When you are dealing with difficult customers, try not to take the bait.
Be assertive - not aggressive or passive. Saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and don't be mean when you say something is a good definition of being assertive. You will always be cool, confident, and in control and be professional as long as you let this rule be your guide to conversations with your customers.
It would be helpful if you spoke more slowly. You will experience more confidence, be able to think more clearly, and also learn to control yourself better as long as you consciously slow down your rate of speech. In order to maintain poise during difficult conversations, you need to speak slowly and methodically when your emotion triggers are launched.
Wait 1-2 seconds before responding. If you respond immediately to difficult or tactical customers, then this could result in you saying something you will regret later. Wait at least 2 seconds and take a deep breath before you respond and think about the best response and the best approach.
How about taking a time-out? After sensing that your buttons have been pushed, it would be better to take a break. What you can do is tell the customer you are putting him on hold while you review a file or any excuse that you think would work. In order for you to re-group, you would need to get away from the customer for a few seconds.
Have you tried using positive self-talk? Instead of saying to yourself, "I don't get paid enough to put up with this ____." Saying "this guy really needs my help" or something positive like that is what you can do instead. If you think more positively, then you will respond more positively and professionally. Leading to very negative situations are negative thoughts and these thoughts can also lead to negative words.
Show your power before you use it. Often more effective than the outright use of you power is the subtle suggestion of your power. As a customer service professional you may have the power to terminate a phone call. You could try telling the customer that if they don't stop yelling, then you will be forced to terminate the call. But, believe it or not, you are far more "powerful" if you say, "I want to help you, but when you yell and cut me off, you make it difficult for me to work with you." The latter statement demonstrates your power and your message most definitely gets across. The former statement uses up all of your ammunition and won't usually diffuse an irate customer.
These tips are incredibly simple and they will help you keep your cool when you're customers get hot.
Be assertive - not aggressive or passive. Saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and don't be mean when you say something is a good definition of being assertive. You will always be cool, confident, and in control and be professional as long as you let this rule be your guide to conversations with your customers.
It would be helpful if you spoke more slowly. You will experience more confidence, be able to think more clearly, and also learn to control yourself better as long as you consciously slow down your rate of speech. In order to maintain poise during difficult conversations, you need to speak slowly and methodically when your emotion triggers are launched.
Wait 1-2 seconds before responding. If you respond immediately to difficult or tactical customers, then this could result in you saying something you will regret later. Wait at least 2 seconds and take a deep breath before you respond and think about the best response and the best approach.
How about taking a time-out? After sensing that your buttons have been pushed, it would be better to take a break. What you can do is tell the customer you are putting him on hold while you review a file or any excuse that you think would work. In order for you to re-group, you would need to get away from the customer for a few seconds.
Have you tried using positive self-talk? Instead of saying to yourself, "I don't get paid enough to put up with this ____." Saying "this guy really needs my help" or something positive like that is what you can do instead. If you think more positively, then you will respond more positively and professionally. Leading to very negative situations are negative thoughts and these thoughts can also lead to negative words.
Show your power before you use it. Often more effective than the outright use of you power is the subtle suggestion of your power. As a customer service professional you may have the power to terminate a phone call. You could try telling the customer that if they don't stop yelling, then you will be forced to terminate the call. But, believe it or not, you are far more "powerful" if you say, "I want to help you, but when you yell and cut me off, you make it difficult for me to work with you." The latter statement demonstrates your power and your message most definitely gets across. The former statement uses up all of your ammunition and won't usually diffuse an irate customer.
These tips are incredibly simple and they will help you keep your cool when you're customers get hot.
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