I had to learn how to deal with difficult customers when i had no sales representative in my business.
It was one of the most adventurous business experience i value so much in the school of business.
So if i may ask?
Did you ever work as a sales representative or a customer attendant?, have you ever handled an angry customer before?,
Okay, let me assume you did one way or the other.
How were you able to control your nerves, when offensive customers approach you in a harsh manner?
It takes a lot of calmness and maturity to deal with such customers.
There is a popular quote that says customers are always right, well this also goes to a certain level.
However, some customers might never express some level of humor just because they know your business needs them.
Therefore, am driven to write this article sharing my personal experience on ways to handle angry, tough and offensive customers.
On this regard, lets start by knowing who is a difficult customer?
Table of Contents
Who is a difficult customer?
A difficult customer is a customer who is very hard or stressful to handle
This because they are always unfriendly, criticizing, possessive and rude.
Difficult customers are one of the greatest nightmare of sales representatives and customer attendants.
However, care must be taken when attending to such customers to protect the reputation and public image of your business.
This is why you need to know the best ways to control angry, rude and offensive customers.
Good customer’s service is very important.
If you build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.
Jeff Bezos, E-Commerce giant, Founder and CEO of Amazon.
3 ways to know an offensive or difficult customer:
Here are 3 approved and verified ways to know difficult customers.
1. Customers who don’t care about your explanations:
One good way to identify a difficult customer is a customer who doesn’t care about what you have to say.
Such customers would never see reasons to understand you because they feel you have nothing good to say.
However, there are good ways to calm them by applying the strategies i explained further in this guide.
2. Customers who raise false accusations:
How would you feel if a customers walked into your business only to start shouting – You guys are thief’s, I paid for a good product but got a defective one.
This kind of customers are smart and educated yet very difficult to handle.
However, such customers could still hear you out to know what you have to say.
Hence, you need to be able to speak something convincing and appealing enough before they will hear you out.
3. Difficult customers insult apologies:
Apologies makes no sense to offensive and angry customers, such customers reject apology from business owners.
These are customers that takes things extremely serious, they see apologies as insults.
They have harsh and angry temperament and as such will never see apologies as a necessity when they get mad.
However, such customers could be gentle but require good level of human relationship to calm them down.
How to deal with difficult customers in 12 verified ways:
Here are 12 powerful ways to handle offensive customers in the most polite, cooperate and respectful manner.
1. Show sympathy and have a sense of humor:
Treat your customer’s complaints with topmost importance.
Play along, give attention to offensive customers, show them you feel their dissatisfaction and mean it.
Also, it’s not enough to show your attention, start doing something quickly to solve the problem at hand.
Inquire the source of the problem and start taking responsive steps to solving it immediately.
Doing this will make you win over rude and angry customers.
2. Never argue with difficult customers:
Don’t argue for any reason.
Arguing with an offensive customer is unprofessional and also a complete waste of time.
I think you better keep quiet instead of entering an argument with an offensive customer.
Argument doesn’t help matters anywhere, don’t try it, stay calm and see how the problem can be solved.
Therefore, stay intelligent and professional.
3. Your first words are very important (first impression):
The first word you say to an offensive customer goes a long way in solving disputes.
This is simple psychology, it works.
Customers might never hear the other words you say if you first words sounds rude and bossy.
Your first approach towards attending to an offensive customer will determine whether he returns happy or not.
Everybody likes kind people, so i encourage you to have a good taste of kind words in you.
4. Listen and play along with difficult customers:
You will make a big mistake if you pick on customers so fast without allowing them finish earning their views.
The simple truth is that most offensive customers wouldn’t listen no matter what you have to say until they finish their views.
One of the greatest mistake you can do to an angry customer is to interrupt him.
This could lead to heavy arguments and you’re not going to enjoy the drama.
Giving him the privilege to vent out his anger before you speak will send a positive message to his brain.
If this condition is met, you can cheaply win over offensive customers and calm their nerves.
5. Have a FAQ in your business how to deal with difficult customers:
Don’t weary customers by having too many questions in mind to ask you.
It could become very annoying and piss them off.
If you don’t know how to deal with difficult customers, then consider a FAQ.
Having a frequently asked question (FAQ) will help you step up your customer service game.
It’ll also limit the stress and time to attend to tens, hundreds and thousands of customers as your business grow.
Therefore, create a frequently asked question (FAQ) that answers the most popular questions around your business.
It’ll boost up your customers service.
6. Speak politely to difficult customers:
An unsatisfied customer is expected to use a harsh tone and a loud voice. Oh yeah it is.
However there are customers who might not wake up the sleeping dog.
Nevertheless they still pass their messages.
Irrespective of how low or loud such a customer decides to present his voice.
Keep yours more simple and low, show professionalism.
Every sales representative and customer attendant must be trained to know this.
Win over rude customers with a tender and modest low voice.
7. Have a customer complaint form:
Not everybody will shout, so don’t expect all dissatisfied customers to raise their voice and call unnecessary attention.
Some customers naturally prefer to use a customer’s complaint form.
Such customers might have a harsh tone and feel if they voice out you’ll get a bad day.
Hence, they wouldn’t express their anger and dissatisfaction verbally, they will just book them down for you.
It might sound easy but get ready to read some good annoying words if possible.
Hence, a customer complaint form has just saved your head.
8. Solve a problem for offensive customers before they go:
This is one of my favorite strategy to calm rude, angry and offensive customers.
People will always appreciate a problem solver.
There is a possibility that an unsatisfied customer has more than one complaints.
Nevertheless, some customers wouldn’t complaint of the minor challenges they have already, however it still bothers them.
Ask them if they have more queries, a lot of customers have over 2 queries but come up with the most painful ones.
Pick those queries and offer solutions to them, your offensive customers will end up smiling.
9. Deal with difficult customers using the eye ball to eye ball psychology:
Allow a eye ball to eye ball contact when attending to offensive customers.
This might sound crazy but it works.
Do you know the eye has a way of connecting two people together?
This explains why lovers look eye balls to eyes balls when confessing love quotes.
This psychology can also be used to win over rude customers.
10. Give them a good treat:
What do i mean by giving a treat? I mean set up a system to win over rude customers.
Most big businesses have a department that oversees the welfare of customers.
It could be a small section of your office where you can privately share 5 minutes with an angry customer.
This would make them feel special and calm their nerves.
11. Difficult customers deserve apologies:
It doesn’t matter whether you’re the cause of their anger, a simple sorry can do some magic.
Let customers know you feel their pain, show some empathy.
Oh yes some customers would get angry because they weren’t satisfied with your products or services.
Give your customers a sense of humor. Never underestimate the working power of apologies.
12. End discussions with difficult customers with a thank you:
A simple thank you might sound cheap yet does wonders in business.
This also applies to winning over offensive customers without sparking attention.
Thank them for spiting their complains and thanks them before they leave.
You should also read these articles:
How to Build a Great Customers Service in 2 Years.
How to Get More Customers to your Business in 20 Ways without Paid Ads.
Now we know how to deal with difficult customers, let’s checkout some 8 types of customers in business.
Types of customers:
Eight types of customers are listed below:
1. The happy and satisfied customers:
These class of customers are always excited and happy before and after their patronage.
They are easily satisfied and would not stress out the customers attendant or sales representative.
Customers in this category are always productive and active, hence working with them becomes very convenient.
I call them the good customers.
2. Murmuring customers:
These customers are hardly satisfied, they murmur all the time complaining about one thing or the other.
One good way to help them out is to understand why they are complaining and help them fix it.
Always give place to such customers, allow them express their discomfort and learn from them.
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning
Bill Gates American Billionaire Software Engineer, Co-founder of Microsoft.
3. Know it all customers:
This class of customers are well informed, i call them – know it all customers.
They are highly authoritative and wants you to always take instructions from them.
These class of customers hardly take corrections, you just have to get a professional way to handle them.
Pay close attention and see where they are missing out to help them.
4. It can’t work customers :
Here comes the pessimistic type of customers. Almost every thing seems impossible to them.
This types of customer are the doubting types, they are highly pessimistic and negative.
One good way to help them out is to see reasons from their angle.
Ask relevant questions to discover their fears and hand over solutions to them.
5. Lazy or indecisive customers:
These categories of customers are indecisive and lazy, they are customers without any product specifications.
They really can’t make their own decisions.
Hence, they depend on supports to get things done and take decisions on products and services.
You can suggest the best available products to them and help them select the good ones.
6. Demanding customers:
These are customers that know what they want, they will ask for what you can offer and demand for more.
They always want to get more value per time.
Its recommended you do your best to meet their demands.
Also, provide better alternatives to their ever increasing demands.
7. Always in a hurry customers:
These class of customers are always on their way out before they even come in.
They don’t even prefer sitting down and are always time cautions.
You might make mistakes attending to such group of customers if you hurry too much.
However, its best you remain calm and hasten up professionally.
8. Fixed budget customers:
These are customers that buy with a set budget in mind.
They try to compare prices and pick the one that will be most suitable for them.
Giving them more options to compare and make decisions would be very helpful to them.
However, do you consider starting a business but no startup capital to do that, then read this article below.
12 Fantastic Ways of Getting Money to Start Up a Business.
Conclusion:
Now you know how to deal with difficult customers, the ball is now in your court.
What was your best tip, i personally like the idea of solving a problem for an offensive customer.
It works perfectly, i have applied this strategy countless times to calm rude customers in my business.
It takes knowledge to handle rude and angry customers without putting your brand at risk.
Customers are the backbone and pillars of every successful business today.
Every business needs continuous customer patronage to scale higher.
Less customers will result to lesser sales and lesser income.
Therefore, apply the knowledge you discovered from this article in doing business with your customers.
Kindly share this article to all business owners, sales representative, customer care attendants and your friends across social media.
Let me know which point strikes better for you.
Did i miss any vital aspect of handling angry customers.
Share your ideas with me at the comment session, i will gladly update them in this article, thanks.
