Customer Service can be a rather difficult job. If you haven’t worked in the service industry before, it might be hard to understand the amount of balancing that has to go on when handling customers. It’s a true social dance!
For those that work in one of the many branches of the customer service industry, there is always the chance that you will have to deal with a complaint or an irate customer. Because of that, it is handy to stay informed of the best practices for handling complaints. You can also use the best shopify apps or automatic tools, which can help to improve your customer service.
Stay Informed
When it comes to whatever you represent, it is important to stay informed. This means that you need to be aware of company policies, products, and any other pertinent information.
More often than not, customers are going to be extremely frustrated when they come to you for help. Because this is the case, you need to have the information about any situation ready at your fingertips or at the top of your head.
When you first join a customer service position, it is important to review any documents that relate to company policy and product policies, as well as any training that would relate to customer service.
Keep in mind that staying informed is a constant process. Company policies can change over time, and new products are almost always going to be added or changed. Stay informed and stay ready to inform your customer.
Stay Calm
We each have our individual personalities. Our personalities can be more abrupt, and softer, and some people are pretty close to in-between. No matter what your own personality is, as someone handling a customer complaint, you have to remain calm and as balanced as possible.
As soon as someone detects any anger or lack of calm in your voice, that is going to end up setting off their frustration even further. Plus, if you are calm, then they are calm.
When everyone is able to communicate, information can get across more easily. Then, the situation can be solved much faster and much more easily than if everyone was yelling.
Work to Develop Rapport
When you work to develop rapport with someone else, you usually only have a short period of time. To do this, try to find out some background information about the customer, if possible.
- Have they experienced an issue like this before?
- How has their day been?
- What kind of pets do they have?
These types of questions and more are going to help create a connection with the customer. You don’t have to go into detail, but this will also help you begin to understand the issue at hand.
Try to Understand the Issue
Sometimes it is very easy to understand what it is that a customer is complaining about. At other times, it isn’t as easy. There may be language barriers, jargon barriers, and more that make it difficult to communicate effectively.
When this happens, you’ll want to buckle down and work to be as patient as you possibly can. A great way to make sure you understand the conversation don’t be afraid to repeat what you understood to the customer. Things may get frustrating for a moment, but hold on tight!
Watch Your Tone
When we get frustrated, the hardest thing to do is watch the tone of your voice. Customer service can be one of the most difficult fields to watch your tone in. Sometimes the customer in question can be very difficult to handle.
They can be annoying, aggravating, insulting, and just downright mean. This is hard to respond to! When you keep a calm and kind tone that doesn’t come across as condescending, then it is easier to handle a customer complaint.
Discover What They Want
While this may sound a bit selfish, the important part to remember is that the customer is going to have a goal in mind. They may want a resolution. Some customers may be reporting the complaint for safety reasons.
Whatever the goal is, it is important to remember that you need to understand what the goal is.
Look at Their Perspective
In the heat of the moment, it is difficult to try and see another person’s perspective. In the same way, it’s hard to understand another perspective if you don’t have enough information.
This is why it is incredibly important to talk to your customer, build rapport, discover what their goal is, and talk to them in a friendly manner. Without taking the time to get to know your customer you can’t get to the point of seeing their perspective.
Conclusion
When handling customer complaints, it is important to remember the three C’s: calm, cool, and collected. It can be hard in the face of someone who is angry or upset to remain empathetic, but that is the key.
Keep in mind the customer may not always be right, but as the customer service representative, do your best to follow these best practices, and you’ll find handling complaints to be a breeze!
