Here are 6 ways businesses can handle difficult customers

Let's face it, sometimes customers aren't exactly an easy bunch. Some people will walk into your business or log into your website and struggle despite your best efforts to guide them in the right direction. These customers can get nervous, frustrated, annoying, or downright mean when things don't go their way.

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From a business perspective, handling difficult customers with respect and assertiveness is in your best interest. This helps keep your brand image in order, so potential customers still see you as a viable option. Treat customers badly, and you'll get reviews bombarded into a rapid decline in profits.

Certainly, there are circumstances where customers need to be kicked out, such as in cases of outright racism and abuse. However, your ordinary Monday morning curmudgeon deserves a little more love and tender care before giving them up. Here are some ways your business can deal with these types of customers more effectively:

1. Active Listening

Active listening is one of the most important soft skills you can learn and teach your team. When it comes to customer service, it's often one of the best things you can do. Active listening can help you quickly assess and diffuse even the toughest customer interactions.

There are a few key elements that turn listening into active listening. First, try not to think about your next response until the customer is done talking. This way, you're less likely to interrupt them while they're talking or missing key information. When it is your turn to speak, repeat this information back to them to confirm that you are listening and understanding.

Active listening involves asking questions, maintaining eye contact, and reading body language. It requires a lot more focus and attention than many people are willing to give, especially when the customer is a challenge. However, that focus will pay off when your active listening turns a difficult customer into a lifelong customer.

2. Be sorry

When a customer approaches you with a problem or complaint, they are not looking for excuses. More than anything, they seek to be heard and validated. If your first thought is to say you're sorry for the situation, customers will respond more positively. Tensions can build quickly if you're defensive early on.

Active listening will help here. Use the information provided by the customer to make an appropriate apology. Even if the customer is solely to blame, an apology can defuse an otherwise awkward situation. You might have to swallow your pride a bit, but no one said running a business was easy.

The hard part of an apology is sounding sincere. Customers can often detect sarcasm or apologies that look like they were written by an artificial intelligence. Being authentic is easier when you care about the customer and your business. Try to find ways to instill this in your customer service employees by treating them well and selling them your company's vision.

3. Have a solution ready

If you run a business, you need to be prepared for all possible scenarios. This includes dealing with disgruntled customers in all their forms. Even if you have all possible security measures in place to avoid inconveniencing your customers, accidents and mistakes are inevitable. Being prepared to do this will prevent fires from getting out of hand.

Think of the most common situations that can annoy or upset a customer. This could be a delayed delivery order, an overcharge on an account, or an appointment starting late. If you know these are possibilities, consider what solutions you can have in the bedroom when something inevitably goes south.

There are examples of company policies that you can learn from. This can range from waiving shipping charges on a delayed order to a 100% money back guarantee if the service is deemed unacceptable. If you have prepared these solutions, they are readily available when needed.

4. Personalize the experience

One way to make your apologies and solutions more effective is to make them more personal. Each client will have a unique personality and complaint, so it makes sense to address each case individually. Customers will take note of the additional steps you take and can be supported more efficiently.

Plus, customers can tell when your answers seem...