How to turn an irate customer into A happy one

Some customers just want to complain, even when things are going their way. Others are generally mild-mannered, but they can quickly change into irate customers when confronted with a company that appears not to care about them or their experiences. 

Customers have more power than ever before in today’s connected world, and a difficult situation with a demanding customer can easily snowball into a social media frenzy. The quicker you can resolve the problem, the better it is for all involved. It allows the company to learn from its mistakes and gives the customer the service and compensation to remain loyal.

How do you know you’re dealing with an angry customer?

If you’re dealing with angry customers in person, it won’t take long for you to identify them – they usually make themselves known quickly. However, if you’re communicating online or over the phone, there’s no way to be forewarned. This makes it much easier to mistake a disappointed customer for an angry one. So, how do we establish the true meaning of an irate customer?

While disappointed customers will be open to receiving the most immediate and efficient solution, angry customers might prefer venting their frustrations and, as a consequence, may dismiss any attempt to resolve the problem. Some customers that initially come across as aggressive may not be angry – just scrupulous ones who know what they want and refuse to accept anything you say at face value.

A good definition for an irate customer is someone who has lost their temper and arrived at “the point of being uncooperative and demeaning.”

How to manage an irate customer in seven simple steps

Knowing the type of customer you’re dealing with will influence how you deal with them. Express some empathy with the disappointed customer’s displeasure, and you’ll soon be on the right track. Give them a tailor-made solution to the problem, and they’ll be happy to let the complaint fizzle out.

Irate customers, however, want their voices heard. They may be aggressive or accusatory, requiring you to keep calm and use your customer service skills and communication training to control the situation. 

These seven steps will keep you on the right track and enable you to defuse situations involving demanding customers and turn them into a positive experience for both parties.

#1 remain calm

When confronted with a barrage of abuse, staying calm isn’t always easy, but it is essential if you’re going to provide a good customer experience. Resist being provoked by anything the customer says, take some deep breaths, and maintain your composure. 

In a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers verified that “customer incivility… can violate an employee’s sense of dignity and respect.” In turn, this “can motivate employees to reach negatively” towards the employee. This knee-jerk reaction will only exacerbate the situation, turning you into the aggressor.

#2 don’t take it personally

While you may feel an upset customer is attacking you personally, remember that you just happen to be the unlucky target of their frustration. It’s usually about the product or service they’re furious about, so don’t take it to heart no matter what they say. 

#3 try active listening

An angry or disappointed customer wants to express their frustration so, let them vent. Sometimes all you have to defuse a situation with a demanding customer is to lend a sympathetic ear. Pay close attention to everything they’re saying and, when the opportunity arises, demonstrate what you’ve understood of the matter by asking questions and using positive language. 

Phrases like, “So, I think you’re saying that…,” or “If I’ve understood you correctly, you mean…” help to clarify the problem and make the customer feel that what they’re saying is heard, understood, and acknowledged.

It’s difficult to change the mind of an angry customer but, by asking questions, you make them feel that you’re taking them and their complaint seriously. In talking through the problem, the customer will naturally enter a more rational state of mind that makes them calmer and more open to finding a solution.

#4 be sympathetic and apologize

This step requires your best communication skills, especially if the customer has been hurling abuse at you for the past 20 minutes. Still, a heartfelt apology can quickly defuse a tense situation and give you a launchpad from which to begin a more favorable exchange.

You start a sincere apology by recognizing the problem and validating the customer’s feelings. A positive opening phrase would be along the lines of: “I would be similarly frustrated if that happened to me…” or “I understand you’ve been dealing with quite a few issues recently, and I know that’s frustrating. I’m sorry this has been your experience.”

#5 accept responsibility

Even if the company’s not technically at fault, by accepting responsibility for the customer’s frustrations, you put yourself in a position of power. You’re letting them know that you’re aware of the problem, prepared to accept that the company was at fault, and eager to find a positive resolution. 

Saying something like, “Thank you for bringing this problem to our attention. I will help you get this resolved immediately,” is a great way to defuse a customer’s anger. 

#6 offer A solution

Finding a solution is a simple process if you have a set protocol for dealing with the customer’s problem. Alternatively, you can empower your customer by asking them how they feel the situation should be resolved. You need to deal with all of the issues the customer has presented, even the emotional ones. 

Giving a refund may solve the most obvious problem, but your solution needs to go deeper. You need to transform the irate customer into a happier, calmer version of themselves by making them feel heard and understood.

#7 take time to debrief

Dealing with irate customers is a stressful experience, and some anxiety may linger long after you’ve resolved the situation. 

Take a few minutes away from your desk and treat yourself to a chat with a friendly co-worker or listen to one of your favorite tunes. This approach will help defuse any residue tension and help you engage with your next customer with the same level of empathy and professionalism as you did with your angry customer from a few minutes ago.

The best chat phrases to calm an irate customer

Whether you’re using a live chat service to deal with your customers or speaking to them directly, finding the right words at the right time is key to resolving problems and calming down upset customers. 

These chat scripts can help you find the right tone of voice for dealing with disgruntled clients:

1. I can understand why you’d be upset by that,

2. Please tell me more about your experience,

3. Let’s work together to find a solution to your problem,

4. Do you think this solution could work for you?

5. I’m more than happy to take care of this for you,

6. Thank you for being straight with me,

7. I’d like to resolve this for you immediately,

8. You have every right to be upset,

9. I’m sorry for the inconvenience you’ve faced and will make fixing this a top priority,

10. I’d like to understand more about what you’ve been through.

Just as the right words can solve all ills, the wrong ones or the not-quite-right ones can exacerbate the situation. Some phrases you want to avoid when dealing with angry customers include:

1. Don’t you think you might be over-reacting,

2. Please calm down, and listen to me, 

3. That’s against our company policy,

4. There’s nothing I can do,

5. I’m not sure I can help you,

6. What you should do is…

These phrases all deflect responsibility for the problem back onto the customer and make the situation even worse.

What happens when an irate customer goes on the rampage

With so many lines of communication available, unhappy customers can quickly share their disappointing experiences with millions of people. 

Take the case of Hasan Syed, who, in 2013, took to Twitter to denounce British Airways. By setting up promoted tweets, Syed was able to target British Airways customers on both sides of the Atlantic until, some seven hours later, a BA representative finally responded. 

This outburst on social media did British Airways no favors but, had it been handled differently, Syed may have been tweeting about the airlines’ virtues, rather than berating it for its poor customer service.

According to the service recovery paradox, an angry customer can become your best and most loyal supporter because of the problems they‘ve experienced. 

A failure in service that is resolved quickly and effectively can instill great loyalty in a customer who is so furious they threaten to cancel all dealings with the company at the start of the interaction.

According to a study performed by the Harvard Business Review, customers who complained on social media didn’t even need the problem resolved to express loyalty to the brand – they just needed to be heard and acknowledged. 

For example, the study found, “customers who got any response to their negative tweet were on average willing to pay $7 per month more for a wireless plan from that company than customers who got no response.”

For those whose cases were resolved, that increased to $8. This falls in line with the service recovery paradox. Research shows that customers who’ve had their problems resolved are more likely to become loyal customers once they get their solution. 

A sympathetic response that acknowledges the customer’s point of view and accepts the company’s responsibility for the problem can diffuse frustration, turning the company into an ally rather than the enemy.

How to avoid having irate customers

The quickest way to transform a loyal customer into an angry one is to ignore them. Customers that feel a company doesn’t value their time or answer their questions effectively quickly become frustrated. Whether you’re using an online live chat service, responding to a complaint on social media, or using established messaging services to resolve problems, you need to respond ASAP.

That doesn’t mean just responding to the complaint promptly, but following the ASAP technique to defuse the situation and calm the angry customer. 

ASAP is an acronym for:

A – Apologize and acknowledge

S – Sympathize and empathize

A – Accept Responsibility

P – Prepare to Help 

With so much technology offering instant gratification, it’s understandable that customers expect a similarly prompt response from the brands they do business with. 

The Harvard Business Review study concluded that the average customer expects companies to respond within 24 hours to an email, around one hour to a social media post, and answer a phone call in less than five minutes.

If you can reach out to customers before they reach out to you, offering solutions to problems that have yet to arise, you’ll be on the right track to avoiding having upset customers altogether. 

Combining machine learning, artificial intelligence, strong communication skills, and customer service training is the best way to achieve this. Integrating all your communication channels ensures that everyone dealing with that customer knows the current state of play and can respond accordingly.

With software like Freshchat, you can unify all your messaging channels into a single view. Anytime an irate customer reaches out to you on one of your channels, you can quickly address the problem and resolve it. 

Conclusion

While the first response is crucial when calming a dissatisfied customer, a prompt follow-up can go a long way to establishing a positive relationship and ongoing customer loyalty. 

Dealing with an angry customer isn’t rocket science, but it does require a calm and sympathetic attitude. Actively listening to the complaint, taking responsibility for the company’s actions, and finding a swift solution is vital to transforming an angry client into a happy one. 

Preventing customers from becoming irritated in the first place is advantageous, but if dealt with effectively, you can transform the angriest customers into your most loyal brand ambassadors.