Actual for You
#1 in Business Subscribe Email Print

You are here: Home > Business > Customer Service > Top 6 Things Not to Do With Angry Customers

Tags

  • mouth
  • records
  • voice
  • flash button
  • reaction drive
  • argue trust

  • Links

  • Take Charge of Headaches and Heal Your Pain
  • Can You Believe It's Nearly Christmas?
  • Addiction and Pornography
  • Actual for You - Top 6 Things Not to Do With Angry Customers

    Resolved to Get a New Job? Here's Your Job Search To Do List
    I have seen way too many discouraged job seekers in recent years. And not just here at home, in Detroit, where the auto industry is truly shaken. Certainly the economy is troubling, but that’s not the main reason I find job seekers are discouraged. I think the internet has created a 'monster' of a problem for job seekers.The beauty of internet job search sites is that they give you instant access to a large list of opportunities. The ease factor is very appealing. You can upload your resume and pop your resume off to dozen
    argument with you!

    3. Don't hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a "disconnect" helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won't give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will

    Is Your Business Benefiting From The Export Trading Company Act Of 1982?
    The advantages of exporting are clear. Increased exports greatly benefit a country’s economy, because they create jobs, stimulate economic growth, bring in tax revenues, and enable domestic industries to compete in international markets. Firms that export can grow faster, because they can utilize idle capacity, reduce dependence on domestic markets, increase product lifecycles, and simply make more money.Previously, the vast U.S. domestic market usually provided American companies ample opportunities to grow and remain prof
    1. Don't make threats. Have you ever said this, "If you don't calm down, I'm not going to help you." Or, "If you continue to yell at me, I'm going to have no choice but to terminate this phone call." If you've ever made these, or similar, statements, I'd bet that your sole intent was to regain control of the conversation. But the problem is, your customer perceives this type of language as threatening and it does not make them back down and it does not create calm. Try a phrase like this instead: "I really want to help you, but your tone/language is making it really hard for me to do that." And then pause for 2-3 seconds to let your words resonate with the customer.

    2. Don't argue. Trust me on this one - you can never win an argument with a customer. Certainly, you can prove your point and even have the last word, In a discussion on the futility of arguing with people, Dale Carnegie once said "you may be right, but as far as changing your customer's mind is concerned, you will probably be just as futile as if you were wrong." Your goal in complaint situations is to retain the customer, not to be right. If you win the argument, you may very well have lost the customer. Carnegie encourages us to carefully consider some hard questions before going to battle with customers: "Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve frustration? Will my reaction drive my customer further away? What price will I pay if I win (the argument)?" Carnegie advises, "The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it." By the way, customers will spread negative word-of-mouth advertising to 50 people if they get into argument with you!

    3. Don't hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a "disconnect" helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won't give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will

    10 Conversation Starters for Introverts Who Want to Network Successfully
    Many of you know that I'm a card carrying introvert on the MBTI scale (INFP), and as such, business networking isn't high on my lists of things I love to do. Or, should I say, networking as it's traditionally carried out -- big room, lots of people, mixing and mingling over drinks and inane cocktail party-like conversations -- is not my favorite activity. I'd rather have a tooth pulled, I think, than be subjected to this type of networking activity. However, if you put me 1:1 with someone, or even with a small group of people aro
    does not make them back down and it does not create calm. Try a phrase like this instead: "I really want to help you, but your tone/language is making it really hard for me to do that." And then pause for 2-3 seconds to let your words resonate with the customer.

    2. Don't argue. Trust me on this one - you can never win an argument with a customer. Certainly, you can prove your point and even have the last word, In a discussion on the futility of arguing with people, Dale Carnegie once said "you may be right, but as far as changing your customer's mind is concerned, you will probably be just as futile as if you were wrong." Your goal in complaint situations is to retain the customer, not to be right. If you win the argument, you may very well have lost the customer. Carnegie encourages us to carefully consider some hard questions before going to battle with customers: "Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve frustration? Will my reaction drive my customer further away? What price will I pay if I win (the argument)?" Carnegie advises, "The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it." By the way, customers will spread negative word-of-mouth advertising to 50 people if they get into argument with you!

    3. Don't hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a "disconnect" helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won't give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will

    Road-Kill Mentality: Why Employers Aren't Calling You
    The longer you hibernate in the darkness of traditional job searching know-how, where no one can find you, the more likely your dormancy will negatively affect your career transition. When you decide it’s time to make a career change, you have a choice: be the hunter or the prey. Choose the latter and you’ll quickly become road-kill. Just ask the possum.Playing possum neutralizes your marketability. Opossums are easy targets for vehicular traffic because they are slow-moving creatures. They quickly frighten and
    st word, In a discussion on the futility of arguing with people, Dale Carnegie once said "you may be right, but as far as changing your customer's mind is concerned, you will probably be just as futile as if you were wrong." Your goal in complaint situations is to retain the customer, not to be right. If you win the argument, you may very well have lost the customer. Carnegie encourages us to carefully consider some hard questions before going to battle with customers: "Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve frustration? Will my reaction drive my customer further away? What price will I pay if I win (the argument)?" Carnegie advises, "The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it." By the way, customers will spread negative word-of-mouth advertising to 50 people if they get into argument with you!

    3. Don't hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a "disconnect" helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won't give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will

    Furniture Warehouse
    A furniture warehouse is a large storage facility in which furniture is kept; but it can also refer to a large wholesaler or retailer who deals in selling furniture to the public. Warehousing is an important function of physical distribution, particularly when a manufacturer produces consumer goods. A commercial building for the storage of goods is known as a warehouse.Furniture warehouses are mostly distribution and store warehouses, which receive furniture of different types from various furniture manufacturers and supplier
    hard questions before going to battle with customers: "Is my reaction one that will relieve the problem, or will it just relieve frustration? Will my reaction drive my customer further away? What price will I pay if I win (the argument)?" Carnegie advises, "The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it." By the way, customers will spread negative word-of-mouth advertising to 50 people if they get into argument with you!

    3. Don't hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a "disconnect" helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won't give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will

    Medical Billing - Trailer Records
    If you've been following our series on medical billing and more specifically, our series on electronic billing of claims using NSF 3.01 specifications, you have no doubt noticed that there are quite a few records involved with sending a claim to a carrier, whether it be Medicare, Medicaid, or a private insurance company. Well, before we go into explicit detail on the trailer record specifications themselves, a general overview on trailer records is probably in order. Why? Well, unfortunately, even if the individual claims in a su
    argument with you!

    3. Don't hang up on the customer. I realize I sound conservative on this one, but I stand firm. If you hang up on a customer who is already livid, do you think a "disconnect" helps the situation or hurts the situation? The customer still has the problem and most customers won't give up their fight because you chose to hit the flash button. Most will call back and guess what? They will be angrier than ever AND it will cost far more in time and money to resolve the issue. If you just can't handle the customer, offer to transfer to a supervisor or co-worker.

    4. Don't make the customer feel helpless. I cringe every time I hear an employee say, "This is all I can do." When customers feel helpless, some will resort to whatever they feel it takes to get their needs met. This behavior may include yelling, demanding to speak to a supervisor, or starting a blog about your company. This simple phrase changes the entire tone of a tough situation: "Mr. Bryant, what I can do is?"

    5. Don't raise your voice. When I want my five-year-old daughter to use her "inside voice", I don't yell, "Lauren, USE YOUR INSIDE VOICE!" I speak in my "inside voice" with the expectation that she will mirror the calm tone of my voice - and she does without any further prompting from me. We must use the same technique with demanding customers. Escalating your voice when dealing with an upset customer will not create calm. It will only incite your customer. Lowering your voice presents you as confident, in control, and credible. In many cases your angry customer will begin to calm down because he realizes his intimidation tactic (yelling) isn't working. Try making one of these statements in a low volume when dealing with an angry customer. "What can I do to help?" or "What can I do to fix this situation?"

    6. Don't tell a customer she is wrong. You will be smart to never tell a customer s/he is wrong or mistaken. Telling a person they are wrong arouses opposition and will make the customer want to battle with you. (Ever tell your

    HTTP = HTML link (for blogs, profiles,phorums):
    <a href="http://www.actual4u.com/article/15316/actual4u-Top-6-Things-Not-to-Do-With-Angry-Customers.html">Top 6 Things Not to Do With Angry Customers</a>

    BB link (for phorums):
    [url=http://www.actual4u.com/article/15316/actual4u-Top-6-Things-Not-to-Do-With-Angry-Customers.html]Top 6 Things Not to Do With Angry Customers[/url]

    Related Articles:

    Small Business Accounting Software

    Wag the Tagline - The Rhetoric of Brand Messaging

    Can't Find A Job?

    Bookmark it: del.icio.us digg.com reddit.com netvouz.com google.com yahoo.com technorati.com furl.net bloglines.com socialdust.com ma.gnolia.com newsvine.com slashdot.org simpy.com shadows.com blinklist.com