Very often while dealing with customers on phone systems, we encounter situations wherein the customer becomes extremely uncivil in his behaviour and starts using language that may not be acceptable to the person on the receiving end. What does one do? Many react negatively which complicates the situation further and makes the customer angrier. A lot of business opportunities are lost in a matter of seconds due to the way a person reacts to an uncivilized customer. A more intelligent way to deal with a situation like this would be to control one’s reactions and follow some basic ground rules and tips to handle such customers. These are enumerated in the succeeding paragraphs.
Adjust your mind-set
The moment you realize that the customer is getting into an unhappy or unreasonable mind set, you need to immediately put yourself into a mind-set which is totally focussed on customer service. This mind set demands that you do not think the customer is being unfair in his criticism and that you are not at fault for the situation. This removes any conflict from your mind and you become focussed on solving the problem by giving 100% attention to the problem and the situation. This may also result in the customer getting pacified faster.
Be a good listener
You have to realize that the customer is behaving in an uncivilized manner because he thinks he has been wronged and he wants to be heard to be able to convey his grievances and vent out his anger on the system. Therefore the most important thing is to be a good listener and hear the customer out. Try and reach out to him in a friendly manner by encouraging him to share his reasons for being upset. As the customer is talking, try not to offer immediate solutions or start jumping to conclusions on what could be the reason. Most importantly, do not interrupt your customer.
Convince the customer that you have understood his problem
Once the customer has finished talking, repeat his concerns. Let him be convinced that you have understood his problems. If needed, ask him questions to convince him that you have understood his problems correctly. Always use calming words like “you are right about your concern” or “I am totally in agreement with you”. This will help in reducing the stress level of the customer and lower his anger which will eventually improve his behaviour.
Show empathy, Apologize and present solutions
Once you have understood the customers concern and convinced him that you understand his concern fully, be empathic. You could say things like “I fully understand the reason you’re upset. I myself would be upset if it happened to me”. Apologize on behalf of your company/ brand to show a collective concern on behalf of the organization.
For presenting a solution, you may like to get it out of the customer for the best resolution of problems. Ask the customer what he/she feels is the right solution to his/her problems. If it is within the laid down solution as available with you, offer solutions the way he/she wants it. However, if the customer does not have a solution, offer a solution by telling him/her how it is the best solution under the circumstances. Offer personal assurances like “will personally follow it up for you” also explain the actions you are going to take to resolve his problems.
Action and Follow Up
The most important step is to take prompt action on the customer’s complaint and follow it up with a feedback to the customer through laid down procedures. Different customers react to problems differently. The key is to identify the customer correctly in order to resolve his issues. Uncivil behaviour can be expected from customers at times and one needs to be prepared to deal with such situations intelligently to avoid causing financial and reputational damage to your organization/company.