Calming Upset Customers

Calming Upset Customers: Staying Effective During Unpleasant Situations

Learn what gets customers upset, what they want, and how to calm them. Assess your calming skills and attitudes. Know why it’s important to calm these customers and turn them into satisfied customers. Understand how to avoid upsetting them in the first place. Make sure to use words that defuse defensiveness, rather than make the customer erupt. Know how to compose yourself and serve the next customer after the altercation. And managers, learn guidelines for what to do with your upset employee.

Having sold over 250,000 copies, this business bestseller has been featured on Oprah Winfrey, 60 Mintues, National Public Radio and in USA Today and many other internatinal periodicals.

Review of the third edition, by Harold McFarland, Editor, Readers Preference Reviews

“Calming Upset Customers is basically a workbook for dealing with difficult customers. It…explains…why customer satisfaction is so important and the various things that can be done to convert an upset customer into a happy customer. It is about solving…problems at the employee level before they become major problems.

“[T]his book is an excellent resource for anyone who has to deal directly with customers. The workbook format with various excercises throughout make this book an excellent training tool. It is a recommended read, but probably its best use would be to purchase a stack of them and hand it out to all new employees when they are hired. This is the minimum that every person involved in customer contact should know.”

By reading this book and completing the exercises, you will learn:

  • Why it’s important to calm upset customers
  • Why you want customers to complain
  • Six things you can learn about upset customers
  • Why customers become upset
  • What you can do to prevent customers from getting upset
  • How your words make a difference
  • What the upset customer wants
  • How to diffuse defensiveness
  • What to do after the customer has left
  • What managers need to know about calming upset customers

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

    Assessing your calming skills and attitudes

Part 1: Why Is It Important to Calm Upset Customers?

    Why It Is Important to calm upset customers 

    Upset customers don’t return

    You want customers to complain

    Look at it as a learning opportunity

Part 2: Why Do Customers Get Upset?

    Why customers get upset 

    A customer could be upset because…

    What are avoidable upsets

    Returning calls

Part 3: What Can You Do To Prevent Their Upset?

    What you can do 

    Your personal presentation (grooming, dress)

    Nonverbal communication/body language

    Your words make a difference

    Watch your words

Part 4: How Do You Calm Upset Customers?

    Calming Upset Customers 

    What do upset customers want?

    Listening habits

    More words to watch

    Additional pointers

    Calming customers over the phone

    Practice

Part 5: What Do You Do After the Customer Is Gone?

    After the customer’s gone 

    Incident review

    Don’t take it personally or bore your co-workers

Part 6: What Are Guidelines for Managers?

    Guidelines for managers 

    Creating an environment for customer satisfaction

    Using this book for a staff meeting

    When managers calm upset customers
    Managing upset employees

Review: What did we cover?

    Assessments