Many of us have to deal with angry or unhappy clients as part of our roles, and it’s never easy. But if we know what to say and, more importantly, how to say it, we may be able to save the situation. In fact, we can even end up with a better relationship with our client than we had before.
In this article we’ll explore how to deal with angry or difficult customers. We’ll highlight specific tips and techniques that you can use to smooth things over, so that you can leave them feeling satisfied.
Just like maintaining friendships, in order to maintain customer relationships you need to keep in touch. For businesses this can come in the form of holiday cards, birthday greeting Tweets, or a quarterly email reminding your customers that you’re there for them if they need you. By keeping in touch with your customers, you’ll stay “top of mind”—this is key to making sure your customers don’t leave you for someone else, or forget about you altogether.
For new start-ups, growing a community is the first step in marketing efforts, and that often includes building a community of brand ambassadors.
Customer success is a pivotal focus point for businesses. If you provide support to your customers, they will, in turn, reward you with loyalty and valuable feedback. This could start out small: for example, by entrusting someone on your team with customer support duties. This will help you maintain customer relationships, and establish your business as that which makes meeting their customer’s needs a top priority.
People can spot a fake from afar, and the last thing you want your company doing is having an insincere business’ persona. Same goes for how you converse with your customers online or offline. Being genuine with your customers goes a long way when it comes to maintaining customer relationships. For example, if your customers are having issues with your product, provide an honest answer and don’t make promises you can’t keep. The worst thing you can do as a business is make false promises instead of an effective customer solution.
Listen to your customers
Listening to your customers is an easy way to maintain customer relationships. One way social media can help is by providing a space for businesses and customers to connect. By creating a company Twitter handle, Facebook page, and Instagram account, your company can help customers reach out if they have any concerns, issues, or feedback. Listening to them on these social networks will allow you to respond quickly.