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In a
perfect world there would be no angry
customers. The product would work flawlessly,
it would arrive on time, and no customer would
wait—listening to elevator music—for 30
minutes. But absent that perfect world, you
will have angry customers. And they will send
angry e-mails. Whether you’re hearing from your
angry customer by phone or e-mail, your goals
are similar: fix the problem and convert an
angry customer into your biggest fan.
Follow these
ten tips for answering e-mail from angry
customers and you’ll solve the customer’s
problem and soothe his anger.
1. Restate The
Problem
Before you
answer an angry customer’s e-mail, show that
you understand the problem. If the customer has
included all relevant information in the
e-mail, you should simply restate the problem
and then set about solving it. Quote or
paraphrase the customer’s own wording to show
you’ve read his e-mail carefully. Include all
relevant information you have about the
customer: purchase history, account number,
previous customer service contact, etc. But if
you don’t understand the problem completely,
see Tip 2. 2. Ask For
Clarification
Angry
customers may not write clearly. The customer
may be unskilled or his e-mail may have
degenerated into a rant about the company
rather than an explanation of the problem. So
you may have to ask the customer to clarify the
problem: “I need some more information to solve
your problem with the replacement parts for
your storm door handle. Were the parts you
received broken, or did you receive the wrong
parts?” You may also
have to clarify how the customer would like the
problem resolved. “Do you want us to rush the
parts to you overnight or do you want a
refund?” Unless you clearly understand the
problem and the preferred solution, you’re
bound to make the customer even angrier.
3. Personalize Your
Response
Nothing
infuriates an angry customer more than the
feeling that no one is listening. “Dear
Customer: Thank you for your e-mail. We take
our customers’ problems seriously and are glad
to hear from you.” So, personalize e-mail to an
angry customer to reassure him that he’s being
heard loud and clear. Use the customer’s name
and title: Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr. Or use the
customer’s signature as your salutation: Jim
Jeffries, Dr. Jeffries, Jim.
Review the
customer’s account information and incorporate
it into your response. “We’re proud that you’ve
selected us as your ISP for the last six years,
and we would like the opportunity to keep you
as a satisfied customer.” Sign your e-mail. An
angry customer needs to know a real human is
trying to solve his problem.
4. Tell The Customer
How You Will Respond To The
Problem
Angry people
want action, so you must specifically explain
how you will resolve the problem. If the
resolution is complicated, outline the steps
you will take. If possible, tell the customer
when actions will occur: We will overnight the
parts to you so you receive them by 10:00 a.m.
tomorrow. We will immediately trace the
shipment to see exactly what went wrong. We
will issue a credit for the shipping costs;
this credit will appear on your next statement.
5. If You Have Good News, Put
It First
If you can
make the customer happy, put the good news
first and the empathy second. Good news: “We
are happy to refund your money, as you
requested.” Empathy: “We understand the
frustration of receiving the Christmas gift
after Christmas.” But if you can’t make the
customer happy—if you have to tell the customer
no—put the empathy first and the “bad news”
second. Empathy: “We understand the frustration
of receiving the Christmas gift after
Christmas.” Bad news: “We can't refund your
money because you ordered the camera after our
guaranteed shipping date.” 6. Use A Polite, Positive
Tone
You may be
tempted to match the customer’s angry or
accusatory tone: “You dropped the camera on
your cement driveway. Our warranty does not
cover your incompetence.” But you should never
match fire with fire; you’ll only get more
e-mail! Keep your tone polite and positive:
“The problem you’re having seems to be the
result of the camera falling on your driveway.
We’re sorry to have to tell you that our
warranty covers camera malfunctions caused by
manufacturing defects only.”
7. Avoid Scolding The
Customer
Emphasize the
pronouns I and we rather than you. Don’t write:
“Your order was not filled because you didn’t
include your mailing address on the order
form.” Do write: “We didn’t fill your order
because we didn’t have your mailing address.”
8. Acknowledge The
Customer’s Pain and Suffering
Maybe the
problem is not your company’s fault, or maybe
you can’t fix the problem. But you can
acknowledge the customer’s frustration.
Empathize with the customer: “We know that
having our server down—regardless of the
reason—has made it difficult for you to do your
job.” 9. When You Are At Fault,
Apologize
When your
company is at fault, apologize. Make your
apology genuine and specific. Don’t write:
“We’re sorry for the confusion regarding your
scholarship application.” Do write: “We
apologize for posting the wrong date on your
scholarship application. We’ve corrected this
error.” Never put a but in an apology. Don’t
write: “We’re sorry it took us a full week to
process your credit application, but you
provided two addresses and it took us extra
time to verify both.” Do write: “We are sorry
for the delay in processing your credit
application; we were verifying both addresses
you provided.” 10. Satisfy the
Customer by Offering Something Of
Value
If your
policy allows, give your angry customer a
product, a discount, or a rebate: “We can offer
you a $50 discount on the purchase of a new
camera.” Or give something else of value: a
software upgrade, a whitepaper download, even a
follow-up e-mail a couple of weeks later to
check on the situation. Answering
angry e-mails is hard work. And unlike when you
resolve a problem for a customer on the phone,
e-mail doesn’t give you the chance to hear the
relief in the customer’s voice or experience,
in real time, the gratification of turning the
customer’s anger into appreciation. Your
satisfaction may come from keeping problems
from escalating out of control. As the
acclaimed social commentator H.L. Mencken
pointed out: “Every normal man must be tempted
at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the
black flag, and begin slitting throats.” You’ve
done your job well if you’ve diffused your
customer’s anger while he is still spitting
upon his hands.
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