HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY DEAL WITH AND RETAIN ANGRY CLIENTS
It doesn’t matter what business you own or which industry you are in, annoyed and unsatisfied customers are something we all eventually have to deal with at some point in time. This is something every business is prone to no matter how efficient your customer services might be. While angry and dissatisfied customers are unavoidable, what is avoidable is keeping them that way. In today’s post we will discuss how to deal with angry customers without losing them. These tips will help you provide better customer solutions and services to your clients.
Understand and Determine
Remember the first rule of good customer service – the customer is always right. An angry client will have a very reasonable explanation for his/her reaction. The first thing you need to do is find out exactly what they are upset about. Understanding their problem and determining the reason is the first step towards defusing client anger. This will calm them down and show them that they are being heard. Pay attention to their problem, ask questions, and find out their cause of concern. Perhaps they received a faulty product or maybe your services did not meet their expectations, whatever the problem, it is your responsibility to address the client’s concerns in an efficient manner.
Listen and Acknowledge
Most companies think that admitting their mistake will give their business low credibility and therefore avoid acknowledging their mistake. Few even end up responding with emotion. This is the worst possible thing to do! Listening to your client and acknowledging your mistake will not lower your company’s credibility but not responding to your client’s complain will create a bad reputation for your business. If you determine the problem to be from your end then admit your mistake. Believe it or not but this will calm the client down and defuse the situation to some extent. Most of the time what an angry client wants is acknowledge of the mistake.
Prioritize and Apologize
Once you have determined the issue and have knowledge regarding the cause of the problem, it’s time to start taking corrective measures. Your priority here should be to sustain the client and not to push him/her away. Empathizing and apologizing will help kick start the recovery process. It will show the customer that you consider them a priority and will create a good impression of your company, compelling them to continue doing business with you. It’s best to keep a well organised spreadsheet of all customers, complaints and replies to keep on top of this and make sure you don’t miss anyone, however it will also let you track problem, multi-complainers as well.
Reassurance and Action
When you apologize to a client, make sure you follow through by showing them that you mean it. Just a verbal apology won’t go very far unless the problem itself is resolved. Determine the best course of action for effectively solving the problem and take long term corrective measures to prevent such issues in the future. Also make sure you you’re your customer in the loop. They will appreciate this as it will reassure them of your commitment to solving their problem.
Correction and Follow up
Once the problem has been solved be sure to follow up. Assure your customer that this type of issue will never arise again and tell them how much you value their business. Your customers will appreciate the personalized attention. Retaining clients should be an important part of every company’s business strategy as this will help create loyal customers.
No business, big or small, can afford to lose customers. Your customers want to be treated with respect and hearing them out will create a long lasting impression. You will not always be successful in sustaining every angry customer but effective customer service and communication will certainly win you some loyal clientele.