The most important thing to do when dealing with rude customers is to remain calm. Replying to their rudeness in kind or losing your temper will only escalate the situation.
Remember that you’re a professional; stay calm and keep in mind that whilst the customer is taking their frustrations out on you personally, the real cause of their problem is something else. Focus on the solution rather than the insult. The quicker you solve the problem, the quicker the unpleasant discussion will end. If you take things personally, the situation can quickly escalate out of control.
Example 1
RUDE CUSTOMER: You people are just hopeless! Don’t any of you have a brain! It’s like none of you even completed school!
SERVICE PROVIDER: I’ll have you know I have a university degree thank you very much!
RUDE CUSTOMER: Well it doesn’t show, even a monkey could have done a better job sorting this out!
In this example, responding to the insult only escalated the situation. But if you remain calm and professional and focus on the solution, you can de-escalate the situation and potentially turn your rude customer into a more satisfied one.
Example 2
RUDE CUSTOMER: You people are just hopeless! Don’t any of you have a brain! It’s like none of you even completed school!
SERVICE PROVIDER: Mr Brand, I agree that this is really frustrating, what I’m going to do for you is contact the supplier and have them provide you with a replacement model as soon as possible.
In this second scenario, the customer service provider has re-orientated the discussion around the solution, instead of focusing on the rude insult itself. So remember, stay calm, stay professional and focus on the solution.
Points to take away:
• Always remain calm when dealing with rude customers.
• Refrain from escalating the situation.
• Focus on the solution and maintain your professionalism.
