WHY Do Customers Become Angry & What Can You Do About It?

There are many reason why a business may have a dissatisfied customer. We have all experienced poor customer service, however, most are either avoidable, or correctable. The dissatisfaction is often not caused by the problem the customer is having, but how it is actually handled by the customer service rep. This poor service that a client experiences magnifies the actual issue. Let's look at some of the ways a problem is handled poorly:

Signs of Poor Customer Service:

Don't have an answer - Although a rep may not know the answer, they must be willing to find the answer for the client. If you already have an irate client on your hands, by telling them you don't know but you will take personal responsibility to find an answer gives them a feeling that someone cares and is doing something to resolve their issue. It also gives you a chance to learn something new.

Not my department - This may be true, but although it may not be your department, take responsibility to find the department and the person who can assist them and do not pass them over until you have this looked after.

It's policy - This is a cop out and one of the most frustrating things for a client is to be in a situation where a judgement call needs to be made and no one has either the authority or takes personal responsibility to make a judgement call. There are exceptions to every rule, and a true leader steps up and takes personal responsibility to make the call.

Don't call the client back/don't return calls - Even if a rep doesn't have an answer yet, picking up the phone and calling the client to let them know what they are doing and haven't forgotten about them, confirming they are diligently working on it, will give the client the satisfaction that they are being taken care of. The worst thing a rep can do is avoid the client because they don't have an answer yet. Keep them posted, keep them in the loop.

All of these "poor customer service" examples are avoidable! There is no excuse for poor customer service. If a rep cannot use common sense and treat the client with this level of care, they shouldn't be in customer service.

Debbie Ruston has been an entrepreneur and trainer since 1986. She works with individuals, and groups interested in developing their entrepreneurial leadership mindset. Was this article of value to you? Feel free to share it on your social networks and with your contacts, join in the discussion below, and FOLLOW her on the top right corner of this page.

Debbie's also on:

FB

Twitter

YouTube

Pinterest

G+https://plus.google.com/+DebbieRuston-TheSuccessEducator

---