by Leann Zotis

Created on: February 04, 2010

Customers are the lifeblood of any business and quality customer service is the navigation route for delivering that lifeblood.  No business will survive for long without the crucial element of customer service bringing the proper goods and services to the buying public.  That includes all customers, the ones who are easy to get along with and the ones who can make chewing on nails seem preferable to dealing with them.

Dealing with difficult customers presents a wonderful learning opportunity for a struggling customer service person.  After all, if you can solve the problems of the difficult customer and supply his needs, everyone else is easy by comparison.  While no two difficult customers are the same, there are some common elements involved in dealing with them.

1) Give the customer your full attention.  Oftentimes, the customer's anger is born of frustration from feeling that no one is listening to his issue and no one understands what he needs.  Listen patiently, ask relevant questions and take notes if necessary to keep the points of concern clear.  No one likes being given the brush off or having their complaints dismissed too quickly.  You may find that once your customer has had a chance to vent his mood improves appreciably.

2) Don't make promises you can't reasonably expect to keep.  If a customer is complaining about long delivery times, don't try to calm him down by promising a delivery by the end of the week when you know for a fact that manufacturing is behind schedule and the expected delivery date is weeks away.  Overpromising today will only lead to greater frustration on the part of your customer tomorrow when your promises fall through.

3) Don't take on more than you can handle.  If you don't have the authority to fix the problem, don't pretend you do.  Enlist the help of a manager to take the issues to the next level in order to find a suitable resolution.

4) Maintain a positive attitude.  It's hard to have a one-sided fight.  If your customer realizes you are calm, cool and collected and he is ranting out of control, he may change his approach to match your behavior.  Rational people usually understand the futility of antagonistic behavior when trying to accomplish their goals.

5) Learn to shake it off.  Whatever the outcome of your dealings with a difficult customer, don't let it carry on into your next customer interaction.  Accept the fact that you can't please everyone and move on in an attempt to do the best possible job you can do under the variety of circumstances with which you have to deal.

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