Describe in detail how you would handle an angry guest. 

 

Describe in detail how you would handle an angry guest. 

Working in a business setup especially the service industry, at a point in time one must encounter angry and irate customers. Customer get mad due to justified reasons or they are just being rude and it is up to you as the business owner to be well equipped and deal with the situation. How you handle the situation can either calm the customers who will appreciate your response or make them vow never to step to your premises ever again.

The following are the steps you'd take when dealing with an angry customer;

Step-by-step explanation

1 Remain calm

When a customer is angry and starts yelling and cussing at you, the last thing you want to do is lose emotions as well. By doing so the situation can easily get out of hand and become hostile. You need to stay composed and give the customer time to vent out as much as they can. Hold it off and stay calm all through the time.

2 Don't take it personally

Remember that you are not acquaintances with the customer and his/her anger is not caused by you but rather due to their dissatisfaction. It it any other business person was in your position the customer would still get mad. So keep your feeling out of the situation and look at it objectively. Actually rather than take it personally, you need to empathize with the customer.

3 Practice active and reflective listening

When people are mad, it is very hard for them to clearly communicate since they are shrouded with emotions. At this point all they need is someone to listen. So you need to listen patiently and observe body language in order to fully get what they are trying to say. Hear them out and capture their keywords. In the end, summarize what you've captured and ask them if there is anything they'd like to add. Keep eye contact, the right posture and emotional connection with the customer.

4 Sympathize actively

Express regret and sympathy for the dissatisfaction experienced by the customer. Make sure they know that you understand where you are coming from. Make sure you remain cordial and respectful when expressing your regrets.

5 Apologize sincerely

After showing that you understand the concerns of customer, apologize about the situation. This is regardless if the customer was right or not. This is cause you need to diffuse the situation and have them coming back to buy from you or get services. Apologize by making a short and straightforward statement such as..

" Am sorry you are not pleased with our product/service. We'll see what we can do to make sure it never happens."

6 Find a solution

You need to find an immediate remedy to the solution. You can ask them what they feel should be done or offer a fair and realistic steps to the issue. The idea is to give something to the customer to restitute them. Actually in most cases that is all the customer wants and everything returns to normalcy.

7 Take sometime and reflect

Lastly, after the customer has left, take sometime on your own. It is important for you to take a "time-out" in order to diffuse. A short break to get a snack or drink will help you ease things. It is important for emotional well-being on your side. Also as you reflect internally, you gain more experience to deal on the same next time.