by Kris Kennedy

Created on: May 29, 2009   Last Updated: September 16, 2009

Angry Customers

Positive customer service centers on how we handle all customers. We might hear of recommendations from f good customers through new customers speaking of the recommendation qhich he'she received from a past customer, but we hear the negative directly from the angry customer.

Problem Defined

Customers come to our business from many other situations and view business from many different points of view. Some visit the business simply for the service and expect the employees will provide the service. Others view the visited business as their servants and must supervise while others come in from other problems and transfer perceptions from those events to your business. These secondary customers can become the angry customer

Communication Skills Needed

Working with the public requires that all involved with customers be gifted with communication skills of I statements, reflective talking and motivational interviewing. With these skills, employees can defuse the situation or work towards a solution that can resolve the situation for this incident.

When customers throw you statements at employees it is human nature to return with statements of what we thought the customer had done, but we need to reflect how the situation make us feel. Let the customer know that I want to provide the best customer service and this is the challenges I am dealing with. At this time, you can highlight the problems the business is dealing with on this day. All business deal with unexpected business increase, employee illness, unexpected building problems and many other crises but need to let the customer know the desire to make their experience positive.

Once you make the I-statements, you will want to show empathy. In this method, you speak back with the customer how you hear the problem affects them. You let them know that you understand. You listen twice and return with an understanding statement and finally you offer what you can offer as a solution. This offer should follow with the motivational interview technique.

In the final step, you will want to ask pointed questions that solicit the solution that helps them and meet the business' limits. In these questions, it makes the answer come from the customer rather than necessarily the business manager or customer.

Result

The customer who came in and experienced a problem but expected good customer service leaves believing their expectations were met even through extreme challenges. The customer expecting subordination leaves believing they controlled the situation and the one who brought their problem within may have received relieve from the environment, which caused the attitude.

No matter what we do we will have angry customers. With communication skills, we can keep the situation as win/win.

Learn more about this author, Kris Kennedy.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.