What do you do when an angry customer wants to speak to your boss?
You can’t manage a successful dealership without having customers, and unfortunately, where there are customers, there are also difficult customers.
We’ve all had to deal with them in varying degrees: those that argue, yell, and get angry because of some real or perceived issues.
The limitless variety of customers’ concerns can cause customers to become angry and difficult. It may be that the vehicle that they purchased from your dealership did not meet their expectations, or it was not fixed properly after its first repair.
They might feel it has a poor fit and finish after body repairs, or perhaps the staff were rude and/or incompetent.
Maybe their concern is based on something completely irrational or imaginary. Sometimes people just rub people the wrong way.
EXPECT NEGATIVE FEEDBACK
Criticism can be about anything or anyone, but if you’re going to succeed in this business, you’ll have to have to master the art of problemresolution.
One day, an angry customer came screaming to our receptionist: “Where is your big boss hiding? I want to speak with him right now. Enough is enough. I’m sick and tired of bringing back my car for the same ‘Engine Check Light”’ problem. I’m absolutely fed up with this light on the dash. You guys have intentionally passed the warranty period to make more money. You’d better fix this for free, or else @$#%&.”
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR?
If you are dealing with difficult customers, you must have come across a scenario like the above where a critical customer likes to create a crowd to his or her their concerns and to get a fast-track resolution in their favour.
One of the most common demands a furious, frustrated customer makes is to speak with your boss or a higher-up. An upset customer who demands to speak with your boss may be trying to intimidate or threaten you.
Or, they may have a genuine concern that they really believe will be best handled at the level above you.
POWER PLAY
Customers who ask for such access may not even be frustrated, but believe that dealing with someone with more power is a faster, efficient and speedy way to get what they want.
When you witness these types of requests, your first step is to swiftly acknowledge the customer’s concern with sympathy, empathy, and sincerity to resolve his or her concern.
All you have to politely say is: “Yes! I am with you and understand your frustration. I can see that you want to see our dealer principal right now. If you believe your concern can be resolved quickly by meeting with him (or her) then I can certainly help to arrange an exclusive meeting.”
Do not resist or try to convince the customer not to contact someone higher up, but instead offer to help them to do so. Remember, the customer is within his or her rights to ask to speak with senior managers you simply just have to acknowledge that you are helping the customer to do so.
FOLD THEIR CARDS?
In most cases, if the customer is bluffing or trying to intimidate, this strategy can convince the customer to give up that line of attack — as long as you don’t seem to be intimidated.
When I encounter these types of situations, I invite the customer politely to have an initial meeting in my office in a quiet, relaxed environment.
One customer said with an angry tone: “I don’t want to speak to you! I am tired of repeating my issue to your staff and they don’t know how to resolve it. All I want is to see your owner, that’s it, don’t waste my time.”
I said: “That’s certainly your right to see our CEO. He loves to listen to our customers.”
REACH FOR THE TOP
But then I told the customer that I recently had a problem with my computer’s Microsoft application — I did not contact Bill Gates! No, my problem was resolved by one of his team members. I told him: “Similarly, our CEO has assigned dedicated professionals to perform the right tasks and they are delegated with the responsibility and authority to resolve it satisfactorily.”
I advised him that I was a customer relations manager that reported directly to the CEO, and that I would prefer to review his concern, and working together, reach a satisfactory solution.
Then I let the customer decide which route to take to solve their issue. They agreed to continue their one-on-one meeting with me.
It is imperative to minimize the number of unhappy customers, but as a member of a customer satisfaction team, your goal is to provide an enjoyable, top-quality customer experience to each customer that does business with you.
After all, the customer is the bedrock of your dealership and you know that happy and loyal customers spend more money. They are like walking advertisements for your dealership. Remember, a customer complaint is a profit opportunity — it is not a nuisance.
