Four Techniques To Diffuse An Angry Customer

If you are involving in the customer service industry, or are in any client-facing role for that matter, chances are sooner or later you will have to deal with an irate client. I know I have dealt with my fair share in days gone by. I worked for a large derivatives broker at the height of the global financial crisis. My typical day was spent dealing with people who had lost large sums of money as a result of their trading. It was both a sad time, and a time for reflection on how I dealt with these clients on a daily basis.

As hard as it may be to fathom, I even faced multiple death-threats. Not due to any antagonizing on my behalf, but quite simply that the person on the end of the phone had lost money, and they were determined to let whoever answered the phone know about it. One of my colleagues at the time even had a Doctor of all people ring in solely to wish her cancer for Christmas. He was a charming gentleman.

Amongst the abuse I faced often, I was able to pinpoint key techniques that I will share that may assist you or your staff in handling frustrated people in your business.

1) Listen to them

I'm sure that is the last thing you wish to do when faced with someone abusing you, but listening to their outrage shows that you care enough to listen. If they sense that you are trying to offer a solution, then they may simmer down a little. Perhaps they may even realize how daft their rantings are, and take a different, more amicable approach.

2) Remain calm

If it is in your nature to argue with people, whether that is a spouse, associate, or a customer, chances are this will go against your nature. It is vitally important that you remain as calm as possible, and not emulate their volume or tone of voice. The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, it is very unprofessional to yell in a work environment. Secondly, reflecting the aggressors volume, or tone will continue to antagonise the situation. They will remain angry, and the matter could escalate. Always remain calm, and speak in a soft tone where possible.

3) Empathize with their predicament

This can be a tough one when you are trying to meet the needs of the company, and also diffuse the client. Sometimes, simply relating the key points back to them shows that at the very least you were listening to them.

 4) Offer a solution

There will of course be times when there is no solution, and you will have to deliver that news to the client. Other times, there may be a middle-ground to work towards. If there is a solution, let them know that you are working towards one with them. If you are unsure of whether something can be done or not, it is appropriate at this point to simply say; "Let me get back to you on that." Alternatively if it is phone based; "Do you mind if I put you on hold while I find out the answer to that?"

Finding an amicable outcome for both the client and the company can be a balancing act. Using these techniques will help resolve issues should they arise. On a final note, don't take it too personally.  

Regarding Customer Service and Customer Service Career

The customer service industry requires one to exercise certain characteristics when servicing customers. Poise, patience and professionalism to name just a few. There is, however, one three-letter word that can hinder ones ability to consistently display these characteristics. That word is EGO. My definition of EGO is "Emotions Going Orbital" It's possible to ruin a customer relationship should this dangerous word surface during an interaction. That's why it's important to leave home without it!

Now we all have an ego, so it's quite natural to jump to one's own defense when feeling slighted or verbally attacked. Sometimes customers say or do things that can make us feel disrespected or less than a person. A cross word, a mean-spirited request or abusive language can get one close to the edge. Here are a few ways to keep that ego quiet.

Be Determined - Before beginning your workday, remind yourself of the need to keep your ego in check. It takes effort to maintain one's composure when we feel our very identity is being attacked. It's up to you to be aware of when you feel the need to defend your opinion or respond in kind during an unpleasant situation. Be determined to pause for a moment and say to yourself "This is not about me." I learned to practice this suggestion myself when it appeared my ego was about to make an appearance. Doing so helped to avoid what would surely be negative outcomes had I allowed my ego to win the battle. If yours is a strong personality, it's important to not allow that trait to lead to arguments or battles with the customer. You will lose in the long run!

They Don't Really Know You - During my customer service career, I've noticed that it's rare that a customer intentionally sets out to attack someones personal identity. After all, how can they when they don't really know you. Their words may sting or injure one momentarily, but just like anything else, in time this will pass too. Now I hear someone saying, "Errol, you don't know what that customer just said to me!" Yes I probably can guess what comment you may have had to overlook in order to remain professional. Just remember, in the midst of the situation, you represent your company as well as yourself. This particular customer has no idea who you are as a person, so don't allow your ego to override your goal to always be professional. The mark of a professional is the ability to remain professional in the midst of chaos. Set a high standard for yourself and don't allow your ego to cause you to perform beneath your standard.

Be Realistic Regarding Customer Service - As much as we want to please every customer, there will be instances where someone will be unhappy with some portion or all of their experience with a company. Right now as I'm writing this article, somewhere in the world is an unhappy customer. You will encounter not so pleasant people during your customer service career. In knowing this as a fact, be ready to professionally get through a tough situation. Some customers do speak abusively or profanely. They can make unrealistic demands. They are sometimes wrong. In knowing this, it's important to develop internal fortitude that refuses to take a customer's unpleasant behavior personally. If your ego escapes the cage during an interaction with an abusive customer, there will be trouble. I repeat, in knowing human nature, know that you will encounter
unpleasant people. Practice remaining professional - keep your ego locked away.

There will be instances where it becomes necessary to professionally remind the customer of your professional boundaries. I have often spoken these words when encountering overly verbally abusive customers - "Mr./Mrs. Customer, I apologize for the situation. I can understand your frustration. As I work to resolve this situation, I would hope that we can be respectful towards one another. Can we agree to do that?" By getting the customer to answer this question or at least think about what I just said, more often than not the abuse ceased.

Remember, don't allow yourself to become victimized by your Emotions Going Orbital! Resolve to leave that ego at home before servicing your customer. You will encounter all types of personalities during your stay in this industry. Block out that ego by Being Determined, by telling yourself They Don't Really Know Me and by Being Realistic Regarding Customer Service.

The Marketing Packaging and Labeling to The customer

The marketing packaging and labeling to the customer. It is at the point when a customer picks up the box to take a closer look at the packaging and label that you have your last chance to convince someone to buy what's inside.

If you didn't put as much care into the design and quality printing of the packaging as you did your outside-the-store marketing campaign, there's a good chance the customer will put the product back on the shelf. And for the person just browsing and not even aware of your marketing campaign, you've lost any chance of someone considering your product unless the packaging projects a compelling invitation to take a second look, and under closer inspection, convinces the shopper that yours is a quality product worth buying.

Marketing always attempts to reach consumers where they are, but product packaging is the only market medium that targets a consumer at a point when they're ready to buy - in the store - and who have already shown an interest in your type of product by walking down the aisle where it's being sold. It could be the aisle that sells lawn and garden items, cereal, pasta, home decorations, power tools, pretty much anything that comes in a package. Even if the product itself is on display, a shopper will check the box to read more details, see images of it in action, find out what it's made of or where it's made.

If the package looks cheap, poorly designed, or shows bad quality in printing, that impression the packaging makes carries over to the product itself in the consumer's mind.

One message in marketing and packaging

Packaging is not separate from marketing. Packaging is marketing, and needs to carry over the same colors and designs you use in your advertising campaign, and on websites, mobile devices and handout brochures, even though each media platform has its own set of design criteria. You don't want the colors on your packaging to be "close enough" to the colors you use elsewhere. Your printer should be expert in packaging and labeling to produce colors true to your marketing design elements.

Yet the color and design must still set it apart from its competitors on the shelf and draw attention from consumers. Packaging designed after the rest of marketing and advertising designs are approved could give you something that works well on a mobile device, but not at all on a store shelf. When packaging is designed as part of a marketing campaign, you may need to adjust for each medium, but key elements and a coherent design theme come through clearly in all of them.

Impulse Buying

Packaging and labeling may be the only message that reaches a consumer. A casual shopper without a list is out to pick up just a few things, and does not see the shopping trip as a mission to be completed as efficiently and economically as possible. On this trip, the consumer is open to cruising the aisles to find anything else he may need - or want.
Is the package for your product waiting for this consumer, set to reel him in? Maybe an advertising campaign reached this consumer, but not enough to drive him to the store. But now that he sees your package, does it click with the ads he's seen before and complete the impulse to pick it up? If it does, you have greatly increased your chance to make a sale.

Quality Printing

None of the design elements will be effective if you don't work with an experienced, well-equipped, quality printer. Someone who's trying to determine the quality of your product will have doubts if the packaging and labeling look cheap, have faded colors, text that doesn't doesn't have sufficient contrast against a background color, type hard to read, or a myriad of other problems that can occur without expert handling.