#1 Thing You Can Do When Dealing With Upset Customers

As much as any business aims to avoid upset customers, dealing with one – or many – is bound to happen one day. So what’s a small business owner to do?

With no powerhouse team behind you to hand off upset customers to, it’s up to you to take care of them as easily and as quickly as possible. To help do this, there is one key thing you must do. Listen. More importantly, listen to them.

When dealing with upset customers, allowing them to share their frustrations, express their concerns, voice their opinions and complain is – quite frankly – the best medicine in helping to heal this pain. Frustrated, upset, unhappy or disgruntled customers are best tamed when given a platform to talk. While the middle of the day in front of many other customers isn’t your perfect scenario to have them chat, giving them a chance to speak up is still a necessary step. Below, consider these tips to help you navigate these conversations – whether you want to have them or not.

1. Put your personal emotions to the side. Even if you have your own frustrations brewing, let them rest and allow your customer to express their thoughts first. For that matter – keep your personal voice tucked away and only allow your professional voice to be shared. Calmly ask your customer to share their concerns, and if necessary, direct them to an area of your store where you can speak to them in private or at least removed from other customers.

2. Thank your customer. Yes, thank them. When a customer takes the time to share their thoughts – even when not good ones – it allows you and your business an opportunity to reclaim a customer, as well as potentially improve your customer service and store efforts. In fact, according to Author Ruby Newell-Legner of the book “Understanding Customers”, only 4% of dissatisfied customers ever share their frustrations or concerns with businesses. In some ways, you can consider it a blessing to gain these opportunities. When life gives you lemons, after all, you can make lemonade. Thanking customers who take the time to share their thoughts with you can truly help your business if you analyze what they are really saying and consider that although others may not speak up, certain issues may be a problem you need to address.

3. Recognize what your customer says, and repeat it. By acknowledging what your customer says and repeating it so they know you have understood them, your customer can feel more assured you listened and you cared. The key is to make sure they trust you in your effort to hear their frustrations – which this action alone can help alleviate some of their disappointment.

While listening alone can help ease upset customers, finding a resolution is ultimately key. As a small business owner, you are likely able to “bend your own rules” if necessary – but this shouldn’t be the goal. Instead, aim to deliver customer care that not only helps your customer relieve their frustrations, but also helps you gain a loyal customer in return.