Overcoming Challenging Customers

Understanding the role that customers play in their service experience isn't an excuse for poor employee performance. As you can see, poor customer service can often be attributed to poor employee performance, poor leadership, poor policies and procedures, or all of the above.

However, customer service leaders must understand all the reasons it can be so challenging to make customers happy - including the fact that the customers isn't always right.

Some solutions:

• Create generous, customer-friendly policies that make it easier for customers to be right
• Train employees to avoid placing blame when a customer makes an error, and to focus on finding a solution instead
• Avoid arguing with customers in public forums such as Twitter, but publicly acknowledge their feelings and offer to address the issue in private
• Identify new customers and take a moment to let them know what they can expect so that they won't encounter any unpleasant surprises
• Remember that customers tend to hear what they want to hear, so be careful not to be overly optimistic when setting expectations
• Operate by the Platinum Rule: Treat customers the way they want to be treated
• Learn how to get better results with self-sabotaging customers by conducting a Circle of Influence exercise
• Invite abusive customers to take their business somewhere else to prevent them from draining resources, driving away other customers, and discouraging employees