The Art of Transforming Angry Moving Company Customers Into Loyal Advocates
Dealing with the occasional angry customer is an inevitable part of running a moving business. It’s not pleasant, and in fact it’s one of the leading causes of workplace stress. And if not handled properly, angry customers can eat up a lot of your moving company’s time and resources. But there are proven steps you can take to turn those angry moving customers into loyal fans. In fact, customers who have had their problems resolved satisfactorily tend to be more loyal than customers who never had a problem in the first place.
Below are a few best practices from moving company customer service pros:
1. First and foremost, avoid the #1 mistake – a quick fix. When faced with an angry moving company customer, most business owners and employees assume they just want the problem fixed. But what the angry customer wants first and foremost is to be heard and have their emotional state acknowledged.
2. Acknowledge the customer’s feelings. A customer might be angry for a number of reasons – lost or damaged items, a moving company insurance situation, a driver misunderstanding, or just a bad day. Listen carefully to their grievances, acknowledge that they have a right to be angry, and let them know you understand their feelings.
3. Don’t fight fire with fire. You won’t solve anything by responding to your moving customer’s emotional state by getting angry yourself. Remain calm and attentive, and continue to acknowledge their feelings as you work with them to identify the problem. Think of the situation as an interesting business challenge – not a personal attack. Whatever you do, never interrupt.
4. Speak in a soft, even tone. If an angry customer is speaking loudly and assertively, maintain a soft and steady tone. If you speak louder than them, they’ll likely hear only your tone and not your message. Wait for the customer to finish their tirade and then speak. If you speak softly, they will eventually have to calm down to hear what you have to say.
5. Summarize and own the problem. Once you understand the situation, restate it back to the customer so they know for sure they’ve been heard. Even if the problem isn’t your fault, don’t assign blame. By trying to blame another person, department or event, you’ll only make the customer feel powerless, which can only heighten their anger. Show them you’re willing to take full responsibility for the problem, either by dealing with it yourself or getting management involved.
6. Remember to manage the moving company customer first and the problem second. When dealing with an angry customer, you’re managing two issues – the emotion and the problem. Acknowledge the customer’s feelings first and help them calm down. Since it might take hours, days or even weeks to fully solve the problem, you want to ensure that their emotions toward you are favorable before trying to find the solution.
7. Dig deeper into the problem. Try to find out what went wrong and why the problem occurred to begin with. This will show the customer that you’re sincere about not only solving the issue, but making sure it doesn’t happen again.
8. Correct the problem. You can’t always solve a problem immediately, especially if damaged goods are involved. Be clear about the steps you intend to take to address the issue, then follow through.
9. Follow Up. Once the issue has been resolved, follow up with a phone call or email. This will demonstrate that you sincerely care about how the customer feels about your company.
By practicing the simple art of listening and showing compassion, you can turn angry moving customers into satisfied ones. You might even turn them into loyal fans of your business, and that goes a long way toward protecting your reputation.
FVP Insurance helps moving companies move ahead with industry best practices and smart moving company insurance strategies. Get the FVP Insurance Get Started Kit now!
