Anyone who has ever worked with consumers will know that difficult and awkward customers are part of day to day business. It is no different in the shopfitting industry and it help to know how to deal with all sorts of scenarios and customers. Crown Display are proud of our excellent customer service record and wanted to pass on some of techniques for dealing with this unavoidable thorny issue.
- Be Empathetic; understanding the feelings of your customer will help more than offering them sympathy. Tell them ‘I understand’ and ‘I want to help’. My mum taught me that ‘sorry’ is a very little word that will have a huge impact when said sincerely.
- Don’t argue; a natural response to someone shouting, arguing and being generally rude is to retaliate, DON’T! Stay calm and reasoned but don’t tolerate abuse.
- Be Flexible; a customer will appreciate you asking what you can do to resolve the issue. Whilst their answer may not be totally possible, see if you can at least accommodate part of their request.
- Don’t mislead; there is nothing worse than letting an angry customer stew. If you are going to call them back, tell them when and stick to it. Make sure that you follow through on your promises.
- Acceptance; accept that there will be customer for whom that you cannot resolve their issue to their satisfaction and that it doesn’t matter what you do, it will ‘never be enough’ These customers are the one that you thank for their business, wish them well for the future and say goodbye to.
- Be a good listener; sometimes you need to really listen. Amongst the ranting there are sometimes clues that you may not be communicating well enough with your customers. Take note of these and address them.
And finally, remember that the majority of customer contact during your working day will be positive and rewarding, don’t let the one or two negative customers spoil your day.
We offer a full range of top quality bespoke Display Units, Shop Shelving, Retail equipment, Slatwall panels & accessories, as well as a professional nationwide shopfitting service. Give us a call on Free phone 0800 587 5880 or visit www.crowndisplay.co.uk
