When a customer is unhappy, how you respond can distinguish between a minor hiccup and a full-blown escalation. Here are five things you should avoid when dealing with upset customers.

One. Refusing to Admit the Customer’s Perspective

Never tell a customer they are wrong. If you tell a customer th...

Redirecting. "Here's what we know. Here's what we've done. Here's what's next."

Validating. "I can see your point on that," or "We want to get to the bottom of this as much as you do."

Explaining why you can't do what they want. "The FDA doesn't allow optometrists to refill expired contact lens pr...

One of the most challenging aspects of customer service is dealing with angry and upset customers. Often, these situations can escalate quickly, leading to negative consequences for both the customer and the company. This article will explore customer service de-escalation techniques to help you sou...

A lot of the time, when a customer uses profanity or yells, they're baiting you. They have the upper hand if they can throw you off, ge...

As a seasoned professional in any industry, you've likely encountered your fair share of difficult customers. These challenging interactions can overwhelm you, frustrated, and sometimes downright exhausted. However, handling a difficult customer is a crucial skill for success in any customer-facing ...

It can be emotionally draining to deal with challenging customer interactions. I cannot overstate the importance of debriefing and decompressing after a difficult interaction. Here are my suggestions for leaders and frontline employees on how to process and learn from these experiences:

For lead...

Customer Service Is Hard Work!

With empathy and a smile, customer support teams must give bad news, deal with angry people, and de-escalate intense interactions. Your team - and you- deserve support, and it's my pleasure to serve YOU!

I've designed customer service training for some of the world's...

We took my son’s phone in for repair. After looking at the phone, the employee said. “Liquid has come in contact with this phone. Your warranty doesn’t cover this, but we have several options. We can repair the unit, or we can sell you a refurbished model.”

While I wasn’t happy to learn that we’...