angry customers

gillian1983

for people who deal with customers every day.. there are so many angry customers who get really angry and are hard to deal with. how do you deal with angry customers who are really rude without screaming at them?
its difficult to remain calm and pleasant when a customer is giving out to you personally over something...

Denerick

In one ear and out the other. I work in a supermarket deli and you wouldn't believe what some old women can be like. If there is a bit of a queue and it finally gets round to her she will snap at you and complain about how long she has been waiting. Then when you go to get her striploin she doesn't want they one you are picking up, she wants the one at the very back hiding underneath a big pile... and if you don't locate the steak straight away you get a very angry mutter under the breath. Initially this troubled me but I've learned to keep stum and make the 'you're a wanker' handmovement about them once their back is turned. Try it.

The_Morrigan

gillian1983 wrote: »

for people who deal with customers every day.. there are so many angry customers who get really angry and are hard to deal with. how do you deal with angry customers who are really rude without screaming at them?
its difficult to remain calm and pleasant when a customer is giving out to you personally over something...

Six years in retail banking on the front line will get you very very immune to abusive customers.
When I first started I used to get really upset and emotional about it. I soon learnt though, you have too or you'd end up in an asylum.

I actually have found now, watching supernanny (don't laugh) that the techniques she uses for staying calm, tone of voice etc can be transferred to dealing with stubborn adults!!

AnnyHallsal

Probably not the right place for the thread - Work Problems, I reckon.

Having worked in retail in the past, I empathise, OP. It never ceases to amaze me how ignorant people can be to those who are merely doing their jobs. I would try to stay as calm and polite as possible, but also remind them that you are not personally responsible and are doing your best to facilitate them. Then I'd vent later with co-workers. Don't let difficult customers walk all over you but don't step beyond the bounds of politeness either. People shouldn't be allowed to retail assistants like crap. The customer is certainly not always right.

woolymammoth

gillian1983 wrote: »

its difficult to remain calm and pleasant when a customer is giving out to you personally over something...

initially, yes. In order to survive, you learn to grow a thick skin pretty quickly. If you don't, you'd have a meltdown and end up quitting your job. Working in IT, I've had my fair share of abusive calls. It's important to learn how to understand why people are angry in the first place. Once you learn how to not take the attack personally, then learn how to quickly interpret that particular customers problem, you can use a number of tactics to calm them, reassure them you're hearing what they're saying, and convert their anger into a type of satisfaction.

on the flip side, there really is no pleasing some people. In those situations, you're probably really not being paid enough to take that much crap or to offer any kind of concession/discount/whatever. It then becomes a managers problem

BrianJD

I find the best way to deal with them is to be as nice as possible....sickingly nice just so they know you are being patronising yet have no real reason to complain about you.

Also, if you have to deal with an angry customer, have a cheesy big smile on as it completely disarms them as it's very hard to give out to somebody smiling at you.

jd83

As the above poster says been sickenly nice to them works very well. There trying to make you get pissed off so they have something else to complain about. If your ned flanders nice to them it pisses them off even more

However if someone is rude or nasty to me on the phone ill be as nice as possible on the phone but once they hang up ill be as unhelpful as possible to resolve what ever there problem was. I understand people being pissed off with a product or service and been angry on the phone. Thats fine but these rude nasty people you get that try turn around what you are saying and have nothing better to do but complain about everything really bug me.

Mrs OBumble

BrianJD wrote: »

I find the best way to deal with them is to be as nice as possible....sickingly nice just so they know you are being patronising yet have no real reason to complain about you.

Also, if you have to deal with an angry customer, have a cheesy big smile on as it completely disarms them as it's very hard to give out to somebody smiling at you.

I spent three teenage years part-time in Maccas. The phrase "have a nice day" most certainly doesn't mean what it says on the tin!;)

mikemac

Kill them with kindness
Put a smile on your face and be as kind as you can be
They hate it!

Worked in hotels and banking on the front line and got my share of abuse.
At first I was hurt, maybe it's all my fault.
I soon toughened up

People can be incredibly nasty and think they are brave by sending vicious emails or over the phone.
Meet them face to face and they wouldn't say boo to you.
We've a few keyboard warriors on boards too

Smile and let it pass you by

tenchi-fan

gillian1983 wrote: »

for people who deal with customers every day.. there are so many angry customers who get really angry and are hard to deal with. how do you deal with angry customers who are really rude without screaming at them?
its difficult to remain calm and pleasant when a customer is giving out to you personally over something...

Screaming at them? Are you psychotic! Your job isn't to lose your employer their customers! Does a panel beater start smashing a car up because something went wrong?

The correct tactic is basically to let the customer rant and rave. You should remain calm, collect and professional. Don't try to get a word in until the customer has finished because they probably spent the last 20 minutes preparing what they were going to say. Take in all the facts and concerns because you will need to address them. Don't get drawn into an argument! Make sure you capture the customer's name and use it at least twice.

Figure out the best way to talk to the customer. Friendly, assertive, apologetic, empathetic, sympathetic, even use humour etc etc. Different customers like being spoken to differently.

The customer would not be in front of you if they didn't have a grievance with the company (you can actually say this to them!). You can agree with them. You can even apologise that they had a bad experience with the company. Don't argue the company line blindly when the customer is trying to explain something to you. But make sure they understand what the company's policy is, and also point out any inaccuracies (e.g. I'm entitled to a refund when they clearly aren't) before moving on to your resolution.

Recap to the customer their concerns (I understand ...) , apologise, explain why you can't give the customer what they want, tell them you will pass on the details of their complaint (skip over this as quick as possible or they'll ask you "and what are THEY going to do!") say "I hope you will shop with us again" and finally give them their resolution (if possible)

I worked in a callcentre.. it's referred to as "controlling the call". If you don't have a method you will end up talking yourself in circles.

wmpdd3

How bad customer are to you really depends on how much you can do to fix their situation.

If they complain about something nobody can fix, i'll be as nice as pie and just go through the motions.

If they are the usually complaining idiot, I'll set them right and then just kill them with niceness.

If it's a valid complaint, i'll apologises and ask what they would be happy with as an out come and then start haggling.

In most jobs I've had the but stopped with me and I could do as I please as long as I could justify it to the area manager, but in my last job, I had to stick by store policy or customer services in head office, mostly I just delivery bad news, this just drives customer's mad.

didntgotoplan

I use the "be positive, understanding and be nice" method. Even if they are screaming down the phone or sent an angry email, I always try being really nice to the person. Trying to get across that we are understanding but their anger doesn't affect our helping/decision that comes about. I find that if a customer is really angry and it upsets the person helping them, I believe it makes the customer feel that being angry works.

Also I deal with it by trying to put myself in their shoes. What if that situation happened to me? method. It generally helps me understand where the customers anger is coming from and it also helps that you can relate to their situation. Relating to the customer is also another great way to deal with them.

mojesius

gillian1983 wrote: »

for people who deal with customers every day.. there are so many angry customers who get really angry and are hard to deal with. how do you deal with angry customers who are really rude without screaming at them?
its difficult to remain calm and pleasant when a customer is giving out to you personally over something...

Water off a duck's back to be honest. If you've been working in customer-facing jobs for years, you develop your own tactics.The main thing is to identify and resolve their primary problem as quickly as possible to their satisfaction, wherever possible. Many times, customers will act like there is a multitude of issues, when they're really just p*ssed off because of one.

I also regularly adopt the 'kill them with kindness approach', but as soon as someone starts shouting and swearing at me or questioning my abilities e.g. "This is f*cking ridiclous blah blah" or "You're only a call centre worker, what would you know?" I either get a manager involved or advise them that I will terminate the conversation if they continue to speak to me in that manner.

Just never raise your voice to them but equally, never allow someone to speak to you in a personally abusive or threatening manner. No job is worth it if this is happening on a regular basis or if there is no support system in place to deal with angry customers.

dammitjanet

I smile, take it, and then write abuse all over their accounts.

You should check out the retail thread in Ranting and raving forum, it's a great way to let off steam about those customers who just get to you.

John Mason

agree with everything they say

"if i was in your position i would be very angry too"

"i really understand why are you are upset"

"i promise you i am going to sort this problem out for you, i can only imagine how stressful this situation is for you"

"i completely agree with you, the whole system is a disgrace, unfortunately i cant change that but i can give you the email and postal adress of someone who can change the system"

"i am so sorry, my heart goes out to you, it really does but they are the rules and i really wish i could change them for you"

and on and on and on

John Mason

dammitjanet wrote: »

I smile, take it, and then write abuse all over their accounts.

OMG do not do this:eek: - if there is a seriously problem and they request a copy of their file under the Freedom of Information Act, they will get to see everything you have written.

and it is really not professional

mikemac

When you are on the phone, smile

It realy does work and changes your mood and how you speak

Hey, I wouldn't be feelingstressed if I'd known this sooner

John Mason

feelingstressed wrote: »

When you are on the phone, smile

It realy does work and changes your mood and how you speak

Hey, I wouldn't be feelingstressed if I'd known this sooner

that really works and so does standing up which has the plus side that everyone can hear you, so when a complaint goes to the CEO, you have 10 witnesses saying they all overheard the conversation and voices were not raised - trust me,i have been there

MingulayJohnny

Been in the trenches of tech support\customer service now for over two years. When me and the other fellas ( only female member left ) on the team socialise other friends on the outside and girlfriends\spouses feel alienated. It's like a bunch of veterans teling war stories. I have encountered some of the most stupid , obnoxious , bizzare people in my life on the phones. The mumblers , the drunk aristocrats , the chavs , the uber nerds , Londoners ( phoning on a mobile while panting usually ). You also get the odd sane reasonable person ( although they tend to read user manuals first.)

There are a few techniques I've mastered in my time

1) When dealing with a stupid\rude customer insist that the query must be dealt with by email. Dealing with them by email seems to get the message through better and you don't have to listen to them.

2) The 'Pull back' , for the hyper anxious motormouth caller. Just go completely silent and they eventually stop and go , 'Hello , hello!!" because they can't handle the separation anxiety. That's your time to jump in.

3) 'Fact blast' for the know it all who is intent on shouting you down. State the information in a clear , concise , airtight way. Hear them shrivel.

4) 'The hang up' , only used in exceptional circumstances with a completely unreasonable , delusional 'I'm going to sue you , you paddy c**t'. Swearing at an agent is a hang up offence but sometimes lets just say lines can go dead of their own accord :rolleyes:.

Now before anybody who has had a hell of a time on the phone with a CS\Tech agent sticks the hatchet in. I do everything in my power to help people who genuinely deserve help and aren't trying to do something that can't be done etc. I'm not one of those 'Computer says no' types.

mikemac

MingulayJohnny wrote: »

Been in the trenches of tech support\customer service now for over two years.

Did you turn it off and turn it back on again?

Teferi

gillian1983 wrote: »

for people who deal with customers every day.. there are so many angry customers who get really angry and are hard to deal with. how do you deal with angry customers who are really rude without screaming at them?
its difficult to remain calm and pleasant when a customer is giving out to you personally over something...

I get paid 8.65 an hour. I tell them I get paid 8.65 an hour and that I'm the wrong person to give out to. Usually shuts them up.

MingulayJohnny

feelingstressed wrote: »

Did you turn it off and turn it back on again?

No , with us it's , 'Take the battery out and then replace it' , a complete sop , but we're obliged to say it.

MingulayJohnny

Here's a hand drawn image I got from a customer when I asked him for a screenshot. I don't know if they were being sincere or not to this day. It cracked me up though.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/43949130@N02/?saved=1

Mrs OBumble

tenchi-fan wrote: »

I worked in a callcentre.. it's referred to as "controlling the call". If you don't have a method you will end up talking yourself in circles.

I agree with you totally, if there's any vague chance that the customer's complaint is valid. But some are totally no win. Eg today I was in Lidl and watched two obviously late-teens try to buy a bottle of spirits. It played just like a script:

Checkout-person: "Can I see some ID please."
Female-customer: (pulls out ID)
Male-customer with her: "I don't have any, use hers"
Checkout-person: "Sorry, I need ID from both of you or I'm not allowed"
Male-customer: (I missed the exact words, but they weren't happy).
Checkout-person: "If you like I can call the manager"
Male-customer: "Yes, do"

So the manager arrived, was briefed by the checkout person, and very quickly said "Do you both have ID? No, Sorry we can't sell that to you", picked up the bottle and walked off.

Male customer departed making loud remarks about "f*cking retarded".

Now IMHO the manager did the right thing: there was no way she could have made the customer happy - except by giving them a brain transplant (doh! send the person with the ID thru the checkout, others meet them outside ... it's kinda obvious!)

Short sharp, get the trouble-maker out as fast as possible, given that they're entirely in the wrong.

Mrs OBumble

MingulayJohnny wrote: »

No , with us it's , 'Take the battery out and then replace it' , a complete sop , but we're obliged to say it.

Do you tell people that sometimes dust gets caught under the battery, so they need to take it out, blow very, very gently on the terminals, and then put it back? ;-)

Have you ever said "ahh yes, that's an id-ten-tee error, just take the battery out .... "?

MingulayJohnny

JustMary wrote: »

Do you tell people that sometimes dust gets caught under the battery, so they need to take it out, blow very, very gently on the terminals, and then put it back? ;-)

Have you ever said "ahh yes, that's an id-ten-tee error, just take the battery out .... "?

I don't know what you mean by ' id-ten-tee' but yeah that's basically it , we have to say it to disguise the fact that it's a widely known fault that they don't want to admit to. For this reason you have to be seen to do some troubleshooting instead of just going 'Yeah , it's a piece of crap just send it in for repair'.

I do feel sorry for people who buy something in good faith and it packs in after two weeks because it wasn't made well. It's a lousy way of doing things imo. The support agent can't change this but they have to take the flak for it. I think to myself , 'Why am I apologising , I didn't cut corners to cause this!!'. Some customers actually think that a support agent has the ability to move mountains for them , they don't seem to realise that the people who can change things are well hidden away , same with governments in a way.

Sometimes I despair for the world after some of the calls I get . Makes for some great stories though , even if some people can't bring themselves to believe them!!.

mr.interested

irishbird wrote: »

OMG do not do this:eek: - if there is a seriously problem and they request a copy of their file under the Freedom of Information Act, they will get to see everything you have written.

and it is really not professional

Agree with non-professionalism, but AFAIK, Freedom of Information Act doesn't apply to private companies. At most you would have to show them file of their personal details held, but not a file per se.

Mrs OBumble

MingulayJohnny wrote: »

I don't know what you mean by ' id-ten-tee'

The ID10T error code ... great description to use over the phone

inforfun

mr.interested wrote: »

Agree with non-professionalism, but AFAIK, Freedom of Information Act doesn't apply to private companies. At most you would have to show them file of their personal details held, but not a file per se.

Stuff can get so much out of hand, it ends up in court.
Logs will have to be provided.
Dont think you ll do your chances of winning much good if the logs show "this customer is an absolute C*NT!!"

As long as i work i have been dealing with customers in several different roles,i know not to start pissing staff off when i tried to get something done when i am the customer.
But i also know what i reaonably can expect and should expect as it comes to service.

mr.interested

JustMary wrote: »

Checkout-person: "Can I see some ID please."
Female-customer: (pulls out ID)
Male-customer with her: "I don't have any, use hers"
Checkout-person: "Sorry, I need ID from both of you or I'm not allowed"
Male-customer: (I missed the exact words, but they weren't happy).
Checkout-person: "If you like I can call the manager"
Male-customer: "Yes, do"

I'm sorry, but that's totally ridiculous. Is there really a law that states that both a costumer and his/her accompanier have to produce ID? I always though that it applies to costumer only. So you mean if I wanted to buy an alcohol and I'm with my child, I can't buy it, because obviously a child would be a few years old?

And what do you mean by Male-customer and Female-costumer? If female pays, then only she is a costumer. Unless they were paying separately, they were totally right complaining to a manger, regardless of the law, which I doubt it is like that.

wmpdd3

Yep,