30 | The Lion King
Customer Service
Handling
an angry
customer
By Ishaq Makanjuola
H
andling angry customers can be
one of the most challenging as-
pects of a job. Whether they con-
front you face-to-face, or you speak
with them over the phone, chances
are, you are going to be met with frus-
tration, aggression and little patience.
The key to successfully managing an
angry customer is to remain calm
always. Here are some tips on how to
handle an angry customer.
Remain calm and adjust your mindset.
No one likes to be confronted by a
yelling person in public. However, your
job is to stay cool and collected when
confronted with an angry customer. Re-
sist the urge to yell right back at them.
Yelling and getting angry will only
escalate the situation and may get you
FIRED. Instead, put on the best custom-
er service attitude,you can muster, and
buckle down—it is time to get to work.
Never adopt sarcasm or an obviously
faked politeness or you may fuel the
customer’s rage and make the situation
a whole lot worse.
Listen actively to what the customer is
saying.
An angry customer generally
just wants someone to express their
anger on. And you are the “lucky” one.
That means, you need to do your best
to listen carefully to what they are say-
ing. Give the customer your undivided
attention. Do not let anything distract
you. Look at the speaker and really
listen to what he or she is saying. Listen
and get answers to these questions:
What happened to make them upset?
What do they want? What can you do
to help?
Separate your feelings from the situa-
tion.
If the customer is particularly angry,
he or she may say something (or several
things) that are really rude. Do not take
it personal--he or she is upset with the
business, the product, or the service
and not with you as a person. Set your
personal feelings aside. Get a supervi-
sor, if the customer insist or is not satis-
fied with the way you have handled the
situation. Brief your supervisor properly
of any situation before letting him or
her face the customer. Where an angry
customer becomes physically threaten-
ing, politely ask him to leave and if he
refuses to, then let security know.
Repeat the customer’s concerns.
Once
a customer calms down, make sure
you know exactly what it is they are
upset about. If you are still feeling a
little unclear, repeat what you think
the customer is upset about, or ask him
questions. Repeating the problem back
to the customer will show him that you
were listening, and will also let you con-
firm the problem that needs to be fixed.
Actively sympathize. Showing empathy
will help make the customer understand
that you really are trying to help them.
Once you have confirmed what the
problem is, show them that you feel
really bad about it, and completely
understand why they are upset.
Apologize. Let the customer know
that you are genuinely sorry that this
happened to them--regardless of
whether or not you think they are being
a bit dramatic about the situation.
