive one?
Situations like this are your
opportunity to turn an angry customer into a repeat customer. Show
your customer what you and your company are made of. When you made the
sale you promised great customer service, now is your chance to prove
it. Anyone can handle a
customer when things are going well; it is the
most successful of us that can turn an unhappy customer into a satisfied
one and use this very situation to do it. Here is how.
When learning how to turn an angry
customer into a repeat customer, contacting them promptly is step one. If the customer has contacted
your customer service department or has left you a voice mail directly
is it ultimately important that you respond immediately. Don’t
wait an hour or push it off for a day. This will only make the matter
worse. Address it NOW and turn a big problem into a manageable one.
Show up in person whenever possible.
This shows your customer that you care about them. Greet them in a
cordial, but concerned manner, acknowledging that you know they have a
problem. If you are addressing them on the phone make certain you are
empathetic and the tone of your voice reflects it. It is real important
to remain positive, but empathetic.
Ask them what the problem is and let
them express their displeasure! Take notes but do not offer
explanations or try to explain your side of the story. Save that for
later. At this time it is crucial that they speak and you listen.
Respond by saying “you have a valid point”. Even if their complaint is
not totally based in fact, you must agree that they “have a point” and
let them know that you are listening to what they are saying.
The next step is to agree with them
and “you can see why they would be upset”. “Chances are you would feel
the same way if you were in their position.” This will displace quite a
bit of the anger. Take a minute to digest this psychology. It is very
important! It is much easier to be angry with someone who disagrees with
you than with someone who agrees with you. The more you agree that they
are justified in their anger the more difficult it is to be angry with
you. If you validate their concern, you are half way there.
Keep in mind that you can not resolve
the problem while the customer is upset or emotional. Until you
diffuse the anger, do not try to solve the problem. Your customer wants
to make sure that you see his or her point of view prior to letting you
move forward, if you attempt to do otherwise chances are you will make a
bad situation worse.
Once the customer is calmed down,
start to gather facts about the situation. What departments were
involved, what was the time line, what were the major issues. Let the
customer know that you will get back to them with a solution and give
them a specific time for follow up. and make sure you adhere to
it!
Never, and I mean NEVER, tell a
customer “you guarantee that this will never happen again.” This is
a death trap and you must never go there. What you can guarantee
the customer is that you will do everything you can to minimize the
chances of this happening again, but if it does, you will take care of
it in a promptly and with as little inconvenience as possible.
Most customers will appreciate your
honesty. And if they want a guarantee that it wont happen again, you
better be sure the chances of it ever happening again are zero,
otherwise you will lose the account the next time it happens.
Well placed customer service is a
great way to solidify your business! Some businesses skimp on
customer service and create a great inroad for you and your business.
Customers realize that mistakes happen. It is how you handle them when
they occur that will decide whether they stay with you or go elsewhere.
The keys:
Contact the customer promptly
Acknowledge their issue
Agree with there point
Gather the facts
Correct the problem
Follow up, follow up, follow up.
Remember, when you learn how to turn an
angry customer into a repeat customer you have just secured your
business.
