What to do and NOT to do with an Upset Customer

What to do and not to do with an upset customer isn’t one size fits all. It’s easy for people to lose control of their stress. It should come as no surprise that tension can erupt into anger. It happens.

What to do and NOT to do with an Upset Customer

Don’t react in anger

Under no circumstance should you react in anger and verbally attack the customer. There’s an old saying, “You can win the argument and lose a friend.” That’s never truer than dealing with an upset customer. Attempting to argue, defending your position, or downplaying the customers’ concern seldom leads to resolution, quite the opposite. Don’t fuel their fire by feeding their flame. Your best strategy may be letting the fire go out by letting them get it out of their system. Have you tried to argue with or defend your point to an upset customer? How’d that work for you?

Don’t become defensive

It’s a natural reaction to defend yourself and your company but defending the business to the agitated purchaser usually adds fuel to their fire. It’s difficult not to defend your business when the customer is wrong. But even if they are wrong becoming defensive won’t help.

There’s another old saying, “The customer’s always right,” which is not true. This might be better said, “The customer should be treated with respect—in their mind, they’re right.”

You can’t ignore it

An upset customer isn’t something you can hide from or push off. Handing them the service department manager’s business card and dismissing them will most likely not send them away; it will only make their situation worse.

Don’t downplay it

You can’t act like it’s not a big deal because it is a big deal to your patron.

Don’t make excuses

The customer doesn’t care that a new employee messed up.

Stay away from humor

Regardless, if you’re a freaking comedian, the customer will not think you’re hilarious.

Don’t push it off

Telling the exasperated end-user that it’s not your department will not change the situation. To the customer, you represent the company regardless of your department.

4 Steps to Appeasing an Upset Customer

1. Apologize – Even if their demands seem unreasonable—apologize. In the least, recognize and apologize for their being upset, “I’m sorry we haven’t met your expectations.” or “I’m sorry; the last thing we wanted was for you to be upset.”
2. Listen – Listen with an open mind, and let your customer speak their mind. Don’t interrupt unless it becomes belligerent, then call for help.
3. Help – Ask what you can do to make it better, and if it’s reasonable, and you have the authority,  do it. “What can we do to make you happy?” or “What can I do to correct this?”
4. Turn over – If you can’t make the customer happy, turn them over to someone who can. “I want to do what’s best for you. Let me ask my manager for assistance.” or “I’m not sure I’m qualified – may I ask my team for advice, please?”

2 Keys to Making the 4 Steps Work

1. Be aware of your body language

It may not matter what you say if you present aggressive, dismissive, or defensive body language. Crossed arms are a defensive posture. Making fists and leaning forward can be seen as aggression, while turning away, even partially, can be interrupted as dismissive. All of these will hinder your communication with an upset client.

2. Control your voice. 

More is communicated through how you say words than the words you speak. Maintaining an even, steady tone of voice with little emphasis or inflection is the safest route.

You won’t make every customer happy, but following these four steps can help many feel better about their transactions with you.

I Hope You Never Face an Upset Client 

I hope you never encounter a long-faced customer, but if you listen to them, apologize, and do your best to address their concerns, you’ll come out ahead.

How Can We Help You?

Berger Hargis has a company philosophy of providing personal excellence for all our services. Our growth and success have been due entirely to our commitment to honest, excellent customer service. The company is built on the referral business we have received due to this philosophy.

If we can answer any questions, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us. 

So, if you’re looking for a career where you can have fun at work, call (317) 243-0100.  

About the Author

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek, and on weekends he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management.

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