Aggressive customers can be very frightening.Don't confuse them with assertive customers who just insist on their rights; this article is about the customers that ruin the experience for other customers, and make unreasonable demands.They can grow aggressive if they put their hands on employees or cause damage to property.If you work in the service sector, you should be aware of how to deal with aggressive customers.
Step 1: Stay calm, that's all.
Raising your energy level to theirs is the worst thing you can do in a situation like this.You have to stay engaged with the customer without letting your own temper get the better of you.Raising your voice is the most obvious thing to avoid.Don't be mean to the customer.You will tell them that you don't care and that will make them angry.If you can, try to maintain a soothing voice and mask any frustration you might feel.
Step 2: Don't let your body language affect you.
It is easy to see aggression and anger in other people's bodies, but be aware of the messages your own body is sending to the customer.It isn't enough to simply keep your voice down, you must soothe the customer's mood with all the communicative devices in your arsenal.Rolling your eyes or putting your hands on your hips are some of the ways to control and avoid.
Step 3: Don't go into the customer's space.
When everyone is calm, violating someone's personal space can be seen as a show of aggression or lack of care.Aggressive customers should be given a larger area of personal space when people get angry.They may think you are trying to show aggression of your own, or that you aren't taking the situation seriously because they've grown agitated.To reinforce the physical distance between you and the customer, try to stand behind a counter, table, or another barrier.
Step 4: Listen to what the customer has to say.
No matter how unreasonable the customer is, there may be a truth to what they are saying.Allowing the customer to air their grievances will hopefully stop the situation from getting worse.You are showing them that you care about the customer's experience, gaining them good will.If you want to respond to something the customer has said, don't interrupt them.Allow them to talk themselves out if they are being unreasonable.Positive communication signals can be used to show you are listening and engaging with the customer.Demonstrating concern on the customer's behalf at the appropriate moments with facial expressions, nodding along, and maintaining eye contact are examples.
Step 5: To understand the problem, ask questions.
You need to understand why a customer is upset in order to calm them down.Wait until there is a gap in the conversation to ask guided questions that will help you understand what is going on, if the customer is so worked up that they are ranting instead of providing you with useful information that you could use to assess and resolve the situation.Wait for an opportunity to speak before cutting the customer off.Is this the first time you've had an issue at our business?I know how to instruct our staff to improve customer experience, but can you tell me more about your previous problems?Tell me what happened today.What was the cause of your bad experience?Is there a single action that ruined your experience with us or is there more to it?Is there a large or small change we need to make?Which employee are you upset with right now?Do our whole staff need to be addressed about their performance or just one person?If another employee is involved, use your discretion to decide whether or not to involve the customer in the conversation.
Step 6: Try to find a solution.
Ask the customer what you can do to make them feel better.Give them what they ask for if it's reasonable and within your power.Aggressive customers are sometimes irrational in their demands.It is possible to strike a compromise.If you were authorized to give the customer what they wanted, but not if you did, you would be punished.You can give them whatever you want.You can call a manager.If the customer wants something that is not authorized, call a manager or supervisor to see if it can be authorized.
Step 7: There are consequences for their behavior.
If you feel like a situation is getting out of control and threatening your personal safety or the positive experience of your other customers, tell the angry customer that you will ask them to leave if they don't control their frustration.Everyone loses their temper from time to time, so give them a chance to control it.Don't point your finger at them or raise your voice.Tell them what the next steps will be if they don't change their behavior.You can say things like "I understand that you're frustrated, but we both need to be calm to resolve this situation."Your bad experience is making the experience worse for the rest of our customers.We'd like to work with you to fix the situation, but don't you agree that the rest of the people here have a right to a pleasant experience too?
Step 8: Explain the reason you want them to leave.
The slogan "the customer is always right" is often used by customers who don't realize that they can be wrong.Explain to the customer that their abusive behavior is threatening, and that they are ruining the experience for all of their other customers, who have just as much right to good service as they do.You don't have a right to be abusive towards our staff.I am happy to work with you to resolve this situation, but you are making me feel uncomfortable."As an employee, it's my job to protect my colleagues and patrons, so I have to ask you to leave the building."I will have to call the police if you don't remove yourself from this situation.
Step 9: Remove the customer from the establishment.
Move toward the exit yourself and ask the customer to follow you.Lead the way even if the customer doesn't respond immediately.When the customer sees that the object of their anger is moving away, they will follow you to the exit.In order to protect the safety and experience of the people in your business, it is important to remove the customer from the premises.When a customer is removed from the business, they will move on even if they are still upset.Before you return to work, allow them to leave the business on their own.They might follow you back in if they see you immediately go inside.
Step 10: Don't put your hands on a customer.
If you feel that the customer has grown threatening to you, you should not touch him.Touching someone who is too upset could cause them to react badly.If the customer becomes physically aggressive to you, someone else, or themselves, you can try to prevent injury by subduing them.
Step 11: If it's necessary, call the security or the police.
If you don't feel safe around the customer or if the situation is disrupting your business, call the police or a security service.Get the customer outside of your business to limit their impact.You don't have a legal right to physically detain the customer unless they physically attack someone.Do your best to get the customer out of your establishment if they put their hands on someone.If they won't leave, move employees and customers away from the aggressive customer to protect them from physical harm.Don't try to engage the customer, stay calm and respectful.You should disengage and wait for the authorities because you have done everything you can to resolve the situation.Instead of keeping the phone numbers in the back office, keep them easily accessible for the entire staff.Employees call the manager when customers get out of hand.All employees need to know how to reach out for help if the situation gets out of hand because the manager is already busy with it.Post the phone numbers somewhere out of the way of customer traffic, but regularly visited by employees, such as behind a cash register or an employee break room.Make sure the number is legible.Print the number out using a computer if you have bad handwriting.
Step 12: When asking a drunk customer to leave use discretion.
You may be held responsible for the actions of someone who left your establishment if you served enough alcohol to get them to that state.Offer to call a cab for the customer if they seem drunk.Ask a sober friend to drive them home if they are with a group.Write down a description of the car and call the police if they insist on driving themselves.