By Mary Rae Floresca | Negosentro.com
I’ve been working in a customer service industry for many years now. I am not an expert but I’ve had those crazy and very nerve-wracking experiences that taught me to be a better person or employee right now. Here few points that you should remember in handling customers.
1. Listen and Empathize
This is actually the first step in handling clients. Many times I received call and hate e-mails from them. The best way to pacify them is to listen intently, as much as possible, do not, again do not answer back right away. Let them speak and rant, they will get tired eventually then it’s your time to talk, and when answering through the phone, keep your voice down and as sincere as possible, this also applies in personal contact.
2. Apologize
This means apologizing sincerely and not just saying it for the sake of saying sorry. Another tip is, don’t ever say “in behalf of the company, we apologize of the hassle that have caused you”, don’t present it like it’s the fault of the company, best to say “I’m sorry”, when you say “I”, it is more personal towards the client, like it’s not a memorized line by a company apology. It will also appear more sincere.
3. Quick fix
You have to be able to make a snappy solution to prevent severe damage of the situation. For example, your delivery of an item was not received yet by the client, make a call right away. Let the client know that you will get back to him in a bit and really calling him back immediately. Have the sense of urgency, you should always be customer-centric. Think about what if you were in his place. You may also review your company’s policies on deciding for fixing complaints, they might have a strict procedure, like an atonement to satisfy your customer more.
4. Follow-up
Once you were able to make a solution, ask again if they need anything else. Consider as well the gravity of the case and the level the emotion of the client. At times, the presence of a supervisor will also make the client feel more important and not taken for granted. You also need the support of your bosses, clients will feel more at ease especially when they are communicated by the management.
Bonus tip: “Kill them with sweetness”
This was personally advised to me by my immediate supervisor when I handled a client’s complaint through a phone call, the client was yelling at me an all. I was advised to maintain my composure, again, listen, and still do what I have to do correctly. We wouldn’t know but at times, these clients who complained will realize eventually how “sweetly” you handled the situation, at times, they too will feel guilty about yelling at you inappropriately.
