How To Deal With Irate Customers: Five Steps To Win Them Over

Nobody likes getting earache, i.e complaints or being shouted at by someone who is angry about something, not necessarily ourselves. Over the years I've learned how to deal with them so they not only stop shouting, they end up liking us.

There are five steps I take to get angry customers on side:

1. Calm them down
2. Find out why they're angry
3. Agree on a solution
4. Ensure this is implemented
5. Follow up

Let's take a closer look at each step.

1. Calm them down

The customer has called and you're getting it with both barrels. If you're wearing a headset you can either move it aside or take it off. You're not under any obligation to respond and they're not going to hear you anyway. At this point you can either let them blow themselves out by continuing to rant untl they've finished or make soothing noises along the lines of "I'm sorry to hear that, tell me more" in a low, soft voice. While you're allowed to say, "I will drop the phone if you don't stop shouting," it's better to try to win them over than to alienate them further. When the shouting stops you can ask them what is happening, don't try to communicate with them mid-shout and don't shout back. NEVER say, "Calm down." They won't.

Some people try to control themselves while they're angry so they're not shouting but you're feeling either heat or frost in their tone. It's not your job to tone-police them, be professional. That means calmly noting the problem down and giving them some space. If you make them feel like you're not judging them they'll calm down sooner — defensive people shout more. Don't talk over them and don't shout back at them, let them get the anger out, then you're ready to move on.

Bear in mind that nine times out of ten it's not personal; they're angry about something, not at you. It's not worth getting upset about. Remember, the more calm you are, the sooner they will calm down. If they are angry at you, stay calm no matter what until they cool down.

2. Find out why they're angry

This might seem a bit basic, but think about it: some people can't tell the difference between demands (things they want) and needs (necessities). If you let them shout themselves out instead of trying to impose calm, they can feel a bit guilty for shouting and should then be easier to manage.

Avoid phrases like "What seems to be the problem?" Whatever it is, it's real to them. I use, "What happened? What's going on?" This might trigger an avalanche of more shouting but you're getting information here, so type it up, then repeat it back. Ensure you've got all the details down to their satisfaction.

Ask pertinent questions: if the ceiling has collapsed, do they know if the leak is internal, i.e. a busted pipe, or external, i.e. from the roof? Have they switched off the electrics? Is anything sparking? Do they need cleanup services or will they sort that out themselves? Do they need a dehumidifier to dry up the floor? What sort of flooring do they have?

Ask these questions, even if they have been asked before. It shows you are interested in their predicament.

3. Agree on a solution

If they're upset about an engineer who should have been on site some time ago you can ask if it's okay to put them on hold while you call the engineer to find out where he is. If he's on his way but stuck in traffic at least you have an answer. People would rather hear "He's running late but he's on his way" than have no clue as to what is going on. Communication is the key to success here and can stave off a lot of hassle if you let everyone know what is going on. In the case of the collapsed ceiling, if you can order the kit the engineer requires before he gets to site, you can arrange for him to pick it up on the way, so he arrives prepared and ready to start work.

4. Ensure this is implemented

Every failure I have seen in customer services begins and ends with communication. When the engineer is due to arrive, give him a call to find out where he is and ensure he has the equipment he needs to do the work required. Call the customer to ensure they know the engineer has arrived. It shows you care, and they do appreciate it.

5. Follow up

Start with the engineer if he hasn't reported back; is there anything else that needs to be done on our end, e.g. hire a roofer or purchase materials for remedial works. Ensure all hired kit is off-hired and removed from site; get an off-hire reference every time. I've seen hire companies continue to charge long after the item we hired was given back and having the off-hire reference is proof the item was returned. Of course this meant I had to ask for credit notes but it meant we didn't spend any more than was needed on the jobs I managed. Now call or email the client. Is everything okay? Was the work carried out to his or her satisfaction? Is anything else required?

Get information to relay back; people who are kept out of the loop tend to complain about it. If you can pass the person on to someone else, do so. Sometimes upper management sit on repair quotes due to budgeting restrictions; you can relay that back to the customer so he knows who to complain to.

Clients don't measure you by how well you do the day-to-day stuff half as much as how you deal with things that go wrong for them. A collapsed ceiling impacts on productivity in the office and shuts retail outlets down. Showing them that you understand and care about this goes a long way to win people over. The little things matter; if we take care of those, the bigger things will take care of themselves.

Case study 1

I was new to the Comfy* contract. A customer called in to the helpdesk to complain that the roof was leaking and the ceiling had collapsed into the showroom of their furniture retail outlet. They had no idea how to switch off the electricity and some of the electical items were sparking. We told them to evacuate the building and wait for our engineer to arrive to make it safe.

The next call was directed to me as Client Coordinator: the engineer had not arrived and the customer was irate. I kept my cool, though I had to take the headset off, then asked if they needed help cleaning up, and whether or not they had a dehumidifier to dry out the floor. I got the details of the flooring down (carpet tiles) and asked him to hold while I called the engineer. Meanwhile, I'd been looking at the feedback and noted who had been assigned. I called the engineer. He was on his way but was stuck in traffic. I told the customer this and asked the engineer about the dehumidifier; should I hire one? I'd checked the system and no such thing had been arranged, they'd just sent Jim out to take a look and report back. Jim confirmed he wanted a dehumidifier (he had a wet vac in the van) so I ended the call to him and told the customer what was happening. Then I called the Contract Manager to ask about hiring the dehumidifier. He agreed, I hired it and called the engineer, advising him to pick it up from the nearby depot.

Half an hour later, I called the engineer, he was pulling in to the car park. I called the customer to let him know.

While going through the WIP (work in progress report) the next day I saw the job, and took a look at the feedback. Jim had reported what he found and recommended getting a roofer in. I relayed this back to the Contract Manager, who agreed I should advise the client about the cost prior to getting them in. They agreed, I hired them (and called the customer to advise of their attendance) and got a quote for remedial works (the ceiling repairs were included) a few days later. I added our markup and sent it to the Contract Manager, who passed it on to the client.

I called the customer to let him know the roofer had quoted and this was now sitting with the client, i.e. Comfy head office. Three weeks later he called to (bitterly) complain that the roofer had not returned to carry out the work and he couldn't open the shop because the repairs had not been carried out. I emailed the Contract Manager who told me the client had not got back to him but he would follow up and let me know. I got back to the client with the client's email address and advised that we were waiting for Comfy head office to sign off on the contract. A few days later they sent a purchase order and I engaged the roofer, then called the client to let him know the roofer would attend as soon as possible.

Bad weather delayed the roof repairs but I kept an eye on the job, checking with the Helpdesk that they'd off-hired the dehumidifier and ensured it was returned to the depot. I also kept in touch with the roofers until they finally provided the completion paperwork. I checked in with the client; he was trading again. By this time we were on first name terms because I'd kept in touch and followed up.

Case study 2

Our clients could be a bit naughty sometimes, bypassing ourselves to avoid the markup we added to contractors' costs. One day Mick called from Ditto* to complain that the contractor had not completed the works he had engaged them to do. I couldn't find a reference to the job on our system so I asked him about it. He then admitted he had bypassed us. Neither man was a great communicator so attendance would be attempted and either nobody would arrive or they would come at an inconvenient time. I gave him the contact details of the manager of that particular firm and left him to get on with it; we weren't involved so he would need to sort this out himself. If he wanted us to get involved next time it wouldn't be a problem but since the PO issued was from Ditto to Context* there was nothing I could do about it. Mick was really insistent, as if speaking harshly to me would change the situation but I was firm. "Mick, I'm sorry I can't help you. This hasn't been run through our system, Ditto issued the PO, we didn't. You'll have to sort this one out yourself."

"But he doesn't answer my calls!"

"He's always on the road. You'll have to email him."

"I prefer to talk to people."

"Here's his email address, Mick. And his assistant's. It's all I can do for you. I'm sorry I can't help more."

Later on, a purchase order query was brought to my attention as Context were trying to bill us for the job they had done for Mick. I referred Simon to Mick and let them work it out between them, then advised our Accounts department to reject it as we had not been involved.

The customer isn't always right, but we still have to be professional. This means having hard conversations with our clients if they foul up. Mick saw the error of his ways and stopped bypassing us.

*Names have been changed to protect the innocent.