Aftermarket November 2022

T here are a number of steps that staff can use to lengthen the fuse of an irate customer who might level accusations of incompetence. No matter what your approach, one thing is certain, your actions will either make a friend or an enemy out of the customer, so tread carefully. We’re all human and so while it’s never deliberate, mistakes do happen. But when mistakes come to light customers will make a point of bringing it to the manager’s attention and whoever is on the receiving end of the complaint is probably going to want to take a stand, deflect the complaint or settle it quickly – all on the hop while the customer is still talking. Contrary to what some might say, the advice here is to start from the position of assuming that the customer has every right to be angry. Maybe they thought a colleague was rude and didn’t listen to their concerns, or the product didn’t do what was promised. It’s entirely possible that the customer is continuing on with a previous issue they’ve had with your business. Alternatively, they’re angry and emotional because they’re had to come in at a time (and cost) when it is inconvenient. But no matter the reason or whether they’re right or wrong, you need to make a point of letting them vent their spleen. In doing this you’ll let them express the root cause of the complaint which you can deal with. Listen carefully Staff should listen to what is being said and how it’s being expressed. Are there any key phrases that keep being repeated that will give you a clue as to the real issue? Is it technical or personal? Fixing a problem with, say a payment system, won’t do much for harmony if the customer has a real issue with the personnel operating the system over the phone. Whatever you do, never respond with any form of emotion. A customer is not angry at the person they are talking to, but rather, the business or something within it. Customers who start to raise their voice, who become angrier and move into the realm of abuse and bad language do so out of frustration; they’re feeling that they’re not being taken seriously or that the issue is not being understood. A key part of the disarming process is to ensure that you acknowledge that there is a problem in a way that the customer can see. Staff will never win a shouting match with a customer. Sure, they may win a verbal argument, but they’ll have lost all self-esteem and control in the process and other customers (and staff) will hear the ruckus. A much better solution is to always respond by speaking in a calm and gentle tone; Shouting over the customer will just lead to a raising of tensions and voices and the key point of their complaint will never be heard. Remember that silence is golden – listen and learn. Given time an angry customer will have to calm down in order to hear what you are saying. Don’t lose sight of the factthat the customer wants to hear what you have to say – it’s the very reason they’ve approached you. If they didn’t to talk they’d not have complained and instead made a point of telling everyone they know what they think of the business. In essence, they’re after your help in seeking a resolution to the problem. 12 AFTERMARKET NOVEMBER 2022 BUSINESS www.aftermarketonline.net DISARMING AN ANGRY CUSTOMER Dealing with a customer who has blown their top can be complicated BY Adam Bernstein Next issue: More detail on how to deal with the problems that people generate