How To Deal With An Angry Client

An angry or dissatisfied client is a difficult and uncomfortable situation for business’s of all sizes. No matter how service orientated your business is, sooner or later you will have to face up to this kind of situation. Many businesses that appear to have impeccable customer service fall apart as soon as something doesn’t go quite to plan. Make sure your business has a culture of customer service ready for any situation by reading our seven easy steps for dealing with an angry client.

1.) Listen And Acknowledge The Problem

When faced with an angry client listen to their entire story before reacting. Don’t correct them while they are still talking and don’t argue each point as it arises. By letting them air all their grievances you are giving them the attention they deserve, you might even find that this gives them the time to calm down. With the complaint in the open the most common response is to start making excuses, this is the worst possible way to react. Begin by acknowledging their anger and the problem that has caused it.

2.) Express Concern

No matter how trivial the complaint, let the client know you are concerned with their problem. Immediately showing concern makes the problem a shared one thereby lessening the burden on the client.

3.) Keep Your Cool, Let Things Slide

Extremely angry clients can get rude and even abusive. Stay calm and focus your attention on solving the problem at hand. People often say things in the heat of the moment that they regret later. Chances are that you’ll get an apology once the problem is solved. If you do wish to challenge the client’s behavior, do so after the matter has been resolved. However in most cases this isn’t worthwhile and it’s simply easier to let things slide.

4.) Get Specific, Ask Questions

In order to successfully solve the problem you’ll need specific details. Make sure the complaint doesn’t turn into a general rant about your business and it’s terrible customer service/product etc. Ask the clients questions about how the problem arose, what caused it and what the effects were.

5.) Move On From Discussing The Problem To Discussing Solutions

Having listened to and discussed the problem in detail its time to start talking about solutions. This is a pivotal point in the complaint as it’s up to the client to move on from their anger and work with you towards finding a solution. If the client hasn’t calmed down yet it might be time to schedule a later meeting to resolve the matter. Discussing the matter at a later time will hopefully give the client enough time to calm down.

6.) Propose And Agree On A Solution

Think of the quickest way the problem can be resolved and make a clear proposal. The cost of bad public relations is immeasurable so now isn’t the time to be thinking about cutting costs. If a full refund is the easiest and quickest way to resolve the problem, then do so.

7.) Agree On A Schedule And Meet It

Once the client is satisfied with the solution you have proposed you’ll need to discuss a schedule for implementation. Something like a full refund can be carried out almost instantly, but most solutions take more time. Agree on a schedule that suits both you and the client.

It’s often tempting to simply ignore an angry client and hope the problem disappears; however the bad publicity one dissatisfied client can create far outweighs any cost associated with solving the problem.