Handling Difficult Customers

Training: Handling Difficult Customers.

First Don’t Take It Personally:

         Realize the customer is not unhappy with you but with the situation.

Upset Customers Want:

·      To be taken seriously

·      To be treated with respect

·      To get immediate action

·      To gain compensation/restitution

·      To have someone reprimanded or punished

·      To clear up the problem so it never happens again

·      To be listened to

A.S.A.P

Acknowledge and Listening with Intent to hear the customer.

         Many times, we listen to make the next comment, or we listen to defend our position. When we listen with the intent to hear the customer we listen to their problem and usually find a solution very quickly.

Don’t interrupt the customer just listen.  When you are listening, you want to repeat back a summary of their concern in your own words and acknowledge the customers feelings. Only do this when the customer is done or has paused the conversation and make an effort to be sincere.

 “So you are angry we over charged you and want your money back”

“Your wheel fell off causing damage to your car. Your upset and feel like someone should be accountable.”

“Oil leaked in your driveway and your upset and feel this shouldn’t have happened”

“So you Purchased tires last week at full price and now that there is a sale you feel you should have received them at the sale price.”

After you have given your short version of what they are saying and how you think they feel then ask them if you are correct. If you are not correct have them go through it until you fully understand what they are saying.

If you can, Take notes. This lets your customer see that you are hearing what he or she is saying.

Sympathize and Empathize with the customer

Put yourself in their shoes, what if this happened to you. Better yet if it did happen to you how did it feel. You don’t necessarily need to agree with the customer, but you do need to acknowledge that they are upset.

“I’m really sorry this has happened to you. Let me see what I can do to help.”

“I’m really sorry you had to come back down here, let’s go look and your car”

Accept Responsibility

Accept 100 percent of the responsibility for how they feel. This does not mean that you did anything wrong or that you take responsibility for damages that may not have been anyone’s fault. You are accepting responsibility for what the customer went through.

“I’m sorry you had to come all the way back down here”

“I know you feel angry, I’m sorry!”

Prepare to Help.

Now that we understand what our customer wants and needs its time to find a solution. If you can offer a solution right away then do so, if you need more time to investigate or get approval then you can explain that.

“Let’s get your car in immediately and fix that leaky drain plug, thank you for bringing this to our attention”

“Let me take down your information. I will talk with my manager and one of us will be in contact with you tomorrow afternoon, we will get you the answers you need”

“let me refund you what you spent last week, and we can re-ring you up for the tires at the sale cost. I’m glad you were looking out for the best deal”

“Let’s get your car on the alignment rack right away and see what the reason for the pull could be.”

If you need more time then ask for it.

 “Can you leave it with me so I can take my time with diagnosing the real problem”

“Can you bring it in tomorrow when I have my best tech in and he can look at it”

Make sure the solution is acceptable to both parties

A Few More Things:

Follow up with the customer:

If you have already fixed the customers issue then

Sometimes it’s just not possible to diagnose a customer problem on the spot.

Many times, it is necessary to follow-up with customers at a later time.  For example, your technician may need to perform a lengthy diagnosis in order to find the source of a problem. Following up in the proper way lets the customer know that you are reliable and that they are important.

When arranging a follow-up with the customer, a few things must happen:

First, explain to the customer what you will be doing between now and the time your follow-up with them. For example, “Ok Mr. Jones, to properly diagnose the vehicle vibration you will need to road test the vehicle then possibly check the tires balance and alignment.”

Second, give the customer a specific frame in which you will contact them. “I will call you before noon to let you know what we found.”

Third, offer the customer the opportunity to contact you if they have any questions.

Finally, You MUST follow up with them within the time frame you promise. If you promise a call by noon, you need to be in contact with the customer before noon, no later.

 If you have not completed a diagnosis by the agreed upon follow up time, you must call to let them know the status of the repair and schedule a new follow up time.

 If you are not able to follow up with the customer on or before the predetermined time, it is your responsibility to ask a co-worker or manager to follow up for you.

If There is Nothing You Can or Are Able To Do:

Sometimes, the problem is simply not yours or your Store’s to fix.

In these very rare cases, you have several options

 Sometimes, when the customer has wrongly accused the Store of an impropriety or when the request or situation is simply outrageous, the answer may be “No, sir.” Or “No, Ma’am.” “We simply cannot do anything for you at this time.” “We’re sorry this has happened. But in all honesty, we are unable to go forward with any remedy at this juncture.”

 The next step might then be to have the customer contact Big O Customer Relations for mediation and go from there.

Another situation may be that a decision may need to be made from a manager or member of the management team before moving forward. Politely let the customer know that you are going to pass this on to who you have to and they will be in touch with you as soon as they can..

Excuses- when to use them:

NEVER, Never make an excuse to an upset customer. No one wants to hear about whose fault it is unless its yours. When you make excuses you tell the customer “I’m not going to help you.”

If there is a reason something happened, you can explain it but only after you have taken responsibility and offered a solution that will be suitable for all parties.

Be Professional:

Be Polite And Professional Throughout The Process. The key issue to remember here is this: Angry or upset customers, when handled properly, can easily become one of your best “fans” and tell many people about the quality of your Store and integrity of its staff.

Some of your best “press,” your best advertising, will come from those customers who were once unhappy but who were handled competently by you and your Store team.

Don’t get trapped in an argument

Remember:

If a customer becomes overtly abusive verbally, cussing or swearing, politely ask to them to refrain from bad language (that others may be in the room) and talk with you on a more humane level.

If a customer threatens physical abuse, disengage immediately and it is generally recommended that the police be called immediately.