Customer Service Skills Knowledge Base and Frequently Asked Questions
What do angry customers really want from me?
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Sometimes it seems that it's impossible to figure out what an angry customer really wants from you and your company. It's not uncommon for an angry customer to continue to act out, or be abusive even though you've actually been able to resolve his or her apparent problem. This doesn't make any logical sense on the surface, but it's makes perfect "human sense".
It is true that customers want their problem or issue resolved, but their anger doesn't necessarily disappear instantly, when the problem is resolved. That's because angry customers want some other things -- human things, and if they don't get them, they often continue to be difficult. Here's an excerpt from The Defusing Hostile Customers Workbook, on this subject.
When you have dealt with an angry customer, you may have asked yourself, "what does this person want from me?", or even perhaps asked the customer this question. It is an important question with a number of answers. Knowing the answers will help you calm down an angry person and reduce hostile behavior directed at you. Learn what angry customers need and want.
Customers want what they want. When we can't give them what they ask for, there are some phsychological needs that you can address. Fufil these needs and you will reduce hostile behaviour.
* They Want Help even if you can't solve their entire problem. If they see you as making a genuine effort on their behalf, they are much less likely to be hostile towards you personally.
* They Want Choices - ....They do not want to feel helpless, or trapped, or at the mercy of the "system". .....Offer choices whenever possible.
* They Want Acknowledgment - People want to feel you are making the effort to understand their situation, and their emotional reactions to it. Often, the simple act of acknowledging that a person is upset will help to calm them down, provided the acknowledgment is phrased and "toned" correctly.
Robert Bacal is the author of two books on customer service: Perfect Phrases for Customer Service: Hundreds of Tools, Techniques, and Scripts for Handling Any Situation, and Defusing Hostile Customers Workbook. Most of the questions and answers in the Customer Service Knowledgebase (which you are reading now) is based on the material in these books.