There are different type of customers, and you get to meet most, if not all, of them given that you have been in business for a while. One type of customer, however, is the most annoying of all, and they are called “serial complainers” for a reason. No matter what you do, they find something to complain about. And the worst part? They are customers, and you STILL have to deal with their complaints!
Be honest. You know you just want to ignore them. But dealing with complaints is just a sour part of business. Of course, there are ways to do this correctly. Handling serial complainers could be hard, but it could be done. To some extent, of course. Let me give you some tips.
- Give them a quick win - Serial complainers WILL consume your time. More often than not, they will take up to hours complaining. The best solution to this would be to just give them what they want. As long as it won’t cost you too much, its better to just let them win than to spend too much time on a standoff with them.
- Understanding goes a long way - Yes, its true that they complain about almost everything. But try to listen, as some concerns are valid. Understand why they are complaining and try to take note. The feedback might help you avoid these encounters in the future.
- It pays to be prepared - To better handle things, your team should know who the serial complainers are. Let them know which customers tend to complain a lot, and they should be ready for battle as soon as the customer walks into the store.
- You can’t please everyone - To add, some people simply REFUSE to be pleased. Weigh things. Ask yourself if its worth it to try to win over the customer. If its not possible to do so, don’t beat yourself up too much.
- Good riddance - Giving up and accepting defeat are two very different things. If all of the tips above don’t work, and the customer is not a big one, you might want to consider just letting them go. As my mom always says, “You can make the money back, but you can’t get back the time you lost.” That, and of course the stress they cause. You should decide if they’re worth it because not everyone is.
Share with us your experience with customers like these, and tell us how you dealt with the situation. Give us a comment below.
