When you offer products and services online, you can expect to have a bumpy ride. It’s not always easy considering that there are dozens of customers you have to deal with each day.
One of the biggest problems you might face is in regard to delayed deliveries. Whether you have an in-house delivery department or you outsource the service, there can be potential delays. You don’t control what happens while the products are in transit. You can also expect customers not to take these issues lightly. They might complain about the delayed service. If you receive complaints, and the manner of expression is rude, these are some ways to handle the situation.
Stay calm
Don’t argue with the customer and feel like you’re getting attacked. Try to stay calm and keep your emotions inside. Once you argue, you might lose the customer. You also don’t know the entire picture yet, so there’s no need to get defensive.
Listen to the reasons
The explanation might be unclear at first due to the tone of voice and manner of expressing the sentiments. Try to understand the reasons and clarify the information if need be. You will have a clearer picture once you hear the reasons.
Explain company policies
It helps if you know the company policy in regard to deliveries and related issues. The customer agreed to these policies before confirming the order. Hence, you can use it as a reference when responding to the complaint. Try to explain in the simplest possible language instead of being argumentative.
Don’t take it personally
Even if the customer is rude, it has nothing to do with your character. You don’t know each other. There’s no need to take it personally. The rising emotion has something to do with the frustration with the service received. Even if the customer uses curse words, you shouldn’t let them frustrate you. Otherwise, it will be stressful to handle all the complaints.
Empathise with the customers
The customers feel frustrated due to what happened. You will probably feel the same way. You can’t raise your voice against the other person on the line.
Apologize and make it up
There’s clearly a problem, and you have to solve it. Before proceeding with the solution, you should apologize first. Promise that it won’t happen again. You can also make it up by offering vouchers and discount coupons. You won’t necessarily get their trust back, but you’re at least taking the right steps. Even if the conversation doesn’t go as you hope, you should stay calm. Try your best to resolve the matter and move forward. Don’t hang up the phone or ask the customer to hold the line endlessly. You should also conduct an internal investigation to find out what happened. You can partner with a contract packing company so the delivery issue won’t happen again. You can rely on the third-party experts to help deliver the products on time.
