Man complaining for the bad food

Need a refresher in customer service or some new tools for your toolbox? When dealing with unhappy customers, remember these tips and tricks.

• Listen to emotion with emotion. Use the inflections and emphasis of the customer. It’s called matching and if you can match the customer’s tone of voice and even gestures, it will put them at ease. It may not help you get the outcome you are hoping for (that they’ll take a credit instead of a refund for example) but it will keep the conversation civil and they will leave happier and be more likely to return.
• Have specialists. Though customers may not know off the bat what you are accomplishing by having specialists, in the long run it’s a good strategy because then any customer – happy or angry- will not be frustrated by a sales associate that does not know the answer to a specialized question.
• Follow-up with the customer who you have helped either find what they wanted when they were unsure or you helped them resolve a problem.
• Customers who complain are likely to continue doing business with your company. When a customer has a problem and you fix it, they’re going to be more satisfied. The customer is not complaining about you- don’t take it personally.
• 90% of customers who perceive themselves as being wronged never complain.

There are two ways to fix everything: Band Aid and Long term.Take responsibility for screw-ups.