True Customer Service ― one can argue ― is lacking in South Africa. Whether it is phoning the municipality for the umpteenth time to report a power failure. Or, being placed on hold when you phone a Customer Service Centre and hear the same irritating song on repeat!
Okay, so that is one side of the coin. Bad Customer Service! But what if you are the one delivering the product or service and need to face a Difficult Customer? In today’s economy, no one can afford to deliver bad service. We are spoiled for choice, so I will merely take my money to your competitor.
Difficult customers are a part of every business person’s life. The importance of knowing how to deal with difficult customers during the infant years of your new startup company can’t be overstated. This knowledge and interpersonal skills can ensure your company’s long-term survival. As cited by Dr David Freemantle, “To create a relationship and therefore a likeable connection with a customer, physical energy is required”.
I want to introduce you to five difficult customers you have either encountered in the past or will encounter as soon as you open your company’s doors for business. They are mean! They are arrogant! You will require a great deal of physical, mental and emotional energy! They are your customers! But are they always right? You decide…
Customer Service ― Difficult Customers #1: Mr Dictatorial Derrick and his girlfriend, Ms Pompous Priscilla
Derrick and Priscilla are demanding for several reasons. Let’s first take a look at Derrick. His domineering behaviour is part of his personality. It may also be his reaction due to a past bad service experience. Overbearing customers like Derrick feel the need to be or stay in control, and often, such customers are insecure.
How to handle him?
Be professional, don’t raise your voice or fight fire with fire by retaliating verbally. You are not a child and don’t have to resort to name-calling or shoving matches. Unfortunately, some adults like Derrick miss their childhood so much that they regress to childish behaviour.
Demonstrate respect but remain firm and, most importantly, calm. So, even though you may have a vision of lying on a beach far away like Mauritius, where you don’t have to listen to Derrick carrying on and on, aim to work positively towards resolving the problem. Remember to focus on his needs by trying to look past the aggressive behaviour.
Now, let’s take a look at Priscilla. Unfortunately, some people seem to go out of their way to get attention or be offensive. She may seem poised and self-assured on the outside, but she is insecure and defensive. Priscilla will raise her voice, demand to speak to the manager, use profane language, ignore what you say, attack you personally, and like her boyfriend Derrick, go out of her way to be offensive and remain in control.
How to handle her?
If you are anything like me, you may ask Priscilla whether she forgot to take her “chill pill” this morning. Fight the urge to say that! Remain professional, and whatever you do, don’t exhibit the same inappropriate behaviour, although you may feel the situation warrants it.
Don’t retaliate, as you will only pour oil on the fire and embarrass Priscilla, which is the last thing you want. Instead, remain calm and focus on the problem at hand. Remember, her inappropriate behaviour is probably due to her past mediocre service experience. See if you can provide her with an exceptional experience by mending this bad situation.
Customer Service ― Difficult Customers #2: Mrs Chatty Christine
Ever met Christine? She would phone or meet with you and spend excessive time discussing immaterial matters such as her dog’s grooming, the weather, her family, her accomplishments, other customer service experiences, and what she had for breakfast.
How to handle her?
Refrain from falling into the trap of becoming talkative yourself. Try to remain warm and amiable but focused. Appreciate the fact that Christine has an expressive personality, and her natural inclination is predominantly to connect with people. She probably draws her motivation from social encounters and, in my opinion, maybe the party life in less formal social gatherings.
Remain friendly by acknowledging her comments as you continue the conversation to establish her real needs. Asking specific open-ended questions and using close-ended questions will assist you in determining her requirements and give the conversation direction. Remember that she is not your only customer and that your time management is vital. Keep in mind that you should be diplomatic but to the point.
Customer Service ― Difficult Customers #3: Mr Expectancy Edward
ou may know Edward as Uninterested Uma. They want as little involvement as possible with as little effort on their part, but they expect results. Edward and Uma are uninterested in your process of doing things but expect things to get done with little or no involvement from their side.
They will very seldom provide requested information and will often ask you to complete tasks that are either outside your area of expertise or not within the allowed price they’ve paid. Edward and Uma’s favourite excuse is that they don’t have time. Phrases such as “I paid you for this, so I expect it to be done” and “If I knew I had to do all this work myself, I wouldn’t have hired you to do it”.
How to handle them?
Not this is where it gets tricky. It would be best to get pushy with Edward and Uma as a service providers. Get used to calling and emailing them repeatedly. Please make sure you are transparent about your costs and although you like it or not, becoming a nagging supplier is inevitable. Focus on the facts and explain the importance of the customer’s involvement in ensuring the success of your service delivery.
Customer Service ― Difficult Customers #5: Mr Know-it-All Newton
Probably one of the most difficult customers to deal with is Newton. Even though he approached you, he always knows better. Newton will tell you about his knowledge, experience, accomplishments and why he is the best thing since sliced bread.
Unfortunately, he has a very specific idea about what he wants, and he has very little interest in your thoughts and experience as the service provider. So beware! Newton has pre-conceived ideas and expectations. Be careful when dealing with Newton because the chances are that you will never meet his expectations.
How to handle him?
Some service providers are happy to do what Newton wants no matter what they feel or think of it or whether it is the best thing to do. If you feel you have an ethical responsibility to point out Newton’s expectations pitfalls, you are probably heading for some degree of conflict. Newton secretly believes that he could do your job much better and that you have little or no specialist knowledge you can convey.
In some instances, if you agree to do it Newton’s way, he may very well turn around feeling very unhappy that he had to do all the work himself. Be very careful to commit to Newton’s expectations and way of doing things. Be explicit and clear about what you can do, what expertise you can offer and what will be included in your service. Set the correct expectations before doing the work. Under-promise and over-deliver!
Customer Service ― Difficult Customers #5: Mr Wheeler-Dealer Wesley
Wesley doesn’t believe that the price you see is your pay. Phrases like “I’m sure you can sharpen your pencil a bit more,” “how negotiable are you”, and “your competitor quoted me 40% less” is common when dealing with Wesley.
He believes your first price is just an invitation to start the negotiations. They like the “buy 1, get four free” scenario. But remember! If you cut the price, you can’t cut the quality of your service delivery. Wesley will still expect the same high-quality service.
How to handle him?
Firstly, consider the following:
- Do you want to get involved in price wars with your competitors?
- Do you want to be known as the cheapest or the best service provider with the finest all-around service delivery?
- Can you justify pricing if you charge a premium for your value-added services and expertise?
Focus on the tangible reasons for your pricing levels. Focus on your sales ability and convince Wesley that your service has various value-added benefits that he won’t find anywhere else. Never badmouth your competitors by focusing on their flaws and your subjective and negative opinion of why they are cheaper. This is not good business ethics.
Focus on what YOU can offer.
Provide examples and testimonials of past satisfied clients. Highlight the fact that you offer an exemplary service. But remember, don’t promise or claim something that you can’t deliver on. If you fail, Wesley may very well come to haunt you!
Conclusion
Dealing with different customers and different personalities can be very challenging. But you decide ― is the customer always right? Perhaps not, but saying that to them won’t necessarily be the right thing to do. Your ability to deal effectively with such conflict and difficult situations will, in most cases, win you the loyalty of these customers.
Always give your customer quality at the point of contact; in encountering an unhappy customer, use bad experience recovery as your key strategy to turn the situation around to your benefit. Bad experience recovery is vital!
