How to deal with difficult customers

So, what is profiling?Profiling in our case is when you analyze the customer and fit him in a profile, There are hundreds of different profiles that a typical customer can fit in, but most of them you will gain though experience. Before I mention the profiles, it is imperative to understand the customer. When you are faced with a complainant before actually replying or speaking to them, try to understand what their intentions are and get an idea of the type of person you are confronting. CharismaTypes of profiles.As I said before, there are hundreds of variations of profiles, but in a nut shell, they all fit in the general four.1.    The standard complainer•    This type of complainer is probably the easiest of the sort. Most of the time, these people are non aggressive and their intentions are purely to give advice. In some cases they might complain about a particular scenario or product and in other cases they would simply want to give you advice on how to improve your service. It is unavoidable for this category of people to complain, they believe it is their duty to inform you of any mishaps in order for you to improve your service further. They do not seek any compensation, just creating awareness, so leave it that way and with a smile (not a grin) just reply politely “I sincerely thank you for informing us on this particular case and I shall look into this matter with urgency. Once again, I thank you”2.    The Grumbler•    This is my favorite kind of complainer. I personally find them to be humorous, and managing to tackle these gives me an adrenaline rush. So what are the grumblers? Well as the word suggests, they are people who grumble, literally about anything. This does not mean that they are dissatisfied, on the contrary, they simply cannot accept the fact that they are enjoying themselves, they believe that if they show satisfaction they end up either jinxed or even worse they end up lowering their standards in order to fit in humbly in their place. But as you all know this is not the case, everyone deserves good service and even thought this type of customer does not show you this, this is exactly what they are trying to portray. So Your job here is to listen and listen and again listen. Then if you really have to reply, try going into this type of line” I understand you situation and I will avail myself should you require any assistance.” Depending on the type of business you run, it would be nice if you can give them a small token eg. A bottle of wine if in a restaurant, or a small discount if in a shop. Just in case you are not authorized to provide this, then speak to your superior and then give them the token. Do not promise what you cannot deliver.3.    The professional complainer•    Now here comes a difficult one. The professional complainer. When I was still a student, one of my professors made a reference to this category and the solution he gave was brutal quoting him he said “Grab them by the B**** and throw them out” Well, even though that is definitely satisfying, it is not the right solution. You will recognize this complainer instantly. They speak loud and make a scene to attract attention. Their intentions are sinister and you have to be careful with them, they know most of your tricks. The first thing to do (and this has to be done as soon as possible) is to segregate them away from the front line. Take them to your office or the board room as long as they are separated from the other customers. Their primary intention is to damage you business by disrupting your other customers. Once that is done, make sure you have someone else sitting with you as a witness. Leave the complainant sitting down alone for a few minutes do not worry. The colleague that will join you in this session has to be briefed and make sure that only you speak during the session, make this clear, the other person is there only as a witness and to outnumber the complainant.•    Now once back in the office/board room, sit down in front of  complainant. Make sure you have a pen and paper where to write. Introduce yourself and sit down. The complainant at this stage will poor out all their thoughts and at this stage you should not react, just write down a few notes of what they are saying and always keep good eye contact without using and non-verbals.•    Finally when the complainant stops shouting and yelling, (eventually they all do) then it is your turn to speak. In a quick summary, highlight a few points the complainant mentioned. If he/she disrupts you, then stop talking until the complainant calms down once again. Then continue from where you had left. If at any stage the complainant is rude or offensive on a personal level, in a firm voice reply “I recommend that you reconsider your vocabulary before you proceed” , if they insist on being rude, then reply “I do not have to take this verbal abuse from you, I consider this as harassment, are you sure you want to continue on these lines”, at this stage, the complainant will probably mellow down. Then without regrets ask them a few questions, eg if in a Hotel and they are complaining about the room. Ask them if the food in the restaurant was ok, and if the towels in the rooms where to their satisfaction etc. this way you will eliminate other possibilities of complaints and try to narrow them down as much as possible. Once all that is done, then you will end up with a list of items which are the actual complaints. Eg If they are complaining about the room then you should have been able to narrow it down to the source, “the room is small” in this case see if you are able to change the room. In the case that they complained at the end of their stay ( which most probably would be the case), then just reply, “It is a pity that you decided to come forward at such a late hour, I would have been delighted to assist you should you have informed me before” Remember, their intentions in this case is to get their holiday back off your pocket, so you will not have a happy customer, but you have to lay down the foundations for the eventual complaint you will be receiving. Try to eliminate as many items as possible and if possible get them to agree with you. If you do not manage to find a compromise then just end the meeting with, “If you intend to complain, please do so. I am convinced that our intentions are justified and we shall reply to your complaint professionally and using our resources to defend our position”•    At the end of the meeting, write a report on what has been discussed and forward it to you superiors and legal advisers. If you decided to record the conversation, than make sure that the complainant would have been made aware of this before you start recording. There is no guarantee on the outcome of this situation but in any case, you would have managed to narrow it down as much as possible.4.    The aggressive complainer•    Yes these are as terrifying as they sound. Aggressive means aggressive, they are rude, they swear and might even be violent. Most of the time these people are mentally challenged or passing though a bad phase in their lives. In any case, it is not your job to see to their mental state, you job here is to reduce the impact of the damage they are causing. Again, segregate them in a closed office, call for assistance from you colleagues, and get someone to call the police if necessary. Make sure you keep a distance, ideally you stay as far away as possible, and standing up close to the door. Keep your hand crossed and make sure you keep good eye contact, Reply to their aggression with complex words in 3rd person eg “we shall consider you argument and shall find a solution to the intricacy of this situation” I had a case once of a person who passing though a depression, There where times that this person started singing and them becoming aggressive once again, I tried to keep him away from the reception and replied to his questions and accusations in 3rd person always making him aware of the repercussions of his actions. 30 minutes later the police arrived and took him in, but believe me, they where the longest 30 minutes of my life, and the worst part was trying not to laugh at him and keeping a neutral face. Thankfully these cases hardly ever happen, but it is good to be prepared for the eventuality.Finally in conclusion to the above, I would like to remind you as to why you have to take care of your complainants, most of the time, you can actually learn from them and truly improve your service, other times as in the case of the professional complainer, you will learn how to prevent such cases from happening and how to write the disclaimers on the contract. Always make sure that you advertise your product honestly and it should be described properly. If you are in the right, then you should not have any trouble with handling any of the above.Good luck..OnlyinEUROPE - Europe Blogger