Do’s and Don’ts When Dealing with Angry Customers

Dealing with angry customers is one of the hardest things to do in any business. Sometimes, the right tactics are counterintuitive to how many people feel compelled to act. Angry customers can make business difficult, but they’re always going to be there, so it’s better to be prepared. 

Sometimes you’ll get angry customers because they’re justifiably disappointed, and other times you’ll get angry customers who seem to be angry for no reason – it’s important to have that in mind. But no matter what kind of angry customers you’re dealing with, there are a few do’s and don’ts that will help you find the best possible solution.

The Do’s

1 – Do Provide Relevant Information on Your Website

If all of your policies and frequently asked questions are clearly displayed on your website, customers can access the information without having to wait. They may be irritated because they think they received a defective product when in reality, they just aren’t understanding it. Self-service help centers, guides and tutorials help thin out the number of angry customers that will end up taking time with support staff.

2 – Do Accept Responsibility

If any wrongdoing has transpired on the side of the business, it needs to be acknowledged. Admitting that a mistake was made will help repair the relationship with the angry customer, especially if a viable solution is promptly presented with the admission.

3 – Do Have an Easy Access to Support System

Use tools like live chat to provide an instant support system for angry customers. Most disgruntled customers have a tendency to become even angrier when they feel their support requests aren’t responded to in a timely manner. Cutting out the wait altogether helps you get to the customer before their problem becomes worse, giving you the opportunity to provide an excellent support experience. You should also create a customer satisfaction survey that will help you determine what you can change.

4 – Do Treat the Customer with Empathy

Angry customers respond best to empathy. They want the person they’re speaking with to understand their frustrations. Even if the frustrations are the fault of the customer, support staff should always spend as much time listening as they need to. When angry people feel heard they have a tendency to calm down – and it’s much easier to deal with them when they are calmer.

The Dont’s

1 – Don’t Expect your FAQ to Fix Everything

Redirecting angry customers to your self-help resources after they’ve gotten into contact with you will only make them angrier. They’ll feel brushed off. They’ll wonder what is the point of contacting you if you were going to turn them away. Include links to these resources in automated responses that acknowledge the receipt of a support request, but do it to give angry customers something to review while they’re waiting for a response (and make that clear).

2 – Don’t Deflect or Blame the Customer

Even if the customer is wrong, don’t deflect or blame them. Angry people become defensive very quickly, and presenting your customers with a scenario in which they’re at fault will trigger those defensive instincts.

3 – Don’t Send Your Customers on a Phone Chain

Customers hate being left on hold for too long. They often hate being passed from person to person even more. Make sure the person receiving the support request is actually qualified to handle it. This helps problems to be solved sooner and keeps the support experience simple and straightforward.

4 – Don’t Let Angry Customers Abuse Your Staff

If a customer goes too far overboard, he or she doesn’t deserve help. Customers that outright berate or abuse your staff should be dropped. Your support staff works hard and they shouldn’t be expected to tolerate rough language or slurs. Those types of customers are never right. There’s not much you can do to prevent angry customers, but there’s plenty you can do to help extinguish a fiery situation. Tempers will prevail if you lead by example.

It’s possible to deal with angry customers with Pipefy and make them happier again as soon as possible. Pipefy offers great templates for Customer Success Processes, such as Customer Feedback and Customer Support. In those, all the information is centralized in one place, improving the team’s communication and making feedbacks and requests visible to everyone, establishing error-proof standards to rapidly increase customer satisfaction.