Service Biz Coach

What do you do when angry customers calls? Do you let it go to voice mail and hope to forget about it? “Maybe if I just give them a day or two… they will calm down.” A lot of service business owners do just that. HUGE MISTAKE!

A phone call from an angry client is an opportunity to build a relationship and gain a client and sales person for life. Call them back NOW! You will be glad you did. Here are some tips for handling that call.

Ten powerful tips for handling an angry client.

1) LISTEN…do not talk… just listen. Angry customers have to vent..let them finish. The only thing you should be saying is “I understand” “Oh I See”. When they are finished venting and take a breath, you can ask them questions to find out what happened.

2) Ask closed ended questions to control emotion. Use closed ended questions to manage emotion. “When did that happen?” “Do you have a back up?” “Can you use the appliance” Short one word answers. Do not allow the emotion to regain steam by asking them to “tell me what happened” that opens the door to the tirade again. Closed ended questions to control emotion.

3) Show empathy, “I understand what you are saying, that must be frustrating for you.” “I am hearing you”. Then you may want to repeat what they said to you to show you are indeed listening.”Let me see if heard you correctly, did you say xxxxxxxx then xxxxxx caused xxxxx?” “OK can you tell me XXXXX?”.

4) Deal with the person first, then the issue! Remember the issue may not even be apparent until the client vents the emotion. Fix the person first. Then you can start to fix the problem.

5) Don’t take it personally, Don’t take it personally. Did I mention don’t take it personally? We are all guilty of that one. The client is not angry at you personally. There is a problem and you are the one they have chosen to fix it! Remember….something happened that prompted the call, just assume the client has a right to be angry and you will handle the call with a lot more poise, than if you assume your client is a nut job!

6)Apologize when appropriate. The client feels wronged, sometimes all that is needed is a real apology. Do you know what I mean when I say real apology? Have you ever heard a politician apologize? “I am sorry if what I said offended you” says basically that “I am sorry you don’t get it!. you’re at fault not me”. Whereas; “I am sorry that happened. I never should have said that.” see the difference? If appropriate give a REAL apology.

7)Maintain your cool and keep the emotion out of your voice. Be helpful and guide the conversation using the other tips. You need to be in control of the outcome of the conversation, not the client! You can do this by lowering your voice to help calm the angry customers down.

Start problem solving ASAP depending on the clients anger level and cooperation. The angry client does not know what or how you will be able to help them resolve their issue. So start steering them toward a resolution. “Again I am sorry that happened, now lets see what we can do the fix this.”.

9) Explain what you can do and get buy in from the client. “here are some suggested solutions, what do you think?”

10) Always remember that the client that called you with an issue knows 2 things. (1) That you will fix the problem. and (2) that they will do business with you again. The client that does not call to complain is already doing business with your competition.

One Response to “Ten Powerful Tips For Dealing With Angry Clients”