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When dealing with a customer who is angry, it can sometimes be difficult to
maintain your own composure in the face of their protests. Your job as a
customer service provider is to try and solve their problem and to avoid getting
agitated yourself. However, the fact is that we are all human and we all have
our limits and Achilles heels. Sometimes you may well feel that you want to
respond to a customer’s goading by getting angry at them. This should be
avoided as it escalates the situation. Instead you should try to remain calm and bring the customer
towards your level of calm.
In many cases, the extent of the customer’s anger will be that they have had a problem with one of your
products and they want to see it repaired. They will be angry because they spent money on something
which, in their view, was not worth it. Your job in this case is to try and calm them down by allowing
them to see that you will do whatever you can to help them. Rather than being a faceless, nameless
representative of a company which has given them a problem, you are a human being. As much as
possible, you should present this human face when talking to a dissatisfied customer; manage your
emotions, and although it may be difficult it is worth doing.
Sometimes customers will seek to provoke a reaction from you, as they enjoy arguing the point and feel
that seeing you get angry will prove that they are right. Try putting yourself in the shoes of the customer
and think about how you would respond to such a situation, and what you would want to hear.
Reaching an understanding may take time and effort, but it is worth doing nonetheless – particularly as
getting angry can lead to getting fired.