TIPS ON HOW TO HANDLE A DIFFICULT CUSTOMER

There is this popular saying “Customer is King” The secret to success is to treat all customers as if your world revolves around them.

“There is only one boss THE CUSTOMER. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down simply by
spending his money else where” .

However dealing with difficult customer are part of the cost of doing business. Most often, they’re difficult because they’re unhappy with the service you’ve provided. Sometimes, they could simply have a personality that clashes with your company values, or they have expectations that are way out of whack with reality. Sometimes, they are simply a bit too odd.

When you’re faced with a difficult customer in your service business, it can be hard to know what to do.

Here are some common types of difficult customer you may encounter:

Party-member Patrick: He can’t make a single decision without consulting with someone back in his office.
Know-it-all Nancy: She knows your business better than you do and she’ll tell you everything you’re doing wrong, at the top of her lungs, until you wonder why she’s bothering to hire you in the first place.
It’s a simple Job Jason: Declaring that everything is simple and easy and you won’t have any trouble, while asking for a million customized details and complex systems.
Emergency Edith:Everything needs to be done yesterday. Edith has no concept of the fact you have other clients and expects you to bend the space-time continuum to meet her impossible deadlines.
Bitching-about-the-bill Bill: Bill scrutinizes every details of your invoice and tries to eke out as much free work as possible.
Terrible Terry: Terry screams down the phone at your staff members and berates you in public over seemingly minor issues about your work. You sleep with one eye open.

Tips on how to handle a difficult customer.
No matter how difficult your customer is, the steps to managing them are still the same. Here’s how we recommend calming the waters or a turbid client relationship:
1. Practice reflective listening.
2. Consider their affect heuristic.
3. Tap into the beginner’s mind.
4. Let go of fear.
5. “Chunk” the problem.
6. Remember, anger is natural.
7. Keep calm and carry on.
8. Use your support resources.
9. Stay calm (or rant in private)
10. Listen to their concerns.
11. Deliver a prompt reply.
12. Figure out what the hell happened.
13. Offer a solution.
14. Cut your losses.
15. Review and learn

The golden rule for every business man is to put yourself in your customers place, Because a satisfied customer is the best business strategy of all.

Research as shown that handling customer complaints effectively improves your business growth and services because customer success is integral to the success of a company.

How well do you manage your customer complaints effectively?, Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.

Get more insights on EFFECTIVE COMPLAINT SYSTEM:A tool for customer service improvement.