How to effectively deal with an angry customer
3 June 2011
Read by 1783 persons
An unhappy customer isn't necessarily lost. A little psychology can often calm their anger and protect your brand image.
Five years after its creation, the Misericable website, launched by a group of subscribers very angry with Numericable (ex-Noos), is still very active. Although their last legal action against the cable operator dates back to 2007, Internet users continue, relentlessly, to denounce its abuses, to scrutinize its offers... In short, to monitor it closely.
With the development of the Internet and consumer blogs, any poorly resolved dispute can have a catastrophic snowball effect. It is therefore essential to react effectively as soon as you are faced with an angry customer. It is of course a matter of keeping them. But also and above all of preserving your image.
Hot anger, cold anger? First, take its temperature
Two unhappy customers don't necessarily have the same reasons for being unhappy, nor the same way of showing it. Some will be subject to what is called "hot anger". Anxious by nature, they can react violently to the slightest annoyance: a late delivery, a device breakdown... Only a quick response is able to appease them. If no satisfactory solution is possible immediately, practice the duvet technique: let the customer express their dissatisfaction by adopting a neutral attitude. When they have completely exhausted their energy - and only then - you can calmly explore possible solutions with them.
The method will obviously be different with a customer brooding over cold anger. This type of reaction is most often caused by an accumulation of errors or the poor handling of previous complaints, and reveals malfunctions that should not be neglected. The solution? A frank response, which must commit you. After a customer complained several times about the lack of professionalism of a distribution point, a mail-order company decided to cease all collaboration with the latter.
Study their behavior to identify their expectations
There are four customer profiles, each with different expectations. To know who you are dealing with, encourage your interlocutor to speak. Then rephrase their request, emphasizing what seems important to them. You will immediately see if you have understood them correctly.
Self-assured, the "strategic negotiator" is primarily looking for financial compensation. Centralizing complaints on a computer server and checking the history of complaints often helps to unmask this mercenary. Second profile: the customer who sincerely feels they are a victim (of a supposed lack of quality of your products, the inefficiency of your after-sales service...). A simple compensation will not change their mind: they want their prejudice to be acknowledged.
Showing empathy is generally enough to calm this type of dissatisfied customer. The "quality controller", on the other hand, is more focused on analysis than emotion: they expect their remarks to be taken into account and to improve your internal processes. Reassure them by telling them that they have been passed on to the relevant department. And, if you can, involve them in the follow-up. A software company in the health sector thus asked dissatisfied users to help it define its new quality standards. The fourth type of customer, finally: the one who bombards you with questions to understand the origin of the malfunction. With them, you will have to be patient because they will demand precise answers.
Make sure you don't repeat the same mistake
A well-handled complaint can transform a dissatisfied customer into a loyal customer of the company. To hope to achieve this result, you must provide a response that matches the error made. And the importance of the disappointed customer. As American Express did with the IT manager of a large company. The latter, holder of a VIP card, had been refused payment authorization when paying for a business lunch.
To make up for this blunder, the director of the authorization center invited him for a private visit to his data center. With a less strategic customer, simply provide a solution or offer compensation. And, above all, keep your commitments, because you are on probation: a customer will accept one mistake, not two. Afterwards, call them back to make sure the dispute is settled and let them know that you are following the matter closely.
Know when to give up before they get you
Despite all your efforts, some customers turn out to be chronically dissatisfied? If their complaints end up wasting your precious time, demoralizing your sales staff, or if they are no longer part of your target market, there is no point in fighting, it is better to let them go to the competition. But do it politely: acknowledge your mistakes and possibly grant a minor compensation. Just enough to calm their anger and make them give up leading a crusade against your brand.
Published May 30, 2011
Posted online June 3, 2011
Capital.fr
Five years after its creation, the Misericable website, launched by a group of subscribers very angry with Numericable (ex-Noos), is still very active. Although their last legal action against the cable operator dates back to 2007, Internet users continue, relentlessly, to denounce its abuses, to scrutinize its offers... In short, to monitor it closely.
With the development of the Internet and consumer blogs, any poorly resolved dispute can have a catastrophic snowball effect. It is therefore essential to react effectively as soon as you are faced with an angry customer. It is of course a matter of keeping them. But also and above all of preserving your image.
Hot anger, cold anger? First, take its temperature
Two unhappy customers don't necessarily have the same reasons for being unhappy, nor the same way of showing it. Some will be subject to what is called "hot anger". Anxious by nature, they can react violently to the slightest annoyance: a late delivery, a device breakdown... Only a quick response is able to appease them. If no satisfactory solution is possible immediately, practice the duvet technique: let the customer express their dissatisfaction by adopting a neutral attitude. When they have completely exhausted their energy - and only then - you can calmly explore possible solutions with them.
The method will obviously be different with a customer brooding over cold anger. This type of reaction is most often caused by an accumulation of errors or the poor handling of previous complaints, and reveals malfunctions that should not be neglected. The solution? A frank response, which must commit you. After a customer complained several times about the lack of professionalism of a distribution point, a mail-order company decided to cease all collaboration with the latter.
Study their behavior to identify their expectations
There are four customer profiles, each with different expectations. To know who you are dealing with, encourage your interlocutor to speak. Then rephrase their request, emphasizing what seems important to them. You will immediately see if you have understood them correctly.
Self-assured, the "strategic negotiator" is primarily looking for financial compensation. Centralizing complaints on a computer server and checking the history of complaints often helps to unmask this mercenary. Second profile: the customer who sincerely feels they are a victim (of a supposed lack of quality of your products, the inefficiency of your after-sales service...). A simple compensation will not change their mind: they want their prejudice to be acknowledged.
Showing empathy is generally enough to calm this type of dissatisfied customer. The "quality controller", on the other hand, is more focused on analysis than emotion: they expect their remarks to be taken into account and to improve your internal processes. Reassure them by telling them that they have been passed on to the relevant department. And, if you can, involve them in the follow-up. A software company in the health sector thus asked dissatisfied users to help it define its new quality standards. The fourth type of customer, finally: the one who bombards you with questions to understand the origin of the malfunction. With them, you will have to be patient because they will demand precise answers.
Make sure you don't repeat the same mistake
A well-handled complaint can transform a dissatisfied customer into a loyal customer of the company. To hope to achieve this result, you must provide a response that matches the error made. And the importance of the disappointed customer. As American Express did with the IT manager of a large company. The latter, holder of a VIP card, had been refused payment authorization when paying for a business lunch.
To make up for this blunder, the director of the authorization center invited him for a private visit to his data center. With a less strategic customer, simply provide a solution or offer compensation. And, above all, keep your commitments, because you are on probation: a customer will accept one mistake, not two. Afterwards, call them back to make sure the dispute is settled and let them know that you are following the matter closely.
Know when to give up before they get you
Despite all your efforts, some customers turn out to be chronically dissatisfied? If their complaints end up wasting your precious time, demoralizing your sales staff, or if they are no longer part of your target market, there is no point in fighting, it is better to let them go to the competition. But do it politely: acknowledge your mistakes and possibly grant a minor compensation. Just enough to calm their anger and make them give up leading a crusade against your brand.
Published May 30, 2011
Posted online June 3, 2011
Capital.fr
