A Simple 3-Step Strategy to Deal with an Irate Customer

The key to handling an irate customer is listening!

I remember working an evening shift at a cable company in Florida. After 6:00pm, I was the only representative answering the customer service line. Around 7:00pm, the phone began ringing endlessly, which meant one thing: a cable outage. Between answering the rapid fire of calls, I radioed our evening on-call technician, who, after receiving a sample list of affected addresses from me, began trekking to the presumed source of the outage.

Most callers were reasonable, and a few were upset. But one was livid. He called me and the cable company every name imaginable. Between the customer’s relentless shouts and insults, I managed to pull up his account on the computer, which indicated that he had been a long-time subscriber with only a few previous minor technical issue calls. Despite being one of the most challenging customers I had ever dealt with, the story has a happy ending, which I’ll share in a moment.

So, how do you deal with an irate customer who takes everything out on you?

Before we discuss a simple three-step strategy to communicate with an irate customer, remember that there are probably other reasons why the customer is irate. You’ll likely never know, unless the customer discloses those reasons to you, which sometimes occurs. When a customer is irate, the customer’s anger often arises out of a cumulation of other frustrations or disappointments triggered and magnified by the particular issue about which the customer is complaining.

With that in mind, follow this three-step strategy to deal with an irate customer.

• First, and most importantly, actively listen to the customer. Be sure to provide verbal nods — such as “I’m listening” or “I understand” — to reassure the customer that you are, in fact, listening. When providing verbal nods, do so calmly and authentically to avoid a sarcastic or patronizing tone.

• Second, genuinely apologize for the situation. The overarching purpose of a genuine apology is to preserve the customer relationship. In other words, an apology does not mean that you accept blame. Indeed, “blame,” or the lack thereof, should never be discussed while communicating with an irate customer; rather, the focus should be on resolving the situation, which segues to the final step.

• Third, solve the problem. Hopefully, you’ve been properly trained on what you can do for the customer without the need to place the customer on hold while locating a supervisor or manager to approve the request. Sometimes, a creative solution is required. And remember that you can always ask the customer, “What can we do for you to make this right?” You may find that you’re able to accommodate the customer’s suggestion.

Of course, remain calm while interacting with an irate customer, and if the strategy doesn’t seem to be working, always return to the first step: listening.

I mentioned that my irate customer story has a happy ending, and it does. The technician restored cable service in less than an hour. Shortly before my shift ended at 10:00pm, I received a call from the customer, who apologized for his “poor behavior” (his words, not mine). In fact, we had an uplifting 10- to 15-minute conversation. And I left work on that humid night feeling like I had a new friend.

As always, have a “customerific” week, and enjoy the holiday season: you deserve it!

Mark