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1.       Always listen to everything the customer has to say before providing any kind of answer. 

      Ask questions to gain greater clarification of problem.  Then assure them that you understand the problem by sincerely restating their problem to them.

2.       Assure customer that you empathize with him.

     You know this problem is a bad thing, and you, also, hate being inconvenienced by these types of things.  However, don’t go too far with the empathy, to where you bad-mouth other people, departments, vendors, etc.  You don’t want to seem like you are passing the buck or looking for someone else to blame.  That is of no help to the customer. 

3.       Don’t be negative; frame information in the positive. 

      Get the customer to articulate what problem resolution would look like to him in this specific case.  Find out as soon as possible what it will take to resolve this customer’s problem to his satisfaction.  If customer makes an impossible request, avoid saying “no,” but rather, say what it is you can do to address the customer’s needs.

4.       So don’t take anything an angry customer says personally. 

      Take it seriously, but not personally.  The customer is angry, but not necessarily angry at you.  In fact, the customer’s anger may not have anything to with you or your organization.  They could be having a bad day, or be in pain, or just cranky.  Keep this in mind, and try to let the customer that you are in fact an ally who can assist him in his problem resolution.  The problem is the enemy, not you! 

5.       Defuse an angry customer quickly with the assurance that the problem will be addressed. 

      They need to know right away that they are speaking to the person responsible for that resolution.  As soon as you figure out how to resolve the customer’s problem, tell him what you’re going to do, get his approval, then do what needs to be done.  Once everything is complete, re-contact the customer to confirm that the issue has been satisfactorily resolved.  Use that opportunity to apologize again.  Do this immediately; do not let angry customers stew for long.

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