Oh Those Difficult Customers!!
By Wayne Forster
An edited version of this article was published in The Business Voice, March 2000

Oh those difficult customers!! You know the ones – never satisfied, complain about everything, always want their money back! They seem to be put on earth just to make your life miserable. Wouldn't you just like to ...!!!

Every business has had to deal with complaints from customers. And while most customers present their complaints calmly, others can get very upset, even abusive. But regardless of the way in which the complaint is presented, it must be taken seriously – and handled the proper way. Why? Because the customer is always right? No, customers are sometimes wrong. But right or wrong they are always the customer! Research has shown that as many as 50% of customers are unhappy with the way complaints are handled. And many of these won’t come back. Furthermore, if a customer has a bad experience in a business, they will tell, on average, twelve other people. Those twelve people may in turn tell twelve others, who tell twelve others, who tell … you get the picture? Negative news travels fast, and can severely damage the reputation of your business.

How, then, should customer complaints be handled, especially when the customer is upset? I’ve developed a 4-step process to help businesses deal effectively with customer complaints. I call it the C.A.L.M. © approach.

Step 1: Control Your Emotions
Deal first with your own emotional reaction. When a customer attacks, the natural tendency is to defend yourself with statements like " It wasn't my fault" or " I wasn’t working that day.” When you feel the urge to speak up and defend yourself, follow this advice. KEEP QUIET! The customer doesn't want to hear your excuses. Instead, take a moment to seize control of your own emotions, and to understand the customer's attack is not personal.

Step 2: Allow the Customer to Ventilate
Once you’re in control of your own emotions, next deal with the customer's emotions. Remember, they may have been rehearsing their complaint for days – building up their courage to unleash their fury on the first person they see – you. Let them ventilate! Let them get it off their chest! Listen patiently and carefully. Don't show impatience or annoyance in your tone of voice or body language. And empathize with the customer. Put yourself in their shoes. Say things like "I understand how you would be upset. I would feel the same way if I were you".

Step 3: Learn the Facts
One of the biggest mistakes most people make in dealing with a customer complaint is trying to solve the problem while either or both parties are in a highly charged emotional state. When (and only when) both your emotions and the emotions of the customer are under some degree of control can the real problem be identified and resolved. Start by gathering information. Ask questions. Take notes. Zero in on the real problem. Look for hidden factors. Don’t make judgements or blame anyone. Stick to the facts!

Step 4: Move to a Resolution
From here it becomes a question of negotiating a resolution. You have two objectives in this negotiation. Your primary objective is to ensure the customer is satisfied with the way the situation is resolved. (Note that I’m saying “resolved”, not “solved”. You may not be able to solve the actual problem but you can usually resolve the complaint.) Your secondary objective is to satisfy the customer at the least possible cost to your business. Ask the customer what would make them happy. It may be less than you thought. Sometimes, they only want to express their displeasure . If you can't do what the customer asks, tell them what you can do. Give them some options. Frequently, one of the options will be acceptable. Focus on negotiating a resolution that satisfies the customer without bankrupting the business. Keep the discussion as positive as possible.

If you follow these simple steps, you still won't please everyone. But you'll have a better chance of keeping customers coming back. Because, despite some truly difficult customers out there, the overwhelming majority are very fine people. And without them, you're out of business!

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