5 Ways to Magically Transform Awkward Clients into Happy Clients!

No matter how great your customer service is, or the nature of your business, you will inevitably have to deal with an unhappy client at some point. Even if you rarely make mistakes and treat all your clients with the utmost respect, sooner or later you’re bound to make some error in judgement or fail to meet your client’s expectations.

Whilst these can be difficult situations to manage, it’s important not to let them discourage you and remember that many of your clients are probably very happy with the work you do for them.
Dealing with difficult customers can be challenging, but if you handle the situation well, you may even be able to improve your working relationship with them and create further opportunities. Here are five tactics to help you to deal with cantankerous clients, so that they become your biggest fans!

1. Maintain regular communication with your client

Regular communication can often prevent misunderstandings and a build-up of bad feeling in the first place, and I always say that prevention is always better than cure! Now, I’m not suggesting you hassle your clients all the time, but it is good practice to introduce a regular call or meeting, just to check how things are going and enable clients to highlight any potential problems. It will show your clients you really care about their satisfaction and want to keep on top of any issues that may arise.

2. Be honest and admit when things have gone wrong

If you or one of your team has made a mistake, your client will have more respect for you if you own up to it, rather than ignoring it, making excuses, making light of the situation or passing the buck. By admitting the mistake and taking ownership, your client will see that you value the relationship and want to put things right, and you will show that you genuinely care about ensuring their ongoing satisfaction with your service.

3. Demonstrate empathy and a desire to resolve the situation

A good idea is to literally ask your client what you can do to make them happy; listen to their concerns; then work together on a plan of action to resolve the issue. Often customers will ask for a lot less than you might be expecting because all they really want to know is that you care and want to put things right.
Keep your focus on the outcome that your client wants to achieve and most importantly, always immediately apologise if you or someone in your team has failed to meet their expectations, even if you don’t feel it is justified.

4. Accept that conflict is sometimes necessary for better results.

I can’t think of anyone I know who enjoys conflict with clients but, sometimes, disruption is essential for gaining better results and a deeper understanding of your client’s needs. Managing conflict well builds trust, respect and loyalty and may lead to your customer being a more devoted fan than they were before. Yes, conflict is uncomfortable, but the longer you put it off, the worse it will be.

5. Know when it’s time to say goodbye

Finally, if none of the above resolves the problem and you feel you’ve done everything you can, perhaps it’s time to end the relationship and put it down to a learning experience. Not all client relationships work out the way you want them to but, whatever happens, you should always aim to part on good terms and not burn any bridges. Even if they decide your service is not right for them right now, there’s always a chance they will return to you in the future if you remain pleasant, polite and professional throughout the process.

Customer care is always the priority for Extra Help®

Here at Extra Help®, we are genuinely passionate about great customer service. Therefore, we train our franchisees from Day One on the importance of putting the customer at the heart of everything they do.

We ensure that all franchisees are fully aware of the complaints procedures we have in place and use the benefit of our experience in running our own franchise to teach them how to avoid issues, resolve conflict, should it arise, and keep their customers loyal and happy.

This particularly holds true when dealing with elderly or vulnerable people, so we ensure that our franchisees are aware of and follow the correct processes we have in place. They must always complete the necessary paperwork with their customers, as well as making sure a friend or relative is present at any meetings with elderly or vulnerable clients and is prepared to be a second signatory for their business agreements. They are also trained to document every contact they have with customers and ensure their home-helpers maintain a day book for each client so that, in the event of a problem or complaint, they always have detailed records to refer back to.

In this way, we aim to keep our clients happy and, most importantly, secure in the knowledge that they are in the best possible hands.

Until next time,
CLAIRE ROBINSON