The Keys to Effective Customer Service

Retail management is a career path that’s fraught with peril. Training sales staff, keeping up with consumer trends and staying on your feet for long periods are all challenges you’ll have to face on a daily basis. However, this isn’t to say that a career in sales can’t be rewarding. Not only do managers generally bring home respectable salaries, they get to meet and work with a fascinating assortment of individuals from all walks of life.

If there’s one thing all retail professionals share in common, it’s their disdain for difficult-to-please customers. Virtually any retail professional you speak with will have an array of horror stories about disgruntled patrons he or she is dying to share. One angry customer has the power to ruin someone’s entire day, leaving them shaken, sullen and wary of dealing with other patrons. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to stop argumentative customers in their tracks and stave off nasty verbal altercations in the process. If disagreeable shoppers have you at your wit’s end, take care to utilize the following pointers.

Don’t Interpret Customer Grievances as Personal Attacks

When dealing with a disgruntled customer, it can be difficult not to interpret their anger as a personal attack. After all, if someone is raising their voice to you or expressing displeasure in response to service you’ve provided, it’s only natural to assume this person’s grievance is personal in nature. At times like this, it’s important to keep in mind that this person doesn’t even know you. In all likelihood, they’re unhappy with one of your store’s policies and are using you as a buffer for their frustration. This doesn’t necessarily excuse their behavior, but it certainly puts things into perspective. Adopting this mindset will enable you to remain calm throughout unpleasant exchanges with disgruntled customers, thus preventing the situation from spiraling out of control.

Keep Popular Items on the Shelves

Few things elicit as much frustration from shoppers as big-ticket items being consistently out-of-stock. In the age of Internet shopping, having immediate access to the items you purchase is one of the biggest draws of traditional retail establishments. If they can’t have the item(s) they wish to purchase same-day, what’s to prevent them from taking their business to Amazon? An inability to keep popular items on the shelves doesn’t bode well for your store – or its reputation among local consumers. With this in mind, order new shipments of hot-selling items before your existing stock runs out, and enlist the aid of a top-notch transport company, like Landstar System, Inc.

Take Some Time to Decompress

Following a heated exchange with an angry customer, many people remain on-edge for the remainder of their shifts. This inevitably prompts them to be curt and snippy with other patrons, effectively paving the way for some legitimate customer complaints. Just as the customer you dealt with vented his frustrations at you, you’ll essentially be doing the same thing to innocent patrons. If you’ve just received a tongue-lashing from a particularly unpleasant customer, take a 10 to 15-minute break to decompress – and encourage your sales staff to do the same. This ensures that you’ll be able to return to work with a clear head and refreshed demeanor.

Anyone who’s worked in retail for more than a day knows how demanding this profession can be. Still, most salespeople don’t know true aggravation until facing off against their first disgruntled customer. However, despite all their bluster, there’s no reason to live in fear of combative patrons. Refusing to take customer attacks personally, consistently keeping popular items in stock and engaging in self-imposed cool-off periods will do wonders for your customer service.

About the Author: Caroline Bates is a store owner and sales manager with nearly 20 years of experience in retail. To ensure that all of her merchandise arrive on-schedule, she regularly enlists the services of Landstar System, Inc.

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