Retailers love their customers. After all, customers are the people that keep you in business. But sometimes they make it difficult to love them. Really difficult. There is an art to dealing with rude customers, but if you master it, you’ll be better able to take the negatives in stride. You can even transform rude customers into some of your most loyal fans.

What’s the problem here?

Customers can be rude – or downright angry – for lots of reasons. Maybe someone is crabby because they’re not feeling well or having a bad day. Give them a break – you’ve had those days yourself. What should concern you is customers who are unhappy because of something directly related to your store, service, or merchandise.

Sadly, many upset customers expect an adversarial experience and a poor outcome. This is one time you do not want to meet their expectations – it's important to have a plan in place on how to deal with rude customers. 

These 7 tips will help you determine what’s wrong, so you can devise a positive outcome:

1. Apologize and empathize right away. Even if you don’t agree with them, as a retailer you are sorry they’re having a negative experience with your store. Tell them right away you will do everything possible to resolve their problem, because you want them to continue shopping with you.

2. Then listen. Often, the main thing an unhappy customer wants is someone who cares enough to hear them out. So don’t interrupt, let them tell their story. Ask questions to clarify and/or take notes if you need to. Ask them what resolution seems best to them.

3. Take the high road. Stay calm in manner and voice, resisting the urge to yell back at them. Watch your body language and make eye contact.

4. Fix the problem immediately, if possible. It’s often better to bend your rules if necessary – hiding behind “policy” usually makes people more irritated. Your goal is to make things right. If you can’t do that right away, follow up with the customer as quickly as possible with the resolution. They’ll be pleasantly surprised, perhaps even shocked. And they’ll remember your effort to help them.
   
   
5. If the customer is beyond rude – loud and making a scene – move the “discussion” to someplace private. An out-of-control, angry customer makes other customers uncomfortable, and that’s bad for business. Besides, without an audience, your irate customer may calm down a notch, making it easier to have a more productive conversation.
   
   
6. If dealing with the customer was particularly draining, give yourself a few minutes to relax before going back to work. You don’t want to be inadvertently rude to the next person you see.
   
   
7. Use this detailed checklist to train your staff on how to effectively field calls and visits from unhappy customers.

When you select merchandise and display arrangements for your store, you do it through your customers’ eyes. If there’s a problem, keep that perspective. It’s your job to give them the best possible experience.

Following these tips will make rude customers less stressful for you, and it can do wonders for your reputation as a store that puts genuine commitment behind “customer service.”

Palmer Retail Solutions strives to offer our clients the absolute best combination of innovation, quality, service, and value for our diversified custom store fixtures and merchandising displays. For more information about our designs, retail fixtures, cash wraps, kiosks, or point of purchase displays, visit our website at: http://www.palmerretailsolutions.com.