How to Appease an Irate Customer

 When working in a public sector, undoubtedly, you will encounter an angry customer at one time or another. When you find yourself in this predicament, you will need to know how to handle the situation appropriately. Otherwise, you could worsen the matter and put yourself in harms way. Keep in mind that one dissatisfied customer can put your business in jeopardy because word-of-mouth travels faster than company advertisement. An angry and/dissatisfied customer will go to great lengths to tarnish your business reputation whether it was due to poor customer service or a defective product. And some customers, during a fit of rage, might even verbally insult the worker(s) who are providing service to them. I’ve seen it happen on many occasions.

Managers should be proactive in training their employees on how to effectively handle angry customers. The key is to use a diplomatic approach in calming the individual first before trying to win him/her over. I find that allowing the customer time to rant for a moment helps to ease the tension, paving way for sensible discussion. An apology from the manager also helps in reducing friction between the customer and the worker involved, even if the customer was in the wrong.

You should never yell at the customer or demonstrate that you are unconcerned with his/her complaint. This will only cause tension to escalate. The objective is to defuse their anger. It’s also very important that you maintain a pleasant demeanor when in the customer’s presence. Your body language should coincide with your verbal language. For example, don’t say your sorry about what happened but roll your eyes up in your head as if you are opposed to resolving the issue. But instead, communicate that you appreciate them and want to help them. Finally, resolve the matter in the best interest of the customer. This could mean, a discount on service or product, free meal card, etc.

In the event nothing seems to work no matter how hard you try to win the customer over and you see the customer is totally out of control, then its time to get security involved.