{"id":31940,"date":"2019-05-22T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/the-customer-is-angry-and-its-not-your-fault\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T20:06:10","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T20:06:10","slug":"the-customer-is-angry-and-its-not-your-fault","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-strategies\/the-customer-is-angry-and-its-not-your-fault\/","title":{"rendered":"The Customer Is Angry \u2013 And, It\u2019s Not Your Fault"},"content":{"rendered":"\"\"<\/a>Imagine this. The customer on the phone \u2013 or in person \u2013 is raging mad. You can hear it in their voice \u2013 or see it in their eyes. You brace yourself. You\u2019re ready to take the lashing this customer is about to give you. You know you personally did nothing to offend and upset this customer. But somebody did something, or something happened, that made this customer want to lash out at you. Then you find out\u2026\r\n\r\nYour company did nothing wrong!<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe anger had nothing to do with anything related to your company. Something else caused the customer to become upset. I\u2019ve seen customers scream at servers in restaurants, flight attendants on airplanes, and customer service reps \u2013 for things that they and their companies had no control over.\r\n\r\nPerhaps the customer had a flat tire on the way to an important meeting. Maybe they lost an important sale. Maybe they didn\u2019t sleep well the night before. It doesn\u2019t matter. The company and the employee were not at fault.\r\n\r\nSo, here\u2019s the lesson. Typically, when a customer is upset<\/a>, it is a problem or complaint caused by the company. That\u2019s when we put our best customer service skills to use, turning the negative situation around and restoring the customer\u2019s confidence. Once in a while, the customer\u2019s problem is out of our control. What do you do then?\r\n\r\nYou may have heard this line from me before, but it is truer than ever in these circumstances:\r\n

It may not be your fault, but it is your opportunity.<\/em><\/p>\r\nThat line typically refers to a customer calling with a complaint or problem<\/a> that is the company\u2019s fault \u2013 or at least one that is perceived as such \u2013 and the person helping the customer becomes the face of the company, even if the complaint had nothing to do with them personally. However, this time the line refers to outside circumstances that have nothing to do with the company. The sentiment still applies. It\u2019s still an opportunity to listen to the customer, empathize with their problem, give a little sympathy, and then show them how good you and your company are \u2013 regardless of whatever the problem is and who is to blame.\r\n\r\nThat\u2019s what the best companies do. That\u2019s what the best customer-focused people do. They make their customers feel good\u2026 in every situation, regardless of who\u2019s at fault! Wouldn\u2019t you want someone to do the same for you? The companies and employees that succeed are the ones who keep this in mind and treat their customers how they would want and deserve to be treated.\r\n\r\n