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Handling Difficult Customers
When it comes to dealing with difficult clients, listening is a cardinal rule. Listening is an art, a skill, a discipline, and like other skills, it needs self-control. You must ignore your own needs and concentrate attention on the person speaking. In that way, you can give good rebuttals that even the hardest clients can’t oppose.
In Customer Service, we usually dub the difficult ones as “nightmare” clients. Ask the CSRs who have encountered one. Don’t think it’s not going happen to you, chances are if you think that way, then you’re only setting yourself up to fail. If it hasn’t happened to you, it will, sooner or later, guaranteed.
What makes a nightmare client so awful? Let me count the ways. For example, this client can't make up his mind, and when he does it's unquestionably a terrible decision, until he changes his mind again, and makes a more disastrous choice, blaming you or others, naturally, when things go wrong. Then when you save the day through a tremendous effort and sheer brilliance, he decides to just forget about it and before you know it, you’re left high and dry.
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The difficult client doesn't care that you have other clients. He will call you frequently for the silliest reasons or no reason at all. Your patience will definitely be put to test… Loosen up! Don’t let the situation get the better of you. Aside from listening to the clients’ gripes, here are some more tips on how to handle difficult clients.
Be polite and attentive. Do not allow yourself to become provoked. Be consistent in your responses since it reflects badly on your company if different representatives give different responses to a policy/features question. Do not try to explain the policies if you realize you are unsure about the rationale behind it. Refer to someone who can enlighten the client, call a person that you know can handle the situation. Merely talking to a “higher” authority even if the policy is not waived satisfies many clients. You can inform them nicely that he may like to take this issue further and speak to your supervisor. But do not tell them that you’re afraid there is nothing else you can do for him. If you ARE the highest authority on duty and the client does not wish to call back and talk to your supervisor at another time, there may be no alternative other than to politely but firmly repeat that you regret that you are unable to do anything further for them at that time. But instead, assure them that your supervisor will call them the soonest possible time.
Avoid a condescending or impatient tone. Make the client realize that you are listening on the other line and that you understand his point of view. The aim in this initial part of the interaction is to calm the client; there is little benefit in attempting to communicate information to the person while they are distressed. Once the client is calm, effective communication with the client over his specific problem may begin. You will need to make a judgment about the appropriate course of action; it should be beneficial to both client and your company. And before ending the conversation, leave lines of communication open. "You have my number, please call if there's anything I can do." This simple phrase does so much. It informs the client that you're not running away from obligations and would be happy to assist them again.
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Every time you deal with this type of customer, ask yourself: "Why are they being difficult?" "Are they just being unpleasant?" "Do they have a valid point?" Then consider that the challenging customers who punctuate your management career will actually help you hone skills that are valuable for your job, such as professionalism, compromise, and attention to detail. Whatever you do, don't let your nightmare client get the best of you. Keep your winning smile and your professional attitude. Remember: this, too, shall pass. And when it does, you'll be a better person for it.
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