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Customer Service: Helping Upset Customers Be Happy Once Again
How do you handle
sensitive, tough, touchy, angry, upset, critical customers? This is a task/challenge that has been handed to me by every boss I've had. There is certainly a knack to it, but I think these tips may help. LISTEN!!!! Really HEAR what they are telling you. Make detailed notes. Review the previous details and data that has been gathered. Repeat back what they have said, so they know you heard them and got all of the details right. It lets them know you care enough to help fix the situation. An important aspect here is to kindly but firmly take control and focus everyone. Do not let them intimidate you! Sometimes customers who are upset will be on a big conference bridge, all talking at once in 20 different directions, or just complaining about how nothing is being done, and they never tell you what the real problem is. Your job here is to get them to calm down, focus, and tell you what the issue is that they are facing, what they have done in the past to troubleshoot the issue, what data they have sent in, who has been involved, etc. You need to calmly but firmly assert that you are here now, you will help them, but you need to understand the issue thoroughly and know what has been done so far. Let them know that you cannot help them get the issue fixed if they do not help you understand those things first. Relax and smile! Don't allow yourself to get tense or respond emotionally to where they are coming from. Take the situation seriously, but get them to trust your sincerity and relax if possible. Let them know you have taken the reigns and will now get the right people involved to solve their situation as quickly as possible, based on the situation. Don't assume the previous folks that have handled the situation did everything right. Double check even the most simple things. Perhaps someone missed a simple configuration line, since they have been looking at the issue for so long. It's the old "I can't see the forest for the trees" concept. Document! Document! Take detailed notes! I can't say this enough. If you don't write it down, it didn't happen. You have nowhere to fall back on if anyone asks if you got the info, analyzed it, forwarded it to escalation or development, asked the customer for the next set of info, etc. If you don't document each step, there is no proof that any of it happened. It may also help you keep focused on where you are each step along the way, since so many groups can be involved, each doing different things at the same time. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know but let me research that or ask someone". Most customers are very happy with honesty, instead of a guess or a made up wrong answer. But then, be sure you DO go research it and get back to them within a good time frame. Communicate each step along the way. Let the customer know what is going on frequently. At least a couple of times a week, even down to once a day. It all depends on the customer and the situation, as to how often you must communicate. Get the right folks involved fast! That may mean sales account teams, marketing, escalation, logistics, developers, etc. based on your industry. Ask them for status on a regular basis. Make sure they have all the information they need to solve the problem. Ask questions like: Did you get the information I sent, have you analyzed it? If not, do you have an estimate of when you will have an update for me? Do you need more information from the customer to proceed? Communicate again!! Document more! :-) Set correct expectations. Don't promise a fix for the situation tomorrow. Talk to the various teams involved and get realistic expectations on when each task will be completed, (such as when data will be provided or analyzed, when code fixes will be created, etc.) I generally pad the expected date I set for a customer by a bit if possible. On a relatively important issue, if a developer says he will have the fix ready at 8am tomorrow, I may tell the customer by late tomorrow morning "if all goes well". If it is not such a critical issue, I will even pad a few days into the expected date. It is always better to beat the "expected" timeframe you have put into the customer's mind by being "early", than to fall behind what you told them by setting a hard time line of exactly when the developer told you it would be ready. Remember- things happen in life! Unexpected issues can come up which can delay the plans and timelines your team had made. Once the solution has been delivered to the customer, follow up with them. Did the solution work? Are they happy with it? Do they need anything else? Here is your chance to shine and go the extra mile to be sure they are happy once again. If you do many of these things mentioned, you are quite likely to turn the customer around and make them feel happy and satisfied with you and your company's services and products.
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