Keep Your Head Level

If a customer comes up to you in the throes of a temper tantrum, don’t panic! 

Nothing will be resolved if there is tension between you and the customer. 

Take a deep breath and show that you are confident in your business and your ability to help this person. 

Don’t match the person’s tone if they are upset; be the catalyst to help calm things down.

Listen Closely to What They Have to Say

One of the biggest mistakes you could make when handling an angry customer is not giving them the chance to explain the situation. 

If you try to rush them through to get to a quick solution, the customer will feel like you don’t care about their concerns and are just trying to get them out of your hair. 

Give the customer time to explain the problem; even if they ramble, just grin and bare it while using your attentive listening skills to hear them out.

Empathize and Apologize

Alter a customer is finished venting about the problem, they want to know that you can empathize with them. 

Let them know that you understand why they are upset. 

There is no need to be all business; let your softer side show through. 

Even if you don’t believe that your business made a mistake, always apologize to let the customer know that you acknowledge the inconvenience and care about what they think of you.

Offer a Solution

The main reason that a dissatisfied customer approaches you is to let you know they are unhappy, and they would like to see action taken. 

If you are unsure as to what direction to take, ask your customer what a fitting solution would be for them, within reason of course. 

Or if you feel confident enough, you can offer a fair and realistic fix for the problem.

Don’t Take It Personally

When someone storms up to you in anger and frustration, it can be easy to become defensive as a natural response. 

Try to remember that the customer is not angry at your personally; they are dissatisfied with the performance of your products or services. 

You should never start an argument in your defense; this will solve nothing and can cause the situation to escalate. 

Having thick skin is a requirement for small business owners who deal with customer complaints.

Learn from What Happened

While you simply can’t please everybody all the time, it is crucial to learn from these unpleasant situations. Slip-ups and mistakes do happen—you are only human, after all. 

Don’t allow yourself to stress over what happened and instead use it as a means of reflection for how you conduct business. 

What worked and what didn’t work? 

What could you have done differently? 

Every mistake, no matter how minor, is an opportunity for you to learn and improve your small business.