Tracy Koroma answered
If your job means that you have to deal with the general public, a screaming match with a client or customer is a nightmare that you will, unfortunately, end up experiencing at least once.
Every now and then, a customer will go into an unmanageable rage when they feel something has gone wrong.
Difficult customers often work themselves up, throwing unfounded accusations, vulgar comments, and shouted insults - so, by this point, it’ll be obvious that they’re angry!
The trick is to recognize the problem before it gets to this stage. With practice, you should be able to de-fuse the situation before it becomes really unpleasant for everyone.
Body Language
This one’s very important. As assistant manager at a truck stop for over a decade, I’ve dealt with my fair share of angry truck drivers, and I got very quick at recognizing the ‘problem’ customers.
Quite often, you can tell as soon as they walk in the door. They’re aggressive before you’ve even spoken to them - which can be frustrating, as you know you’ve done nothing wrong.
Key signs to look out for:
The natural reaction is to get defensive. Don’t - that’s a red flag to a bull.
You need to make sure that your service is flawless, so don’t give them any ammunition! Be extra-polite, keep the interaction as brief and to the point as possible, and don’t let them provoke you.
Speech
Pay attention to how they talk. If they do any of the following, alarm bells should start ringing:
Every now and then, a customer will go into an unmanageable rage when they feel something has gone wrong.
Difficult customers often work themselves up, throwing unfounded accusations, vulgar comments, and shouted insults - so, by this point, it’ll be obvious that they’re angry!
The trick is to recognize the problem before it gets to this stage. With practice, you should be able to de-fuse the situation before it becomes really unpleasant for everyone.
Body Language
This one’s very important. As assistant manager at a truck stop for over a decade, I’ve dealt with my fair share of angry truck drivers, and I got very quick at recognizing the ‘problem’ customers.
Quite often, you can tell as soon as they walk in the door. They’re aggressive before you’ve even spoken to them - which can be frustrating, as you know you’ve done nothing wrong.
Key signs to look out for:
- Unusual posture
- Lack of respect for personal space
- Lack of respect for the premises
- Signs of drunkenness or intoxication
The natural reaction is to get defensive. Don’t - that’s a red flag to a bull.
You need to make sure that your service is flawless, so don’t give them any ammunition! Be extra-polite, keep the interaction as brief and to the point as possible, and don’t let them provoke you.
Speech
Pay attention to how they talk. If they do any of the following, alarm bells should start ringing:
- Talk over you
- Interrupt
- Use inappropriate language
- Don’t listen to what you’re saying
- Unreasonable demands
- Lack of respect for you
- An angry customer is positive that they’re being reasonable - even when they’re being completely illogical.
- Even if they’re trying to scam you, they still think they’re in the right.
- You can refuse to serve somebody if they’re abusive.
- Deal with them as quickly and efficiently as possible, whilst still being polite.
- Be as understanding and accommodating as you can, even if you're screaming inside!
- Don’t accuse a customer of lying or trying to scam you - even if you’re certain that they are. Suggest that they might have made an error, even if you know it was intentional.
