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How should employees be trained in working with problem customers?
Home » Training » Customer Service Training » How should employees be trained in working with problem customers?How should employees be trained in working with problem customers?
Employees must be prepared to deal with unhappy, and even angry, customers. The best way to handle frustrated customers stem from the guidelines listed above, but you can also cover some of the following solutions more extensively in training:
Clarify the situation: You want to make sure that employees actually solve the customer’s problem. Try to pick your way to the frustration to the actual issue. Ask clarifying questions and then explain briefly what you can do. Ensure that the customer is satisfied when you are finished. Don’t assume you know the answer before making sure you’re answering the right question.
Listen to and validate frustration. A survey of customer service representatives found that seventeen percent of difficult customers were classified as “naggers.” If a customer seems to care more about speaking their piece than hearing a solution, that’s okay. Give them some time to vent, and make clear that you care about and sympathize with their frustration. Apologize if necessary. Then, move forward with how to correct their problem.
Solve their problem, not the problem. Forty-five percent of respondents to the 2005 Accenture study reported being frustrated by inflexible service. Another forty-three percent were unhappy with the lack of personalized service. Even if a customer’s problem is the same as every other customers’, treat them as an individual rather than a stock problem. Ask them if the solution works for them, answers their questions. If it is relevant, refer back to their history with the company.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” Take advantage of your customers by asking them for any suggestions they might have as to how to improve your products or services, no matter how impractical their thoughts might be. People love being asked for their opinion.
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