{"id":12480,"date":"2018-02-11T18:34:41","date_gmt":"2018-02-11T18:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/?p=12480"},"modified":"2018-02-14T18:03:04","modified_gmt":"2018-02-14T18:03:04","slug":"tips-for-taming-trolls-and-calming-upset-customers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/tips-for-taming-trolls-and-calming-upset-customers\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Taming Trolls and Calming Upset Customers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeff Mowatt has put together a list of frequently asked questions on how to deal with internet trolls and regain trust with upset customers.<\/strong><\/p>\n\"Trolls\n

How should you respond to internet trolls and customers who post rude or unfair comments?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First gather the facts to determine whether this is an actual customer expressing a legitimate concern, or just an internet troll trying to provoke a response. In the case of a troll comment like, \u201cThis place is horrible\u201d (with no details), don\u2019t reply. The sooner that negative post is buried by overwhelmingly positive customer comments the better.<\/p>\n

When you do receive unflattering comments from actual customers, first try to contact them by phone to resolve the matter offline.\u00a0If that\u2019s not possible, then when replying in writing, stick to facts (not opinions), and remain professional and reasoned \u2013 not emotional. If there was indeed an error on your team\u2019s part, apologize for the hassle and offer a remedy. Mention the steps you\u2019ll take to ensure it doesn\u2019t happen again. Express your appreciation for the customer bringing it to your attention.<\/p>\n

How do you deal with a customer who\u2019s swearing at you on the phone?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Say this: \u201cI want to help you. Using that language is preventing me from focusing on resolving this for you, so I\u2019m going to ask you to talk with me without using that language.\u201d If they continue the profanity then say, \u201cAs I said before, I want to help you. However, I\u2019m not going to do so when you\u2019re using that language, so I\u2019m going to hang up. Please call back when you\u2019re ready to talk about this without that language. Good bye.\u201d Then tell your supervisor about the conversation so they\u2019ll be forewarned when the customer calls back demanding to speak to a manager.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the fastest way to get an angry customer to calm down?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen without interrupting. After they finish venting, your first words should be, \u201cThat sounds frustrating.\u201d Consider how this misstep may be affecting the customer and let them know that you get it. Take ownership and apologize for any shortfall or misunderstanding.<\/p>\n

Why are customers ruder on the phone than in person?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Anonymity. Like road raging drivers in cars, people phoning in think they won\u2019t be recognized. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important to begin the phone conversation by introducing yourself with your first and last name. Then immediately ask them for their name. The quicker they identify themselves the less likely they\u2019ll become abusive.<\/p>\n

What are other strategies for dealing with upset customers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tone it down \u2013 literally. By slowing your rate of speech and slightly lowering your voice tone, you sound less emotional and more rational. Speaking of speaking, don\u2019t dumb down your language or over use filler words. The more articulate you are, the more intelligent you\u2019ll be perceived to be, and the more respect you garner.<\/p>\n

How can I get my staff to really care about unhappy customers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Begin by hiring people who have some history in caring for others. Check if they volunteered or played on sports teams; indicating they\u2019ve learned to work with others, and it isn\u2019t always about them. Then provide them with proper customer communication training.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, employees don\u2019t have to become emotionally involved to effectively resolve customer concerns. They do, however, need to learn techniques to put customers\u2019 minds at ease. Contrast for example, when an employee says, \u201cI\u2019ll deal with it,\u201d versus, \u201cI\u2019ll take care of it for you.\u201d By simply changing a few words, service providers create better feelings for everyone.<\/p>\n

Bottom line<\/strong> \u2013 by equipping employees with the proper customer service training, you end up with less staff turnover and fewer social media comments that bruise your brand. Best of all, employees discover that when you learn how to recover trust with unhappy customers, those formerly angry customers can become teddy bears.<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jeff Mowatt is a customer service strategist, Hall of Fame speaker, and bestselling author. For more tips, training tools or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team visit\u00a0JeffMowatt.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeff Mowatt has put together a list of frequently asked questions on how to deal with internet trolls and regain trust with upset customers..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":337,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[56],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12480"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/337"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12480"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12814,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12480\/revisions\/12814"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.customerservicemanager.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}