In a perfect world there would be no angry customers. Product configuration would work flawlessly, it would arrive on time, and no customer would waitlistening to elevator musicfor 20 minutes on the phone. But absent that perfect world, you will have angry customers. And they will send angry e-mails.(PRWEB) February 17, 2005 -- Despite their best efforts, most organizations will occasionally frustrate some of their customers. In some industries this occurs with alarming frequency. But regardless of the industry, customer problems have a powerful impact on customer satisfaction and loyalty. Whether youre hearing from your angry customer by phone or e-mail, your goals are similar: fix the problem and convert an angry customer into your biggest fan. Many companies try to reduce the number of customer complaints. We`ve all heard the "put that in writing" request. This is exactly the wrong approach to take with customer complaints. A quality CRM approach describes a "world class" complaint handling system. When customer complaints are handled well, most customers will remain loyal. But when complaints are discouraged or handled poorly, a loss of customers is certain to follow.Follow these ten tips for answering e-mail from angry customers and youll solve the customers problem and soothe his anger.1. Restate The Problem. Before you answer an angry customers e-mail, show that you understand the problem. If the customer has included all relevant information in the e-mail, you should simply restate the problem and then set about solving it. Quote or paraphrase the customers own wording to show youve read his e-mail carefully. Include all relevant information you have about the customer: purchase history, account number, previous customer service contact, etc. But if you dont understand the problem completely, see Tip 2. 2. Ask For Clarification. Angry customers may not write clearly. The customer may be unskilled or his e-mail may have degenerated into a rant about the company rather than an explanation of the problem. So you may have to ask the customer to clarify the problem: I need some more information to solve your problem with the replacement parts for your storm door handle. Were the parts you received broken, or did you receive the wrong parts? You may also have to clarify how the customer would like the problem resolved. Unless you clearly understand the problem and the preferred solution, youre bound to make the customer even angrier.3. Personalize Your Response. Nothing infuriates an angry customer more than the feeling that no one is listening. Dear Customer: Thank you for your e-mail. We take our customers problems seriously and are glad to hear from you. So, personalize e-mail to an angry customer to reassure him that hes being heard loud and clear.Use the customers name and title: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr. or use the customers signature as your salutation: Tom Marquez, Dr. Marquez, Tom. Review the customers account information and incorporate it into your response. Were proud that youve selected us as your solution provider for the last three years, and we would like the opportunity to keep you as a satisfied customer. Sign your e-mail. An angry customer needs to know a real human is trying to solve his problem. 4. Tell The Customer How You Will Respond To The Problem. Angry people want action, so you must specifically explain how you will resolve the problem. If the resolution is complicated, outline the steps you will take. If possible, tell the customer when actions will occur:We will immediately trace the shipment to see exactly what went wrong. We will issue a credit for the shipping costs; this credit will appear on your next statement.5. If You Have Good News, Put It First. If you can make the customer happy, put the good news first and the empathy second. Good news: We are happy to refund your money, as you requested. Empathy: We understand the frustration of not receiving our magazine publication . But if you cant make the customer happyif you have to tell the customer noput the empathy first and the bad news second. Empathy: We understand the frustration of not receiving a publication, we can send you out a new one. 6. Use A Polite, Positive Tone. You may be tempted to match the customers angry or accusatory tone: You may have just misplaced your publication and this does not cover your incompetence. But you should never match fire with fire; youll only get more e-mail! Keep your tone polite and positive: The problem youre having seems to be the result of our publication not being delivered in a timely manner. 7. Avoid Scolding The Customer. Emphasize the pronouns I and we rather than you. Dont write: Your order was not filled because you didnt include your mailing address on the order form. Do write: We didnt fill your order because we didnt have your mailing address.8. Acknowledge The Customers reason for being mad. Maybe the problem is not your companys fault, or maybe you cant fix the problem. But you can acknowledge the customers frustration. 9. When You Are At Fault, Apologize. When your company is at fault, apologize. Make your apology genuine and specific. Dont write: Were sorry for the confusion regarding your scholarship application. Do write: We apologize for posting the wrong date on your scholarship application. Weve corrected this error. 10. Satisfy the Customer by Offering Something Of Value. If your policy allows, give your angry customer a product, a discount, or a rebate: We can offer you a $20 credit. Answering angry e-mails is hard work. And unlike when you resolve a problem for a customer on the phone, e-mail doesnt give you the chance to hear the relief in the customers voice or experience, in real time, the gratification of turning the customers anger into appreciation. About areHelpDesk.comAreHelpDesk.com provides complete help desk access not only to your customer sales, production, and support information, but to your back-office operations as well.Contact Info:Tom MarquezareHelpDesk.comChief Executive Officer1-888-742-3146www.areHelpDesk.com
