2. Difficult Customers
Mastering interactions with difficult
customers involves five steps :
1. Determining the reason for the problem
2. Identifying the root cause
3. Rectifying the situation
4. Restoring the relationship
5. Fixing what needs to be fixed
3. Difficult Customers
By the end of this lesson you should know:
How to determine the reason for a customer’s problem
calmly and with empathy
With the available information, how to determine the root
cause of the problem
How to rectify the situation once you have the root cause
How to restore the broken relationship between the
customer and Mama’s Subs
How to fix the problem so that it does not happen again
4. Step 1: Determining the reason
for the problem
The first step is the most critical: it is where you find
out why the customer is upset
What you say and how you say it are important
Remember, your customer is upset; you do not want to
do anything to make them more frustrated
5. Determining the reason for the
problem
Apologize
The first words you should say are, “I’m sorry”
It is important to apologize to the customer, whether or not you
or Mama’s Subs is at fault
Assure the customer you are going to help
When you give your assurance up front, it can help you put your
customer in a different frame of mind
EX: “I’m so sorry that happened, ma’am. I’ll be happy to help
you.”
Restate the customer’s opening statement
Customers who are upset or angry may not communicate well.
By first repeating their opening statement, you will ensure you
are on the right track
6. Determining the reason for the
problem
Listen carefully
After assuring the customer you are going to help, listen to
the details of the problem without interrupting.
Listen to the complaint, and you will discover why the
customer is upset
Write down key details
Pay attention to clues that will help you understand what
happened
Make note of details that will help you solve the problem
(e.g., who the customer was giving orders to at the time of
the incident)
7. Determining the reason for the
problem
Display empathy
Before you proceed, let the customer know that you
understand their feelings
Try to put yourself in the customer’s shoes
No matter how the customer speaks to you, look at the
problem from their perspective
Remain Composed
It is important that you stay composed from the beginning
to the end of your interaction with a difficult customer
Becoming defensive and mirroring a customer’s behavior
will only agitate the customer further
By maintaining self-control, you will give yourself time to
analyze the cause for the customer’s frusteration
8. Step 2: Identifying the root cause
Once you determine why the customer is upset, your
next step is to figure out the cause of the problem
It is not enough to simply know the reason for the
problem; you have to dig deeper to determine the root
cause
9. Identifying the root cause
Investigate the situation
Once you have determined what the problem is, ask the
customer politely to hold on while you find out what happened
This may mean asking fellow coworkers if they know anything
about the situation
It may also mean going to the restaurant manager to explain
the situation and determine if they know anything
Determine if the customer has a valid complaint
After investigating and gathering information, determine
whether the customer’s complaint is legitimate
Even if you cannot determine a valid cause for the compliant,
it may still be advisable to rule in favor of the customer
You may not know who was responsible for the problem, but that
does not mean the customer’s complaint is invalid
10. Identifying the root cause
Apologize again if necessary
If your investigation leads to the conclusion that someone at
Mama’s Subs is at fault, take responsibility and apologize again
Apologizing again reiterates your concern and desire to make
things right with difficult customers
Explain what happened
Keep emotion out of your voice and be strict to the facts
Be truthful, even if it means saying Mama’s Subs made a
mistake (you will not be fired for telling the truth)
Covering up, behaving evasive, or lying is not an acceptable
policy
11. Step 3: Rectifying the situation
You have investigated the situation and
determined the cause of the problem;
now it is time to offer a solution
If you can rectify the problem to the
customer’s satisfaction, you get off easy
More than likely, that is not going to be
the case, and you are going to offer a
solution a customer does not want to
hear
What you say and how you say it make a
big difference in the customer’s
response
12. Rectifying the situation
Tell the customer what you will do to solve the problem
Speak clearly and explain specifically what you will be able
to do to rectify the problem
If you are handling a customer who is extremely upset or
difficult, take a deep breath to calm your nerves and think
about what you will say before proceeding
Focus on what you can do
Always focus on the positive and state what you are able to
do rather than what you cannot do
This will put you in the right mindset to help the customer
no matter how difficult to handle the problem may be
13. Rectifying the situation
Offer your best solution
By offering the best solution you can, you will sound more
confident when presenting your solution
Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes will help you understand
how your solution may be received
Never assign blame to the customer
When you offer your solution, do not fault the customer
When you are trying to help a difficult customer, it is never wise
to blame them
Similarly, never shirk responsibility by blaming another employee
As a representative, you speak for the whole restaurant
Use “I” or “we” when referring to Mama’s Subs to show you are
accountable
14. Rectifying the situation
Show compassion
If the customer expresses dissatisfaction with your solution
(and this is very likely to occur), let them know that you
understand
You may not be able to fix the problem in the manner the
customer may like, but you can at least show you care
Offer an alternative solution
If your best solution is not suitable for the customer, try to find
something that will work
If you do not know how to resolve a problem, ask for the
customer’s input
Then work together to come up with a realistic solution that is
mutually accepted
15. Rectifying the situation
Contacting a restaurant manager
If you are unable to come up with a solution to help the
customer, contact your restaurant manager to talk with them
If your restaurant manager is not available, take down the
customer’s information and assure them that they will be
contacted by the manager about their issue
In some cases, customers prefer to talk to managers about
issues
This is perfectly normal
Do not take the request personally
Grab the manager or take down the customer’s information if the
manager is unavailable
16. Step 4: Restoring the relationship
What you say next can go a long way in mending the
broken relationship
When the bond is broken, you have to work hard to
rebuild it
17. Restoring the relationship
Thank the customer for allowing you to help them
After satisfactorily resolving the customer’s problem, go one
step further and thank them
You cannot take back what happened, but you can say
something to let your customers know you value them
Tell the customer what you will do to avoid the problem in
the future
Let the customer know that resolving the problem is important
to Mama’s Subs
State what steps you will take to avoid future occurrences
When you take the time to acknowledge that there is a
problem that can be fixed, it makes the customer feel valued
The customer will feel they are part of the solution
18. Restoring the relationship
Offer some sort of compensation or restitution
Give the customer something more than is asked for, even if
it is only a symbolic gesture (e.g., one free sub and combo
coupon)
Doing this will not make the problem go away, but it will
make the customer feel good about you and Mama’s Subs
Make a follow up call or visit
As a courtesy to your customer, follow up to make sure the
solution was satisfactory
This shows the customers that you are willing to go above and
beyond to make sure they are taken care of
19. Step 5: Fixing what needs to be
fixed
When you take care of a customer’s problem to his or
her satisfaction, you feel good
Unless you fix what went wrong, however, the same
type of problem is likely to happen again
20. Fixing what needs to be fixed
Analyze what went wrong
Sometimes this will not be easy
For example, if the problem was cause by another
employee, it will be difficult to determine exactly
where they went wrong
Still, something can be done to avoid potential
problems
A restaurant manager can be informed about the
situation and may ask all employees to verify and
clarify what went wrong
21. Fixing what needs to be fixed
Review Mama’s Subs policies and procedures
This information can be found in the employee handbook
If you are having frequent complaints in one area, analyze
the policies and procedure
If you feel like something in the handbook needs to be
changed, notify your restaurant manager as soon as possible
They can send a report to headquarters with a request to alter
the policy/procedure
Change to make things better
When you are part of a solution, you will be more satisfied
with the work you do
As a voice for Mama’s Subs, you can make a difference in the
lives of customers
