Support agents dread dealing with angry customers. Getting a phone call or email from someone who is obviously upset with the quality of the product or service they have received is never much fun.
But one thing to remember is that such customers are never a lost cause.
Sometimes, if the level of support provided goes above and beyond what they expect, you can actually turn these customers around so that they become your biggest fans. Here are some of the ways you can do just that.
Provide Comprehensive Training to Your Support Agents
The first thing you should do is focus on training your support agents to provide a high level of customer service, with a special focus on those cases where they have to go the extra mile to make a customer happy.
Explain in their training how they should be polite and courteous no matter how angry the customer is, as well as being professional at all times. They should also be genuine without just going through the motions, and above all, they should never be rude.
Also, make a point of apologizing to the customer. They are complaining because something has gone wrong, and you need them to know how sorry you are that the service has not been up to scratch.
If you make sure your agents follow these guidelines, you can help to prevent things from getting out of hand, and it is the first stage of turning things around for the customers who have been affected.
Respond Quickly to Every Ticket
A fast response is essential when you want to provide a first-rate level of support to angry customers. One of the best ways to do this is to use specialist help desk software.
For example, software like SysAid’s help desk comes with a whole slew of features that makes responding to tickets quick and easy.
Chief among these is the ability to automate the process. This will ensure the ticket gets through to the right person on the support team as quickly as possible, and the agent can then provide the solution quickly and efficiently.
If a ticket does not get resolved, specialist software can ensure that it does not get forgotten. This will minimize delays, making the experience better.
In addition, you may be able to offer a live chat feature. This allows customers to resolve their problems quickly and easily without having to wait for a reply.
Tell Them You Are Working On a Solution
You can also use help desk software to immediately let the customer know that you are looking into their situation. As soon as they send in their ticket, you can set up the system to send an automatic reply confirming receipt and explaining that you will be looking into it shortly.
This is great for the customer because they know that their complaint is now in the system. But it’s also good for your support agents because the customer is less likely to send in a follow-up ticket, which they might do if they don’t think you have received the first one.
Let Them Help Themselves
One of the best ways to provide top-level support to your customers is to actually allow them to help themselves. If you have the right help desk software in place, you can do this by setting up a knowledge base.
A knowledge base is a repository of information that is accessible by all your customers. In it, you can create answers to all the most common questions, as well as those issues that are less common. Your customers can then quickly search this library of knowledge to find the answers they need.
This can be quicker for them than sending in a ticket and waiting for a response. Many people prefer to search for answers themselves, and as long as you have a detailed knowledge base that is intuitive and easy to search, this can be the best way to help your customers.
On top of this, it takes the pressure off your support agents because they will not have to spend time responding to tickets that the customer has solved on their own.
Turn Upset Customers into Success Stories
A great support team combined with the right help desk software and comprehensive training can help you to turn around your customer support and provide a better experience to all your customers. This is especially important when customers are upset with the service or products they have received.
If you get it right, you can provide a positive experience to these customers and turn them around so that they go from being frustrated customers to your biggest fans.