I am sure everyone has heard of the phrases like 'Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning' (Bill Gates) and that 'If we don't take care of our customers, someone else will' and the most clichéd of them all 'Customer is the king'.
While customer may be the King, but that doesn't mean that you can't strive to be their most valorous and dutiful knight.
Everybody who has ever run a business will have a story on how they have had their worst nightmares come to life due an extremely annoyed customer. No matter how much people scare you, there is always an easy and peaceful way out with an opportunity of adding that extra edge to your customer service. No matter how angry they get at you, they will come back. Just follow simple tips mentioned below:
Give All Necessary Info To Begin With
This may be a broad term, but major issues like 'shipping policy', 'payment methods', 'return/refund policy' and 'privacy policy' clearly defined in your website saves you a lot of effort and time in solving common complaints that every business enterprise faces. You may have to repeat them while handling a complaint anyways, but no one can blame you for fooling them since all the info is available at their disposal and that you are not making up 'new policies'.
Don't Hide Behind The Curtains
Reach out to them rather than hiding behind 'toll-free' numbers or common customer service email id. Let them know that there is a specific person handling their complaints and that their voice is reaching somewhere. When a complaint reaches the right person who can solve it, that person should make himself/herself available and let the customer know where and how to contact him/her directly.
Stop The Blame Game
There are many instances when colleagues simply pass the buck when they can't come up with an appropriate answer/solution for a mess up that they perhaps collectively created. Blaming your co-workers will not only hamper your company's reputation but also irritate the already pissed off customer even more. Even if you are in the process of cleaning up someone else's mess, then customer is not the right person to crib about it...take it to the authoritative people within your company (if need be).
Put Yourself In Their Shoes
Before you 'sigh' on this tip and pre-conceive it to be a clichéd term then think again. We are not talking about the stress, discomfort and the whole trouble of numerous to and fro communications a customer has to go through. We are talking about the level of understanding that they have on certain issues or topics, you may be a technology expert and terms like 'Bandwidth' may be equivalent to 'B for Ball' for you but your 'unhappy' customer has no idea what you talking about which irritates them even further.
For Once, Pick Up The Phone n Talk
Many-a-times online business saves us from the discomfort of personally talking to an angry customer, we prefer email communications and in turn make our customers feel like just another person who thinks we have nothing better to do. For once, pick up the phone and talk to them...better yet, surprise them with a courteous phone call when they expecting yet another unsatisfying email from your end. Speak with them and assure them that there is a real person handling their complaints.
Learn To Be A Good Listener
A quality that every girls wants in her man and every customer needs from your support team. It requires patience and a lot of practise...but don't worry you'll get used to it. Half of your customer's anger subsides when they are comforted with the fact that someone actually listening to them and guess what...it will help you in understanding their problem better. First listen carefully to what they are asking and politely ask them to reciprocate...trust us, this way they'll listen to you as well.
Don't 'Ever' Go Back On Your Words
If you can't deliver something then don't promise it at first place. It'll not only make you a liar, but earn you a very bad reputation in the online community...thanks to the very massive reach of social networking. If there is something you said will happen then make it happen, and if it can't happen then compensate it with something better but never ever leave your customer feel cheated.
A Stitch In Time Saves Nine
Minimize your response time for a complaint and you'l learn that it will solve half of your problems. First, it'll give you ample time to come up with a solution before your customer reaches a saturation point refuses to believe (or worse listen) to every word you say. Secondly, not only will it impress the customer that he/she has managed to knock on the right door but also make them realize the 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. Even if you are not able to provide with the exact solution that your customer originally sought out for, they will learn to appreciate your timely response.
Call For Help
There are many instances that in spite of all your efforts and time you are not able to avert an angry, irritated and at times unreasonable customer. When you think that you have done all you could to solve a customer complaint then it is time for some divine intervention. Ask your colleague or senior to come into the picture; this is not passing the buck, at times it becomes imperative to let someone who customer doesn't hate already to do some damage control. But make sure that who so ever you seek out to must be aware of the situation before communicating with the customer; repeating the whole issue again will only increase boiling anger within your customer.
Follow Up: You Deserve A Thank You
This is something that many miss out on: a follow up. Once you have managed to resolve an issue and hopefully have come out victorious then you must remember to follow up with the customer. Benefit behind this activity is two fold: one, you will convert a complaint into an opportunity and remind your customer that even-though they had a bad experience, it was you who solved it for them and that they can always come back to you and second...you receive a much deserved Thank You.
I remember reading a phrase that said "Customer support is not a department, its an attitude". Apart from these easy tips on handling customer support you need the right attitude and frame of mind for handling tricky situations. Don't run away from them, just handle them with care.
Have some tips on how you handle customer complaints? Feel free to share them in the comment section below.
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Great post. I particularly like the "pick up the phone" emphasis. It does not help anyone to engage in a bitter argument of online and public posts on who was wrong. Pick up the phone, work it out (or not) and ask the individual to post a follow-up to their original complaint.
Thanks for the article!
You are most welcome Ryan. And you are right, rather than arguing without any results, might as well resolve the issue without any fuss; plus it saves so much of time.
I just came to your post and reading above thing it is very impressive me and it is very nice blog. Thanks a lot for sharing this.
Great post. I particularly like the "pick up the phone" emphasis. It does not help anyone to engage in a bitter argument of online and public posts on who was wrong. Pick up the phone, work it out (or not) and ask the individual to post a follow-up to their original complaint.
Thanks for the article!
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