More often than not, business owners deal with unhappy or angry customers/clients, and it’s never easy. The customer could be unhappy for a number of reasons: untimely delivery, product malfunction, bad customer service, jarring user experience, or hundreds of thousands of other reasons. If you know what to say, and more importantly, when and how to say it, you may be able to salvage the situation. As a matter of fact, you can end up with an even better relationship with your client than you had before.
Dealing with angry or difficult customers is a skill that can be learned. If you’re wondering how to win customers back, the tips and techniques listed below can help you smooth things over with your unhappy clients, leaving them very satisfied in the end.
Customer Happiness Tip 1 – Be Empathetic
The key to reestablishing a good relationship with an upset customer is to put yourself in their shoes. Listen to their grievances, whether in person, over the phone, or through email. Let them know that you understand why they’re upset and apologize. Once you’ve addressed the situation and the customer, you can begin to take action.
Customer Happiness Tip 2 – Offer a Solution
There are two ways to offer a solution. If you already know what your client needs, then you can go ahead and state the solution. However, if you’re not sure what your client requires, then you need to ask what would make them happy. Giving power to the customer is a great way to make them feel appreciated.
Customer Happiness Tip 3 – Act on the Solution
Once both you and the customer have agreed on a solution, it’s time to take action. Explain all the steps you’re going to take to fix the issues. Keep the customer in the loop at all times.
For example, if you’ve decided to deliver the order within a certain date, then make sure that you pull all the chords to deliver in a timely fashion. If possible, try to deliver it before the date agreed upon to make an extra good impression.
Also, make sure that the customer has all your contact details (telephone, email address, social media pages, etc.). If they know that they can contact you with their issue, they’ll feel empowered.
Customer Happiness Tip 4 – Follow-up
Once the issues have been resolved, make sure to follow up with the customer. If possible, keep in touch with them for the next few days to know whether they are happy with your products or services. Try to go above and beyond their expectations whenever possible. For example, you can send a gift, or offer a discount on your service or product. If they’re happy with your customer service, they are bound to repeat business with you.
Customer Happiness Tip 5 – Use the Feedback
The final frontier is to make sure that such a situation doesn’t arise again in the future. Identify how the problem started. Find the root cause of the problem, and then take steps to reduce its occurrence. Take feedback from all your customers, whether they are unhappy or not, to ensure that all your work practices are in alignment with your customers’ needs.
Train your team members on how to win unhappy customers back. They are the front line in your small business when it comes to dealing with difficult customers. Hence, they should know how to manage their emotions while dealing with unhappy customers.
Dealing with unhappy customers is a challenge, but if you know how to handle the situation well, you may be able to mend the relationship with them and even create further business opportunities.
