(CC) licensed:charliebrewer

Inevitably some customers will be difficult

The old adage goes:
Rule 1) The customer is always right,
Rule 2) When the customer is wrong see Rule 1.

But sometimes customers really can be very difficult and difficult to handle. If you handle difficult customers badly it can lose you business directly and may also harm your reputation. However, handled well, they may well become satisfied and loyal customers.

Making difficult customers does not have to be costly and simply offering discounts or refunds are not always necessary or the best approach.

It all boils down to communication between the representative and the customer. Understanding why the customer is angry and being sympathetic to their point of view is crucial to opening the door to that communication.

The representative is human too and being faced with an unsatisfied customer can make them defensive. Appreciating that the customer’s complaints are not personal and keeping a cool frame of mind not only keeps the process moving forward but also can be calming and reassuring for the customer.

Being prepared for these sorts of situations makes all the difference so this course aims to give delegates a range of tools to handle whatever comes their way.

Topics covered include

• What makes customers angry?
• Using confident communication to resolve issues
• Mirroring techniques to calm customers down
• The ‘You’ factor

By the end of this one-day training participants will be able to:

• Appreciate why customers get angry
• Use verbal and non verbal communication effectively
• Use a technique to handle difficult customers
• Use tips to handle the stress of difficult customers