Dealing With Questions Angry Customers Ask

INTRODUCTION - Faced with tough questions angry customers ask, not knowing exactly what to say or how to handle the situation?

Is this customer going to leave angrier and more frustrated, then complain to your boss and tell every person that he knows how incompetent you are?

OR, will you be prepared to handle the questions angry customers ask? Will this angry customer leave your office feeling appreciated and understood? Is he so impressed with your professionalism and ability to resolve the issue quickly that he sings your praises to his family, friends and throughout the community?

The answer for you will be determined on your understanding and personal commitment to delivering quality Customer Service - at every opportunity. This includes have the skill-set to properly respond to the questions angry customers ask.

The following three-part series will help guide you through those difficult situations where your customer service abilities, and your patience, will be tested.

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The common theme running through every angry customer that you have to deal with will be the questions that angry customers ask:

"How could this have possibly happened?"

"What is going on here?"

"Do you know what I've been through?"

"What am I supposed to do? "

"What are you going to do about it?"

They may be shouting; some will be using offensive language; all will be incredibly frustrated.

An important point to remember at that critical moment is that they're not angry with you personally. It may seem like it - but they're really not.

The customer is experiencing many emotions. He/she feels disrespected because they perceive that no one is listening to them. They feel insecure, as if no one cares about their personal experience. They feel as if they have no control - this adds further to their frustration.

Their anger is the result of all these other negative emotions. Keep in mind also that they may be dealing with many other situations in their life, not directly related to the situation at hand, that may be adding fuel to the fire.

Questions angry customers may throw at you may be inspired by events totally unrelated to what they appear upset about. They may be upset with their spouse, employer or whomever and what happened with your organization was the straw the broke the camel's back.

DO NOT argue with the customer. It will accomplish absolutely nothing. The customer is feeling injured and the pain inflicted is incredibly real to them. Any argument from you will just cement those feelings and they now have a name to attach to the drama.

Look back at our examples of the questions angry customers ask. Realize that these are the questions that you must have answers to.

Your ability to first listen and let the customer vent their frustrations will be time well spent. Take notes to show your interest. More on the subject of listening in Part II of our series.

Your focus on resolving the issue for the angry customer will ultimately win them over.

By following some very simple steps, you can consistently deliver excellent customer service. In addition, you will begin to experience the personal satisfaction and accolades that come from being one of the best!

Questions angry customers ask can be quickly prepared for - see you in Part II.

» Dealing With Angry Customers - Part 2 of 3
Part Two of a Three-Part series on how to most effectively deal with angry customers.

» Dealing With Angry Customers - Part 3 of 3
Part Three of a Three-Part series on how to most effectively deal with angry customers.

» Customer Service Definitions for Success!
The quality of customer service provided by an organization is ultimately determined by the customer. It's their definition that really counts.

We're constantly on the lookout for highly effective customer service tools and resources that we can recommend to our readers. Share your own helpful hints and tips here.

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