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Top Techniques for Reassuring Even the Most Difficult Customer

Reassuring unhappy customers is crucial for businesses, as it can make the difference between losing a customer forever or fostering long-term loyalty. According to a study by PwC, 32% of consumers stop purchasing from a company after a single bad experience, while 92% abandon a company after two or three negative experiences. Therefore, effectively managing unhappy customers and reassuring them is essential in order to retain them.

Listening and empathy at the heart of the reassurance process.

Service reps spend all day every day handling customer issues and inquiries. The first step to reassure unhappy customers is to listen to them attentively and show them that you understand their frustration. Those who are successful at this process have mastered the art of “listening,” which, in actuality, is one of the most effective call center solutions at their disposal.

Don’t just “Listen.” Actively Listen!

77% of consumers believe that their time is more important than the money they spend. The last thing you want your customers to think is that you’re not listening to them. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take much for a customer to reach that mentality. Assure your customers that you’re hanging onto their every word by writing down the main points of what the customer has been saying. When he or she is done speaking, repeat it back to the individual in a summary fashion. Displaying this attention to detail should be part of the job for any customer-centric call center agent.By demonstrating that you take their complaint seriously, you can reassure unhappy customers and strengthen their trust in your company.

Guiding the unhappy customer

Guiding the customer in the conversation is important to avoid getting sidetracked. An unhappy customer tends to rely more on their emotions than a satisfied customer. Additionally, an agent should always end comments with a closed (i.e., ‘yes’ or ‘no’) question such as, “Have I fully understood your problem?” or “Is there anything else I can do for you?” In using this technique, service reps should keep their tone calm, reassuring, confident and never mundane or monotonous. If you haven’t thoroughly resolved the customer’s problem, acknowledge and apologize for the prolonged situation (after all, your customers are on-the-go and have a list of things to do). After showing the customer that you are truly listening and are willing to be proactive about the situation, he or she should be reasonably calm and ready to let you help.

Stay positive in your tone and language: show that you are ready to find a solution. This will help calm the customer’s emotions and maintain a productive conversation.

Offer a solution quickly

Your customers rely on you to find a solution to their problem.

According to HubSpot, 90% of customers expect businesses to respond to their support requests within 10 minutes of submission. By offering a solution quickly, you can reduce the waiting time for unhappy customers and strengthen their trust in your company. It also helps prevent them from becoming impatient and taking it out on the advisors who will address their requests.

It is also important to follow up with unhappy customers after offering a solution. Customers who are satisfied with how their complaint was resolved are more likely to remain loyal to the company and recommend it to others. By staying in touch with unhappy customers after providing a solution, you can further strengthen their trust in your company and foster long-term loyalty.

In most cases, the solution to the problem will be within the agent’s power to resolve. Rarely, the agent will have to bring the call to a manager, which is also a scripted procedure. If that should happen, however, the service rep should apologize again and explain why the resolution the customer is seeking is not available.

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