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There's no way around angry clients in the customer service biz!
If you’re in a customer service position, chances are good that you will have to handle an angry client from time to time. The client may be angry because he felt you didn’t follow through on his requests. He may think that you’re not living up to his expectations or your promises. His anger may be justified, or it might be completely unreasonable. He could be angry about something that’s not even your fault.
Whatever the case may be, you need to take command of the situation and help out the client. Even if you don’t retain the client, you will still be able to show your professionalism and desire to help. But, if you handle the situation correctly, you may also end up with a stronger client relationship than you had before.
Here are five simple steps that you should take when handling an angry client:
1. Listen to the clients’ issue.
The most important thing is to really understand why your client is angry. You can’t solve anything until you know the source of his frustration. Give the client a chance to say what he’s going to say before trying to ask questions, explain, or help. If you interrupt the client or try to solve the problem without knowing exactly what the issue is, you may actually cause him to become more angry.
2. Apologize and empathize.
Tell the client you’re sorry, even when it’s not your fault. Apologize for the situation if not the actions. Sometimes, the problem doesn’t originate with you or even your company. It doesn’t matter. You understand that the client is frustrated and angry. Tell him so.
It’s important to remain calm when speaking to the client, as well. If you adopt a defensive or, worse, an aggressive tone, the situation could become even more complicated.
Also, don’t try to place blame. Customer service isn’t about assigning blame, it’s about solving problems. Telling your client that it isn’t your fault could even make him more angry; he probably cares less about who’s to blame and more of what can be done to fix it.
Empathy is also important when trying to gather more details about the source of the client’s problem. You have probably been in a similar situation at some point. Keep that in mind. Remember how angry and frustrated you were. Imagine what it would feel like if the person on the other line knew what you were experiencing and understood how you felt.
3. Assure the client that you will do what you can to help.
The most likely reason the client is calling is because he’s
Depending on what kind of services you offer, you may need to have the client provide very specific details about his problem. Being empathetic is also important to asking for details because your client may have a different background that you.
As an example, you provide technical support, but your client isn’t a very technical user. The client may use the wrong terms to explain what they’re trying to do. That’s okay. The most important thing is to understand what happened. You may need to ask specific questions like, “Can you tell me which button you pressed when you received the error message?”
Don’t ridicule the client or even correct his terminology unless he asks. Again, he probably doesn’t care about the proper term for something. He just wants it to work.
4. Clarify what needs to be accomplished.
Take the time to verify the end result the client is looking for. You want to ensure that you can help to achieve that. You don’t need to go into all of the details of what needs to be accomplished, just the main points.
For example, if a client sends you an e-mail with fifteen items that need to be changed, you probably don’t need to address all fifteen items on the phone. It’s sufficient to say, “I will change each of the the fifteen items from your list.” But take care that you do accomplish what you say you’re going to do.
5. Set a time frame and follow up with the client.
Try to give a realistic but conservative estimate for how long it will take to resolve the issues. If you’re unable to give a solid timeline, you should offer to follow up with the client to keep them informed of what’s going on.
You may have to say, “I need to check into more details on what it will take to make this happen. I’ll give you an update before the end of the day.” If the process is going to take several days or weeks to complete, you will want to check in and provide updates periodically. He will likely appreciate the occasional update rather than hearing nothing and wondering if you’re actually working on the issue.
Not every customer service problem can be solved in this manner. However, you may find that you can turn around many situations by taking the time to listen to the client’s problem, empathize with him, set up a plan, and follow up. Going through those steps to help the client, could end up keeping him on board for many more months or years!
About the Author
Brian O’Connell is the CEO and founder of CPA Site Solutions, one of the country’s most successful web design firms dedicated exclusively to accounting websites. His firm currently provides websites for more than 5000 CPA and accounting firms and considers customer service the cornerstone of his business.
