Devoted to customer service and the principles of exceptional customer services

In the many years that I worked in customer service, I can probably count on one hand the times I've had to deal with an irate customer, thank Goodness.  As one of the interview questions for a customer service position, the interviewer will most likely ask, "How would you deal with an irate customer?"  Even though it's a rare situation, it's still good to be prepared when you have to deal with a not-so-happy customer.

Here are my tips for handling difficult customers:

Apologize - It's as simple as saying "I'm sorry you had to go through this."  Recognize that the customer is now the victim of bad service.  Put yourself in their shoes and think about how you would feel.  Tom Vander Well has a great post on the topic of apologies and what necessitates a good apology.

Take ownership of the situation - that customer's problem now becomes your problem.  You two have now become a team to solve a problem.  Be the leader of the team and take action.  Let the customer know through your actions that you will put 100% effort in making sure the team wins.

Never tell the customer that "there's nothing I can do about this situation".  This will cause even more frusteration for the customer.  There is something that you can do.  Do it.  Just do something.  Once the customer sees that you are trying to do something to help them, their defenses will come down.

Always remain calm - having an argument with your customer is the antithesis of customer service.  If you remain calm, the customer can't help but calm down - it's human nature. 

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