When things go wrong… How to deal with unsatisfied customers

Regardless of what industry or function you work in, chances are you have to deal with “unsatisfied” customers every now and then.

Some customers might be unhappy with your product, your service, or simply… difficult to deal with. Either way the fact is your business wouldn’t exist without customers. So learning how to handle uncomfortable situations with customers is critical to maintaining a satisfied customer base.

Bill Gates said it best “Your most unhappy customers are the greatest source of learning”. Unsatisfied customers might argue and complain and we sure would like to avoid them. Although conflicts are not a pleasant experience, unhappy customers give us the chance to identify problems and make improvements.

Like many others, I had to work with my fair share of difficult customers throughout my career. Yet with every interaction, there was an opportunity to improve a business process or a service. One recent difficult customer interaction I had helped me identify a problem my company was continuously encountering. The customer was holding on to their due payments which we initially wrongfully assumed  was the result of the customer facing cash flow issues. Instead of withholding deliveries from the customer I decided to meet with the customer and work with them through their issues. I discovered that their issue was not cash flow but rather due to a dissatisfaction with a process owned by our sales service team. The customer had stopped payments as a sign of protest. They were frustrated by experiencing the same issue repeatedly for over six months.

The problem was resolved by communicating with the customer, training the Sales team and improving the process itself. It’s often the case that customers only talk to their main point of contact at the company. So it's important that that person has at least some authority to solve a border corporate problem.

Being on the front line with unhappy customers isn’t easy, dealing with them over the phone can be even more challenging. Nonverbal communication helps us read customers feelings. Negative body language such as persistent eye-contact, crossed-arms, and swaying back and forth can be indicative of an unhappy customer and allows us to put ourselves in a customer service mindset right away.

When encountering such customers it’s important to start the conversation with a statement that diffuses the situation like “Let’s go over what happened and find a solution”, be empathic and truly interested in helping them.

Below is a list of strategies that you can use to smooth things over and make your customers happy.

1. Listen actively: do not interrupt the customer and let him/her fully explain their point of view.
2. Be understanding: show the customer that you want to understand the cause of their dissatisfaction and make sure your body language reflects your non-verbal communication.
3. Adopt a win-win approach: put yourself in your customer’s shoes and find a place where you can co-operate.
4. Keep calm: lower your voice, talk slowly and again, make sure your body language communicates it.
5. Present a solution: co-operate with the customer and find a resolution that allows both sides to gain.
6. Take action: don’t let time pass by and make your unhappy customer your priority.
7. Follow up: keep the customer up to date and follow up with them after the problem is resolved.

You now have the chance to nurture the relationship with a happy customer.

In conclusion, do not try to avoid an encounter with an unhappy customer. They are your greatest learning opportunity. More important than learning how to deal with difficult customers, treat the encounter as an opportunity to improve something about your product, service or business.