There are as many schools of thought on how to treat angry customers as there are angry customers. At least it seems that way when you start seeing what is taught on different soft skills training courses. Here is one such theory for your consideration.

First off, the idea is that a customer is like anyone you have a close relationship with whether it be life partner, relative or employee. The suggestion is that there should be an expectation that a person will be positive, trustworthy, understanding and compassionate.

The practical outcomes when you face an unhappy customer are as follows.

Never argue with them. Don’t focus on being right or your own agenda. It won’t get you anywhere.
Never assume that an unhappy customer’s anger will relate in a clear and logical way to what has upset them.

Listen carefully to what the customer has to say. You do not need to respond, but the more information you have, the more likely you are to be able to resolve matters.

Try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes in order that you can empathise with them.

Clarify what the customer is saying and check that you have understood correctly by repeating back to them.

All that is leaf is to agree a plan of action with the customer and ensure that you stick to your side of the bargain.

Here are some more tips on how to deal with customer complaints. In fact, some of this advice has a far wider application and will aid your personal development.

The first piece of advice can be summed up as “don’t be an ostrich”. In other words, don’t try and ignore things and hope the problem will go away. Have a think about the problem. What is it that’s causing you to prevaricate? Whatever the answer, deal with it! There is no point in letting the problem fester at the back of your mind. It is not going to go away of its own accord.

Remember not to get bogged down in detail. Always look at the bigger picture. Consider the possible repercussions to not dealing properly and professionally with a customer complaint. You could lose an unhappy customer, or your company might find itself in court or having its reputation reduced to tatters as criticisms are aired in the media.

Bear in mind that the customer may have a perfectly justified cause for complaint. Be prepared to act on their behalf even if it means colleagues or other departments having to stomach difficult truths.

Finally, don’t forget to follow up complaints.

Soft skills training is essential for anyone who deals with customer complaints. There are a number of basic points which are worth including in regular briefings for customer service staff. Here are some of them.

Don’t take complaints personally. However angry the customer is getting, remember that it is not you that they are angry with. That said, there are limits to what you should be expected to put up with. If the customer oversteps the mark by, for example, using four letter words, you should explain that that language is not appropriate and you will discontinue the call if it is repeated. Do not match the person’s anger or raise your voice.

Never lie. This might seem a very obvious thing to say but it is often tempting to tell a ‘white lie’. However any untruth will inevitably gather momentum and cause difficulties further down the line.

Don’t feel that you can’t ask for help. It may be true that your specific and only job is to deal with customer complaints. However, make the most of all the resources available to you. It’s an opportunity to further your own personal development whilst broadening your knowledge of the organisation as a whole and learning more about your colleagues.

No business is immune from complaints. Sometimes they are completely justified, sometimes they seem frivolous in the extreme. Whatever the nature of the complaints, it is vital that the individuals dealing with them have a thorough soft skills training so that they can minimise any bad feelings and maybe even turn complaints into sales.

It is not practical to be constantly training but it is good to remind yourself of many of the basics which you need to bear in mind when dealing with unhappy customers.

First of all, however rude and obnoxious the behaviour of the complainant seems, don’t be tempted to match that person’s behaviour. Don’t raise your voice. Don’t match those negative attitudes. If you do, you will lose your objectivity and make more work for yourself.

Don’t get into ‘the blame game’. You certainly shouldn’t attempt to blame the customer. If you blame your colleagues, your business will simply appear unprofessional.

Never blame ‘the system’. Systems are operated by people. It may be that your internal systems make certain things difficult. However, that should not become the customer’s problem. After all the customer is already feeling frustrated. Be open and honest with your customer and agree actions and time scales.

It’s a strange time for businesses at the moment, what with the economic crisis everyone is suffering. The actual impact varies widely across different sectors, but it is generally agreed that both for the businessman and the consumer there is a general air of doom and gloom. This may mean that you have to face more frustrated customers – especially if you have had to downsize staff numbers to save money.

As such, this is a good time to make sure your customer service is right and to invest in some soft skills training for your staff to avoid losing valuable custom. Here is a quick trio of things your customer service team might want to take on board:

Say you’re sorry
It’s important to sincerely apologise to the customer for their problem and inconvenience. You must be sincere and make sure they know you are there to help them and not just defend your organisation.

Active listening
Pro-actively ensure you understand the major and minor points of the issue, by asking clarifying questions and by taking time to recap the salient points to ensure you have understood the issue fully.

Empathy
This is critical; if you can’t put yourself in your customer’s shoes, you either don’t understand the problem or you don’t care. Employing empathy will help you focus on a positive win-win outcome for your organisation and the customer.