Three Challenging Customers and How to Speak to Their Needs

Every customer that comes to you with a question or concern is unique, but many customers have similar challenges. Whether your customer is angry, is asking a question you don’t have the answer to, or is competing with another customer for your time, sometimes speaking to the current situation is as important as their customer service concern. Here are three challenging customers and how to speak to their needs.

1. The Angry Customer
Anger can be a very challenging emotion to handle when you’re working with a customer, and it’s one you’re bound to find at some point. Some customers are angry because their order isn’t coming together the way they wanted it. Some are frustrated because they are confused by the ordering process. Still others are simply having a bad day.

So how can you turn their anger into a more positive experience? Start by using listening and empathy to get them to a calmer place. Listen to how they’re feeling and acknowledge their frustration, and try to keep yourself from getting defensive. This might help calm them down and it will give you a chance to consider why they are contacting you. Then, once you’ve listened, talk things through to ensure that you’ve heard correctly.

2. The Competing Customers
Trying to help two customers at once can be quite a challenge, and when two customers compete for your attention you might find yourself feeling scattered or stretched too thin. It can also leave your customers feeling frustrated.

One of the most important ways to take care of competing customers is making sure that every customer feels that their question or order is important. If possible, set aside some time to focus on each customer, handling one request first and then the other. Apologize to the customer who is delayed and make sure that they have your undivided attention once you are able to address their needs.

And if your customers are competing for your attention because they both have important orders that need to be printed at the same time, consider making yourself a checklist for each order so you can ensure that you don’t miss anything for either order. Not only will this help you stay organized, it will allow you to keep the two tasks from getting tangled.

3. The Customer Who Wants an Answer You Don’t Have
Sometimes you simply don’t have the answers, and that can be frustrating for both you and the customer. However, the important thing is that you try. For example, if your customer wants to know something about the products you offer that you don’t know immediately, tell them that you will seek out the answer and then follow up in the next few days. They will appreciate your efforts and it gives you a chance to find out the information for yourself.

Have you met these challenging customers? How do you turn these customer service challenges into successes? We’d love to see you join the conversation in the comments below.