When you are on the receiving end of an angry customer call, you may just want to cut your losses and hang up. Unfortunately, unhappy customers are all part of running a business. With the customers that are loyal and talkative about your brand, you will also receive customers who are unhappy and vocal about it. No matter what product or service you are providing, someone will always complain. As a business owner, it is essential to know how to handle these situations. Take a look at these tips from your business consultant in Ventura County, CA.
How To Handle Angry and Disgruntled Customers
Actively Listen
Although you want to hang up to stop the customer from yelling in your ear, you must actively listen to their issue. Justified or not, it is essential that your business takes complaints into account in order to do better. Unhappy customers usually need to vent, which is why you need to let them complain without interrupting them. Instead of shutting down the tirade, understand why they are frustrated. Take in everything they say and try to separate the words from the context. Only then can you understand how to improve.
Ask Questions
While you shouldn’t talk over an angry customer, you should wait for a break in their speech to ask questions about their journey. Get a better understanding of how they went from supporting your business to bashing it. It’s also helpful to jot down their responses on paper so that you have a reminder of what went wrong. Let the customer know that you want his or her complaint to be recorded.
Asking questions may also lead you to a solution. You can ask if there is anything your business can do to rectify the situation, and that puts the ball in your customer’s court. From there, you may be able to resolve the claim easily.
Honest Feedback is Essential
Although every business owner would like to only hear the good messages and praise about their company, the reality is that every business has supporters and those it has failed. It is your responsibility to get to the source of their frustration so that you can rectify the situation and prevent mistakes from happening again. From disgruntled customers, you can learn something to help you run better. Often, things like this can lead to improved staff training or understanding how to better a process. While you may not win every mad customer over, you can prevent future ones. After all, honest feedback is a gift to every business.
Handling customers – angry or ecstatic – doesn’t have to be difficult. Every business owner must understand how to handle customer responses in order to improve their engagement and solidify their reputation. For more guidance on growing your own business, contact the Economic Development Collaborative. Conveniently located in Camarillo, California, we’re here to help.
