Handling an Irate Customer

I’m a consumer advocate.  Partially because I’m a consumer, but more on point, because I believe strongly that all businesses (whether they’re for profit, non-profit, large or small) have an obligation to act with integrity.  One element of acting with integrity is providing excellent customer service.  Yet customer service has become a joke and is even non-existent in some businesses. I know, there are some exceptions, yet overall consumers are not receiving very good service.

Since I am completely and comfortably snowed in today, I thought I’d do a bit of research on what type of training is provided for the average employee at an average company.  I must admit, I watched JUST THIS ONE VIDEO and that concluded my research for today.  I don’t want to over-extend myself.  Besides, this video is real, and some company is paying to use it to demonstrate “good customer service”!  Take a gander and you might understand why I stopped my research. Oh, and have your vomit bag ready.  This video is titled: “Abusive Customers: Customer Service Training”.  So pop that popcorn, and in just 2 minutes and 25 seconds, you will have no idea how to deal with an abusive customer…but you will have popcorn, and that’s good.

There are so many issues with this “training” video, I’m not sure where to begin! So let’s start by being petty.  Use a marker that works!  Here, borrow some of mine…I even use the smelly ones that give you a buzz and make you a happier trainer.  And take a flip chart writing class or something!  Although, that’s a lovely red sweater (give credit where credit is due).

So, I’m a new employee and some customer is swearing at me, and your 1st suggestion is to “be courteous”.  Give me something that matches reality! Where do I fit “please and thank you” into the customer tirade? “Please stop swearing at me, and thank you for not hitting me.”  Her second point, “be helpful” is valid, yet I’m still probably getting yelled at by the customer.  With this arsenal of knowledge, I’d probably just give the customer 50 bucks to just walk away.  That would be helpful.  Her third point, “say thank you”! Seriously?!  “Thank you sir, I appreciate you calling me names and swearing at me. After all, you do drive the profitability of my business (I learned that watching my training video!).” And the final step I learned, was to “follow up” with you. So after I listened to you swear, belittle and confront me, I’ll be following up by keying your car.

I realize this is only one of a series of 9 videos provided for developing customer service skills.  But the suggestions of just this ONE video were enough to let me know that I would leave any company that provided such sub-standard guidance.

Businesses beware: if you want profitability, THINK.  Would this type of training actually assist the average employee in dealing with an abusive customer?  I’m guessing these employees are barely making a living wage…at least give them some real skills that will create a win-win situation.  Or at the very least, let them use their own ideas because these were insulting and unrealistic.  I can imagine their manager, later confronting them: “Well, if you had been more courteous, like the training video told you, maybe we could have salvaged that relationship…that’s why we provide you with training.”

I’ve written an article, “Approaching the Irate Customer”, that gives a bit more guidance and is grounded in research (seriously), case studies and psychology.  Approaching the Irate Customer Consider allowing your employees to read this as a starting point to addressing difficult customer situations.  It’s an article, not a training course.  I’d love your feedback and other ideas that make sense in regard to dealing with abusive or difficult customers.  There are many employees who would love to have a bit more knowledge in this arena.  And let me be clear, no approach is infallible (not even mine); so the more you can add, the more information you offer to help employees deal with that irate customer.