Dealing with an Angry Customer? Here’s 10 Things you SHOULD Say!

As a business owner, do you want to make money? Yes. The answer is always yes.

How do you make money? Through your customers.

What happens when your business cannot retain customers? It’ll die. That’s a scary answer, isn’t it?

One way to lose customers? When they don’t feel fulfilled after shopping with you.

How do you end up with an unfulfilled customer? By making them stressed and upset when they deal with you.

Great! So let’s get into things.

When you’ve gotten to this point where you’re dealing with an upset customer, it starts to get dicey. Things could go anyway, and you either have a customer who’s happy at how you’ve handled things, or you’re trending for having terrible customer service and losing that customer and even potential customers. Any of these could literally happen.

Now, we’ve covered things you should never say to an angry customer. So, how about we go into things you SHOULD probably say to your customer when they’re angry about something?

1. 'I understand how this affects you, and I’m very sorry. I appreciate your patience as I work to resolve this'.

2. 'So you’re having problems with (state their problem back to them). I’d be happy to help you resolve that'. Here’s an example: 'So you’re having problems with understanding what our dispatch rider is saying. I’d be happy to resolve that for you'.

3. 'Thank you for this feedback. We’ll work to eliminate this error in our process moving forward'.

4. 'You have a right to be upset'.

5. 'What I’ll do right now is (tell them what you’ll do immediately, and then what you will do next.)” Here’s an example: 'What I’ll do right now is call the dispatch rider to speak to him, and then I’ll call you right back to let you know what he says'.

6. 'This is just as important to us, so here’s what I’ll do for you'.

7. 'You’re absolutely right. We’re going to do something about this immediately to ensure that it doesn’t happen again'.

8. 'Okay, I’ll look into getting you a refund for this. Please give me a few minutes'.

9. 'Let me see if I got this right. So you’re having issues with (repeat their problem to them)'.

10. 'I’m more than happy to help. Give me a (state a time that would be reasonable to solve the problem) while I sort this out for you'.

What these answers tell the customer is that:

• You clearly understand what they’re complaining about.

• You empathise with them and the position this issue might have put them in.

• You appreciate their opinion and feedback on your processes.

• You are willing to go over and beyond to solve their problem.

• They won’t have to experience that same issue with you ever again.

The list above is very important, because you want a customer who has complained about an issue to leave feeling like they'll never experience that issue again, and that even if they have another issue, you'll go above and beyond for them. That's more than they'll get with most businesses, and it puts you above your competition. Never underestimate how important a customer's feeling is for your business.

And finally...

One thing to remember is that no one ever, anywhere, gets angry without a reason. Whether that anger is justifiable to you or not, it doesn’t really matter. Always try to deal with customers raising issues not as a slight to your business, but as a way to leave a permanent mark on that customer by handling their issues with empathy and professionalism.

Also remember to never take these things personal. Remember that the customer is frustrated with the business as a whole, and not you in particular. So even when they're heated, remember to keep a cool head and reply politely.

And that's it. Make sure to try one of these lines when you're dealing with an angry customer next time; we're certain they'll work!

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