4 Tips for Dealing with Difficult Customers

No industry is free from the frustration caused by difficult customers or clients. In this sense, “difficult” can mean a great number of things. It can refer to customers who complain about products or services; who write negative reviews; who make unreasonable demands of you or your staff. In other words, these customers are more trouble than they’re worth. Or so it might seem. Today, we’ll offer cogent advice for dealing with these most frustrating individuals in order to (mostly) ensure positive outcomes. Check out our top four tips here:

Stay Calm
Above all else, the key to managing client interactions effectively is to stay calm. Angry, annoying, or even abusive customers may say mean and hurtful things to employees. While it’s certainly justified for team members to stand their ground (as we’ll explore further below), they shouldn’t let themselves be drawn into a shouting match with a bombastic customer. Obviously, this is easier said than done. But it’s worth remembering that it’s virtually impossible to win an argument with a customer. Nine out of ten times your business will come off looking worse if you sink to a difficult customer’s level. So take a deep breath and stay calm!

Personalize When Possible
Customers value businesses that go the extra mile. To make sure that all of your customers feel that you have their best interest at heart, do your best to personalize customer interactions. Provide them with specialized deals based on their purchase history and ask for their feedback periodically. Taking small measures like these can help prevent angry customers calling up in the first place.

Be Solutions Oriented
Whether your business is culpable for a difficult customer’s anger or not is immaterial. Rather than trying to play the blame game, representatives should focus on achieving solutions for their customers. The faster you can fix a problem, the better.

Know When to Take a Stand
No one should have to put up with racist, sexist, or offensive language from anyone –– and that includes customers. As such, it’s the responsibility of managers and business leaders to step in and defend their employees when a customer crosses the line. The dignity of your team members is worth more than any client. So don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself or your team.

Ideally, all business-customer interactions would go smoothly. For the most part, customers are respectful even when they’re upset. And, thankfully, when businesses partner with agencies like Helixa, they can gain powerful insights into customer behaviors. This way, they can address customer concerns and make life that much easier for their team members on the front lines. Just make sure to keep these tips top of mind moving forward!