How to Deal with Difficult Customers

When you’re interacting with your customers the first and foremost skill you need is possessing phenomenal customer service and communication skills. The need for these skills is reflected when you deal with difficult customers.

In this article, we will discuss dealing with difficult customers and certain major tips to keep in mind which will help you get through difficult situations when dealing with challenging customers.

If you are a salesperson or if you’re a part of a company’s customer service department then you probably have a very clear understanding of the need for good customer service skills and customer relationship management.  

Why is good Customer Service needed? 

A salesperson and individuals who are appointed in the customer service departments of any company are appointed when they portray that they possess the necessary skills required for the job.

They should be able to reinforce strong customer relationships with the company so that a bond can be created between the company and the customers and sales can skyrocket significantly more with trust in the market.

A company can retain long-term customers only when client loyalty trust and bona fide customer relationship is created. The overall revenue from the repeated purchases can also be made through proper customer service management.

Not to mention, there are times when you may face unwanted complications. For example, sometimes you will come into contact with customers who are needed to be handled diplomatically since if you are not able to convince or satisfy such customers the company can face losses that will directly affect you.

Therefore an abled customer relationship is needed in order to maintain a proper customer-to-company relationship so that losing clients can be prevented. 

Importance of a good Customer Relationship 

While you are interacting with your customers it is essential for you to stay confident and speak confidently to your customer in an easy-to-understand language so that your customer will not face problems in catching up to you. These skills are essentially needed in case you come across a challenging customer. 

A customer can act as a potential advocate and advertiser for your company, therefore it is your responsibility as a part of the customer service team to convert a negative situation into a positive one.

If a difficult to deal with customer finds your response satisfying, it’ll be much more profitable to the business than when you deal with simple and straightforward customers. You need to convince the customers to become long-term service bearers for the company. 

Also Read: How to Start an Online Clothing Business From Home in India

Types of Challenging Customers you may encounter

There are a few difficult customers who you may encounter throughout your business journey.

Following are the types of difficult customers to deal with:

• Customers with a hot temperament. 
• Indecisive customers. 
• Customers who can be potentially demanding.
• Customers who may hold critical views towards the enterprise or any product. 

Let us discuss in detail each of these types of customers and ways to deal with them. 

Customers with a Hot Temperament 

Angry customers can be the most difficult ones to be handled properly. You need to handle them with utmost caution so that your customer’s problem gets solved, the enterprise does not lose customers and its name doesn’t get soiled. are not that easy to handle. 

The first and foremost action for you to take is to apologize to your customer properly (even if the fault is from the customer’s side in certain situations) and ask for the inconvenience that has been caused.

This is the first step that is to be taken to simmer your client down and also the best possible way to continue the conversation and preserve the faith of your customers in an efficient manner.

Enraged customers can act rude, raise up their voices and in some cases even insult you at one point. In that case, you need to keep your patience and calmly deal with the situation while keeping your tone down. The best way to deal with an angry customer is to remain composed and speak to them mildly while not reciprocating or getting provoked by their rudeness. 

Here are a few tips to calm down your angry customers –

• Always listen to their claim and doubts properly – You have to practice active listening in this case rather than passive listening. Active listening refers to concentrating on your customer’s tone of speech, their problems and queries. You need to interpret from their complaints what the main source of the problem is and the core factor that has caused the customer to blow up. Always use a clement and calm figure of speech and pay extra attention to your customers so that they can be calmed down. 
  
• Apologize for the inconvenience that has been caused – Let your customers know that you are genuinely remorseful for any problem or any irresponsible behaviour that the customer had to face. about whatever is going on with them. You need to be very thorough with your apology.

• You should show empathy to your customers – That is, in other words, portray to your customers that you sincerely care about your customers and understand how they are feeling.  

• Never raise your voice against customers – While dealing with customers who are raising your voice against you or the company, make sure to never raise your voice against your customers since doing so can prove fatal for the company.
  Try to keep your own tone of voice low but at the same time convince them to listen to what you have to say or propose as well.  

• Build a trustworthy platform for customers – If your services have caused inconvenience to your customers by any probability you need to make sure that you have resolved the issue and apologize thoroughly in that case. By doing so you’ll be able to retain a strong relationship with your customer.

• Handle Customer with a Professional Mindset – When you are dealing with an angry customer, you need to understand that your personal opinions cannot be involved in such a conversation. You have to deal with such situations with a professional mindset.
  Do not take any insult or any words of rudeness that comes from a difficult to deal with customer personally since it can infuriate you or make you feel down and do not by any means act up in such situations.   

• Avoid using Negative Language – Avoid using negative language that can make the customer feel insulted or make them enraged more than they already are. These kinds of customers tend to throw a bigger fit which will make the situation worse for you to handle.
  You use positive phrases that will make the customer listen to you, such as, “yes sir/ma’am, I do understand your concerns, we are very sorry for the inconvenience that has been caused to you”. Use words that can bring positivity to the heated up environment such as “absolutely”, “certainly”, and “definitely”. 

• Should be quick in Solving Customers Problem – You should be able to resolve their problems without taking up much of your customer’s time. If you do in some cases feel the need to consume some time to resolve the matter, you should be honest and let your customers know and ask for their patience and cooperation.
  If you feel that the situation is going out of your hands make sure to discuss the situation with your seniors and observe their actions as they deal with the customers with expertise and experience.  

Indecisive Customers 

Indecisive customers are the types of customers who can take a long time to come to affirm their decision that is, they cannot take any decision quickly. They may also have a load of queries regarding the product that they are interested in.

In this case, you should ask such customers the features they want to be present in their products in advance. Confidence is the key while interacting with such customers.

You need to answer their question with confidence to build trust. Researching the products you are selling is a must in this case. Your customers will get reassured about the product quality and features if you can confidently convince them to buy the product they are interested in.

You need to share relevant information that matches your customer’s queries about the product which they want to buy. One advantage of facing indecisive customers si that it can build patience in you so that you can become capable of handling such situations furthermore in a better way. 

You can try the below-mentioned tips to deal with indecisive customers –

• Ask Customers what they need – Ask them what they need specifically and what features they are looking for in the product they’re interested in. make sure to solve all the queries of your customers efficiently.

• Offer demo of the product – You can offer your customer a demo of the product before selling them to your customers so that they can evaluate the quality and features of the product by themselves. In this way, they can be reassured of the quality of the product and the benefits that comes with the product.

Demanding customers 

Demanding customers are those customers who may misunderstand your role and ask you to perform some activity you are not hired or not authorized to do. They may ask you to do something that goes beyond your jurisdiction or control or does not meet your company’s policies.

You can build trust around them by assuring them that you can do whatever is possible for you to do to meet their requirements. You need to prepare to remain composed, have patience, and contact the higher-ups in case the customer is asking for too much from you. 

You can efficiently handle demanding customers with the below-mentioned tips – 

• You need to focus on what the customer is demanding from you instead of ignoring the client. 
• Stay composed and try to resolve the customer’s needs if the demand can anyhow be fulfilled by you.
• Offer a variety of options to them to select from if possible, so that can it can help you buy time and solve the problem of your customer. 
• You need to be genuinely sincere with such customers an answer with replies suchas, “I am very sorry to inform you that I am not qualified/unable to fulfil your humble request but ( be sure to help your customer so that they can address their doubts to the correct person, take product specialists in this case as an example) our product specialists can definitely help you with your queries

Refer to your support team if you feel necessary to take this step.

Critical

A critical customer is one who frequently finds faults in the products, services or anything you offer to them. These kinds of customers can be difficult to satisfy, so you have to work hard to convince them. They will be very quick in unearthing some sort of dissatisfaction from your products or services the company has to offer. 

At some point, you may get some continuous suggestions or feedback from these clients which can to a certain extent prove advantageous to the enterprise. In such situations, your response should be, “thank you very much for your suggestion sir/ma’am. We will definitely keep your eminent suggestions in mind. Please feel free to contact us if you require anything from us again.”

Also Read: The Top CRM Mobile Apps And All About Them

How to deal with Difficult Customers

It is very crucial to maintain a strong relationship with the customers to receive suitable and important feedback in return.

Below are listed a few suggestions or key factors that can help you in dealing with difficult customers

• Behave Professionally – Keep your communication on a professional stand. Do not bring any personal feelings between you and your interaction with your customers. 
• Remain calm and collected – be an active listener so that your customer can efficiently discuss their problems with you. 
• Be a Pleasant Speaker – Speak in a pleasant and mild manner of speech while interacting with your clients. 
• Should actively try to solve Customer’s Problem – Actively try to solve the customer’s problem after properly deciphering what the major source of complaint is. 
• Give Customer time to make decision – Give them time to talk about the problems they’re facing regarding the service/product. 
• Understand the Customer’s point of view – Understand their point of view while you are interacting with them. 
• Listen to Customer’s problem carefully – Assess their needs carefully and seek a solution that matches their needs.
• If required, don’t shy away from seeking help from your seniors – Ask for support from the higher-ups if you need to. 
• Always maintain a positive relationship – Always maintain a positive relationship with the customers even after they have already bought your products/ services. 

Conclusion

Customer relationship management is a very essential part of any business to gain the trust and goodwill of customers. You can gain word-of-mouth that can help your company improve and in the process earn new customers in the future. Make sure to serve your customers in the best way possible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)