How To Deal With Difficult Customers: Top Tips & Example

Dealing with such customers can sometimes be very irritating and testing to the point of making customer service a nightmare. However, if you want to make something out of those encounters, then there is a way to do it.

It’s easy to lose your patience in the heat of the moment, but a calm approach can turn even the most difficult customers into satisfied ones. 

Therefore, Knowing how to deal with difficult customers is super important in customer service. Find out how to turn a tough situation into a great experience for the customer! the purpose of this article is to assist you in identifying some more purposeful ways of handling your problematic clients.

Let’s take a look.

Importance of Dealing With Difficult Customer Situations Effectively

Dealing with difficult customers is essential for protecting brand reputation and enhancing customer experience. To manage this type of difficult situation, agents should first maintain calm and patience and effectively manage customers’ anger, which can help reduce rude, unhappy, or difficult customers.

Let’s discuss why it is important to deal effectively with difficult customer situations. Here are some key points highlighting its importance:  

1. To provide an effective customer experience

Being polite and patient in the difficult situation when handling an angry customer is one of the best practices. This level of guidance can provide an effective customer experience. Resolving frustrated customer’s issues politely and quickly can reduce their anger, which displays a commitment to customer satisfaction. Better customer service can turn negative customer experiences into positive ones.

2. To protect brand image

In the organization, customers are the king, and serving them effectively can be the best way to earn their loyalty and create a positive customer experience. Handling difficult customers with care and professionalism shows that your business values customers. Earning a brand reputation is the key to success in a business with loyal and satisfied customers.

3. To reduce customers’ complexity

Effectively reducing the customer’s complexity is also the best way to maintain positive feedback to enhance customer loyalty and improve their experience in the business. Polite and professional agents are the biggest assets, and they are suitable to deal with difficult customers more effectively and solve the customer’s issues quickly, which can reduce customer complexity.

5. To increase efficiency and productivity

Productivity and efficiency have become essential in today’s business world. Dealing with difficult customers effectively is most important to increase efficiency and productivity in the business. Better customer service can reduce the number of customer complaints and disputes. This ultimately leads to process improvements and prevents future problems. 

However, effective customer service is not just about resolving complaints; it’s about building strong relationships, improving business reputation, and driving business success. 

Reasons Behind Customers Difficult Behavior

Identifying the root causes of difficult customer behavior is important for developing effective strategies for handling these interactions. 

By identifying the root causes, you can address the issues more effectively and possibly prevent future disputes.

Here are some reasons behind customers’ difficult behavior:

A. Miscommunication

Lack of information related to features of products, services, and policies is likely to cause frustration. Failure to meet an expectation may cause customers to feel cheated or possibly confused if they expect something that was not delivered to them. It does not, however. Clear, accurate communication usually helps, but rectifying this takes some time and a clear procedure.

B. Frustration

Customers turn into monsters when they realize they are trapped in a situation without finding a way out, having tried several unsuccessful techniques to solve a problem. So, if you listen carefully and make sure you understand their problem, you are already halfway to making them less frustrated.

C. Personal issues

Remember that some customers may present you with problems that are not even remotely connected to the services you offer. He or she can become moody and easily irritated due to the stress from the outside world or some personal issues. For this reason, people can distract them and make them relax by making them understand that such matters merely divert their attention to addressing the problem.

D. High Expectations

There are some very particular/pick customers who expect to get something that they have in their mind, and if the outcome is not that expectation, they will be dissatisfied. Extending a soft mode of explaining the limits while providing value familiarizes the client with the differences between the expected and the possible.

E. Feeling Unheard

In particular, they can misbehave if they have a previous experience where their problem was neglected. They may appreciate attentiveness to their problems and clarification of what they are saying, as well as receiving feedback in parallel with problem-solving.

Types of Difficult Customer Behavior You May Experience

Dealing with difficult customers can be a challenging aspect of customer service. Understanding the various types of difficult customer behavior can help you prepare and respond effectively. 

By recognizing common patterns, you can tailor your approach to address their specific needs and concerns.

Here are some types of difficult customer behavior you may experience when dealing with them:

I. Confused customers

At some point, you will encounter rude customers who are lost on products, services, or specific processes. These customers are not fully aware of the information relating to a certain product or service, which may create a situation of confusion as to the service or product and confuse the customer. 

To handle such types of difficult customers, here are some tips:

• Patience and understanding of the customer’s confusion.
• Provide clear and concise explanations with simple language. 
• Provide additional information or resources after the interaction.

II. Misinformed customers

Misinformed customers often approach with incorrect or incomplete information. We must listen carefully, correct the misinformation we hear, and then provide prompt and concise information. In so doing, you are able to clear the customers’ worries and ensure that you do not jeopardize the Customer Experience.

To handle such types of customers, agents or employees should:

• Stay calm and patient.
• Listen actively to the customer’s queries.
• Provide clear and accurate information.
• Ask Clarifying Questions

III. Angry customers

This type of customer is more difficult to deal with for agents in the business. These customers are angry and can be seen to respond aggressively to anyone; this may be through vocalization. The best way is just to remain polite, listen carefully, and concentrate on the problem with the hope that they will calm down.

Some tips to handle angry customers:

• Stay calm and composed, even if the customer is emotional.
• Acknowledge their frustration and show empathy to ease their anger.
• Offer a quick resolution to their problem or suggest steps to address it.

IV. Price-sensitive customer

Customers who are sensitive to prices are known as price-sensitive customers. Promo-sensitive customers rely on the promotion aspect of the product and may always inquire about promotions or price cuts. To calm them down, assure them of the value inherent in your product and any promotion offers that are available.

Some tips to handle price-sensitive customers:

• Highlight the value of your product rather than just focusing on price.
• Explain how the features or benefits outweigh the cost.
• Mention any discounts, promotions, or flexible payment options to make them feel they’re getting a good deal.

V. Dissatisfied customer

When customers complain about a previous experience or a product purchased, they should be attended to with sympathy. It is also crucial to ensure that any mistake or shortcoming that may have been realized is admitted and corrected before the customers. This is also applied in offering proactive customer services since this not only provides an avenue to attend to their needs but also helps regain their trust.

Here are some tips to handle dissatisfied customers:

• Listen carefully to their concerns and avoid being defensive.
• Apologize if necessary, and take responsibility where appropriate.
• Provide a solution or compensation that helps restore their trust in your business.

How to Deal With Difficult Customers?

Dealing with difficult customers requires patience, empathy, and effective communication. It’s important to remain calm and listen actively to their concerns, validating their feelings and showing understanding. 

By empathizing with their perspective, you will be able to understand their point of view of this particular situation, thus gaining their trust and having a better interaction. After this, be sure to provide them with suggestions or some form of an option that should consider their problems, goals, and expectations.  

However, it should be noted that the purpose is to meet the needs of both parties to the conflict and keep customer relations intact.

Top 10 tips for dealing with difficult customers

1. Take a deep breath to regulate your emotions

This means that sometimes, you may encounter a difficult customer and feel annoyed. But it is not a way to interact with them rudely. This can, in turn, blow up the relationship you have with a customer. First of all, if you feel annoyed and angry with customers’ attitudes and anger, firstly, you can close your eyes and take a deep breath.

It can be used to calm the mind, sharpen focus, and make managing hard-to-deal customers easier to handle. Besides, it has immense benefits for helping you to remain professional and reply to customers’ comments on social media, and even ease stress. So it is important that before getting into communication with such customers, one has to take a deep breath.

Example: A customer is shouting about a delayed order. Instead of reacting defensively, you take a deep breath, remain composed, and calmly begin addressing the issue.

2. Give your full attention to the customer

Dealing with difficult customers can be challenging, but with the right approach, you can often turn a negative situation into a positive one. By giving your full attention to difficult customers, you can improve your ability to handle them and build a strong relationship with your clients. You need to remember that the goal is to resolve the issues in a way that satisfies both the customer and the company.

Providing your time to customers to solve their issues allows you to improve their experience and handle them efficiently. This will improve the customer’s experience and show them that you are listening to them. 

Example: A customer calls with an issue, and instead of typing an email or checking your phone, you focus solely on the conversation, showing you are genuinely listening.

3. Practice active listening

After providing your full attention to the customers, you need to be calm and make an interaction with them. Remaining patient can be the best way to deal with frustrated and rude customers. Listening to customers’ queries actively is the best skill that agents should have. They should be careful while communicating to make customers feel valued and make customers calm with them either in a call or physical meeting.

Active listening is a skill that agents and employees must possess, and it is a valuable asset for them and businesses as well. Agents and employees should be able to listen to customers’ questions actively so that they can easily understand the customers’ actual problems and handle them quickly.

Example: A customer complains about service disruptions. You paraphrase, “So the issue occurred yesterday and caused delays for you?” before offering a solution, making sure you’ve got the facts right.

4. Focus on resolving the issues

After listening to customers carefully, you need to focus on resolving their issues or problems. By making First Call Resolution (FCR) a priority, we not only reduce the number of calls a customer needs to make to solve a problem but also significantly lower their frustration levels. This proactive approach not only makes managing difficult customers easier but also enhances our ability to handle pressure, improve service delivery, and strengthen our relationship with clients.

Therefore, if you pay attention to addressing the problem and do all you can to avoid being angry, you can always use the angry customer to grow your business. This must really assist you in changing a negative story into a positive one and a successful one. 

Example: When a customer angrily demands a refund, you calmly respond, “Let’s figure out how we can resolve this for you,” and present a refund or exchange options.

5. Stick to the facts and avoid personal attacks

You should focus on facts but not go personal with any customer, especially those who may be cranky. You have to remain formal, the clients have to trust you, and the matters negotiated with you have to be taken into account. This will help you overcome the customer’s fear and continue to sustain their relationship. When this happens, you need to look for a compromise where each party gains something without having to resort to personally attacking each other.

When clients feel that they are being treated fairly, they are more likely to agree with your solutions. However, if they engage with an angry customer, the situation becomes tougher to handle. In such cases, it’s important to stick to the truth and avoid personal attacks.

Example: A customer blames you for being unhelpful. Instead of taking it personally, you clarify, “Here’s what I’ve done so far to assist. Let’s find the next step to solve your issue.”

6. Speak softly and avoid raising your voice

Remember to maintain a calm and gentle tone, even in frustrating situations. Raising your voice can intensify the problem and hinder resolution. Instead, focus on listening to and understanding the customer’s concerns and responding respectfully. This approach can effectively resolve the situation and contribute to building a positive connection with the customer.

It fosters better communication by encouraging others to listen attentively, creates a peaceful environment, and helps avoid conflict in stressful situations. Keeping your voice at a low volume can also convey thoughtfulness and respect, making interactions more comfortable and respectful.

Example: A customer starts yelling about a billing mistake. You respond in a gentle tone, “I understand why you’re upset. Let’s go through the charges together,” helping to calm the situation.

7. Learn from the experience

Experience can help you address particular customer problems. It can also assist you in managing angry customers so that you can make them come to normal. Thus, it will be easy and fast to address arrogant customers since you have the methods in place. Any conflict, no matter how much time you spend on it, is an excellent platform for development.

This means pointing out those that went well and thinking of those areas that could have been done better in the event of a similar occurrence in the future. A similar Self-Reflective Analysis will help you gain a clearer vision of how you may approach the forthcoming challenges.

Example: After handling a heated conversation, you reflect on how quickly you diffused it by staying calm and taking responsibility, using this as a lesson for future encounters.

8. Understand the customer’s point of view

First of all, it is always useful to look at a particular situation from the customer’s perspective. It is much easier to solve a problem if you can hear and understand the frustrations that the other party is feeling. This means that they will be more willing to work through it with you in mind.

If one recognizes their perspective, then one can help regulate such expectations peacefully, apart from helping them understand the company’s stand or constraints. It is basically about being sympathetic and, at the same time, planning which way to lead the customer so that he or she feels understood while the problem is addressed.

Example: A customer is upset because a product didn’t meet their expectations. You realize they were expecting faster results, so you empathize, “I can see why that would be frustrating.”

9. Seek support

There are circumstances in which you may not know exactly what to do or need to refer a situation to someone with more executive authority. In such cases, it’s important to seek help from a peer, supervisor, or another division/product. This not only shows the customer that their issue is being taken seriously but also demonstrates a strong, collaborative working culture where teams prioritize solving problems together. 

Effective working cultures emphasize cooperation and shared responsibility, ensuring that no issue is overlooked. Furthermore, if a customer becomes particularly difficult or threatening, involving a superior not only reassures the customer but can also de-escalate the situation. It creates an environment where both the customer and the team feel supported, allowing for more efficient and thoughtful resolutions.

Example: A customer continues to escalate a situation despite your best efforts. You politely say, “Let me bring in my manager to assist with this,” ensuring the customer feels taken care of.

10. Maintain a positive relationship

Success in a call center comes from turning challenging interactions into positive experiences. Tips for working in a call center emphasize that, even when the interaction is challenging, one should aim to leave the customer with a positive impression to ensure a good relationship. Even in tough situations, handling them well and following up with care can transform difficult encounters into long-term opportunities, strengthening customer relationships and building loyalty. 

Thus, how you manage to handle the problem will be seen by the clients; hence, ensure that the way you handle the problem is professionally, supportively, and focused on finding a solution will make the clients deposit their trust in your establishment. A positive relationship is important as the customer can be retained because in the event that something goes wrong, the customer will not seek the services of other competitors.

Example: After solving a complaint about delayed service, you follow up with a message thanking the customer for their patience, reinforcing that they matter to your business.

Conclusion

Working with customers is often stressful, especially when the customers themselves are uncooperative, but it is always beneficial to take up this job as a fulfilling one. Learning the cause of such behavior, listening to the speaker, and remaining polite will help you turn negative situations into successful ones.

More importantly, it is not about winning the debate with the customer; it is about addressing the problem and ensuring that they leave happy. Learning from the tips mentioned in this article, you can cultivate the qualities that will help you deal with aggressive customers and also help your business grow.

FAQs

What will your approach be to handle rude, unhappy, or difficult customers?

When approaching difficult customers, you should stay calm, listen carefully, show empathy, and offer solutions. Be polite and professional throughout the interaction.

How can I stay calm when dealing with a difficult customer?

When dealing with difficult customers, you should take deep breaths, keep a positive attitude, and focus on solving the problem instead of reacting emotionally.

What should I do if a customer is being rude?

If a customer is aggressive, begin with courtesy, do not get irritated, and then gently guide the conversation back to the solution.

How can I avoid getting into arguments with difficult customers?

To avoid arguments with difficult customers,  keep your tone polite, tell them you understand their discontent, and try to find a solution to the problem without concentrating on why you are in the right.

What are some effective ways to apologize to a customer?

Ways to say sorry to a customer include admitting to having made a mistake, apologizing to the customer, being accountable for the fault made, and finally committing to correcting it.