Angry Customers? Yep, Even in An Online Business. How to Handle Them Long Distance.
Mary Lanphier
August 18, 2006
Customer service. Angry customers. We've all dealt with them wherever we've worked but what about online?
Business is always a matter of practicing your interpersonal skills. You will have to deal with people everyday, and these people are ultimately the determinative factor for your success. Their decision to support your product or services is the key to the triumph of your enterprise. It is essential, therefore, that these people, your customers, are treated well. Your business, after all, will not only be judged by the quality of your goods or the efficiency of your service, but also by the manner you have delivered them and the way you have dealt with their purchasers.
In an online business, the same principle applies, albeit in a slightly more difficult setup. Bear in mind that when you’re conducting your business online, you won’t be able to see your customers face to face. You would have to rely on words that are written instead of words that are spoken. You would have to gauge certain things based on how they are expressed instead of the tone by which they are said and the usually telling gestures that accompany them.
This care for your customers should not only be practiced when you are trying to win their trust for the very first time. A sale is always the start of what could be a fruitful relationship between you and the customer. There is always that possibility that the same customer would buy from you, over and over again. The secret to sustainable success, quite frankly, lies in how to keep your customers satisfied so that they will always turn to you when it comes to similar needs in the future.
It cannot be avoided, however, that some of your customers would be dissatisfied with what you have to offer. There will be times when you have to deal with their rage because they would feel that they didn’t get what they deserved, or worse, that you treated them the wrong way.
Handling such a situation is an art that you should learn. You cannot simply allow the customer to go in with his anger. He could potentially spread bad impressions about your online venture. With how the Internet works, words, whether good or bad, would travel fast.
Here are some tips on how to handle angry customers.
ACCEPTANCE
You have to accept that you cannot please everybody. This is normal. You are not a mind reader, and you have to deal with a variety of people with different expectations and different values.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Hopefully, after accepting that things like such do happen, you’d be able to keep a calm and open mind. This would allow you to deal with the customer more efficiently. It would be impossible to reach a compromise when both of you are mad, after all.
DE-STRESSING
De-stressing is the process of draining another person of his wrathful energies. Always work under the principle that people are generally subdued. Strong emotions sometimes get the better of them, in which case, you would need to help him get rid of such passionate inclinations. Talk to him calmly, listen when he’s talking even if it hurts, and always say the magic words: “I understand.”
A PROMISE OF ACTION
Your customers would want vindication, and you should be ready to give this to them. The motto “the customer is always right” exists for a reason. Try to give them what they want, for as long as it is reasonable. If what they desire is not feasible, explain this to them in a calm and gentle manner.
PEACE OFFERINGS
Sometimes, an offer of a free gift, bonus or discount would be enough to compel them to forgive and forget. It’s not that they are materialistic. It’s just that a peace offering would be a sign of your sincerity to make amends.
LET GO WHEN YOU HAVE TO
Extreme cases involve customers adamantly wanting a refund. If you have offered such a policy in your package, and if the customer cannot be salvaged, do give him the refund he seeks and move on. Sometimes, it is better to minimize our losses than risk further damage.
Dealing with angry customers is something we don’t want to experience, but it is as inevitable as the coming of night. But by keeping an honest but business-savvy heart, you’d be able to withstand the twilight hours and be able to smell the fresh scent of the morning dews come the new day.
The bottom line is that customer service is still a measure of how your online business stacks up. Learn to give excellent service and diffuse the angry customers and your success will thrive.
Business is always a matter of practicing your interpersonal skills. You will have to deal with people everyday, and these people are ultimately the determinative factor for your success. Their decision to support your product or services is the key to the triumph of your enterprise. It is essential, therefore, that these people, your customers, are treated well. Your business, after all, will not only be judged by the quality of your goods or the efficiency of your service, but also by the manner you have delivered them and the way you have dealt with their purchasers.
In an online business, the same principle applies, albeit in a slightly more difficult setup. Bear in mind that when you’re conducting your business online, you won’t be able to see your customers face to face. You would have to rely on words that are written instead of words that are spoken. You would have to gauge certain things based on how they are expressed instead of the tone by which they are said and the usually telling gestures that accompany them.
This care for your customers should not only be practiced when you are trying to win their trust for the very first time. A sale is always the start of what could be a fruitful relationship between you and the customer. There is always that possibility that the same customer would buy from you, over and over again. The secret to sustainable success, quite frankly, lies in how to keep your customers satisfied so that they will always turn to you when it comes to similar needs in the future.
It cannot be avoided, however, that some of your customers would be dissatisfied with what you have to offer. There will be times when you have to deal with their rage because they would feel that they didn’t get what they deserved, or worse, that you treated them the wrong way.
Handling such a situation is an art that you should learn. You cannot simply allow the customer to go in with his anger. He could potentially spread bad impressions about your online venture. With how the Internet works, words, whether good or bad, would travel fast.
Here are some tips on how to handle angry customers.
ACCEPTANCE
You have to accept that you cannot please everybody. This is normal. You are not a mind reader, and you have to deal with a variety of people with different expectations and different values.
KEEP AN OPEN MIND
Hopefully, after accepting that things like such do happen, you’d be able to keep a calm and open mind. This would allow you to deal with the customer more efficiently. It would be impossible to reach a compromise when both of you are mad, after all.
DE-STRESSING
De-stressing is the process of draining another person of his wrathful energies. Always work under the principle that people are generally subdued. Strong emotions sometimes get the better of them, in which case, you would need to help him get rid of such passionate inclinations. Talk to him calmly, listen when he’s talking even if it hurts, and always say the magic words: “I understand.”
A PROMISE OF ACTION
Your customers would want vindication, and you should be ready to give this to them. The motto “the customer is always right” exists for a reason. Try to give them what they want, for as long as it is reasonable. If what they desire is not feasible, explain this to them in a calm and gentle manner.
PEACE OFFERINGS
Sometimes, an offer of a free gift, bonus or discount would be enough to compel them to forgive and forget. It’s not that they are materialistic. It’s just that a peace offering would be a sign of your sincerity to make amends.
LET GO WHEN YOU HAVE TO
Extreme cases involve customers adamantly wanting a refund. If you have offered such a policy in your package, and if the customer cannot be salvaged, do give him the refund he seeks and move on. Sometimes, it is better to minimize our losses than risk further damage.
Dealing with angry customers is something we don’t want to experience, but it is as inevitable as the coming of night. But by keeping an honest but business-savvy heart, you’d be able to withstand the twilight hours and be able to smell the fresh scent of the morning dews come the new day.
The bottom line is that customer service is still a measure of how your online business stacks up. Learn to give excellent service and diffuse the angry customers and your success will thrive.
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