Answering
E-Mail From Angry Customers:
How To Turn Furious People Into Fans
By
Leslie O’Flahavan and Marilynne Rudick, E-WRITE
In a perfect world there would be no angry customers.
The product would work flawlessly, it would arrive on
time, and no customer would wait—listening to elevator
music—for 30 minutes. But absent that perfect world,
you will have angry customers. And they will send angry
e-mails. Whether you’re hearing from your angry
customer by phone or e-mail, your goals are similar: fix
the problem and convert an angry customer into your biggest
fan.
Follow
these ten tips for answering e-mail from angry customers
and you’ll solve the customer’s problem and
soothe his anger.
1.
Restate The Problem.
Before you answer an angry customer’s e-mail, show
that you understand the problem. If the customer has included
all relevant information in the e-mail, you should simply
restate the problem and then set about solving it. Quote
or paraphrase the customer’s own wording to show
you’ve read his e-mail carefully. Include all relevant
information you have about the customer: purchase history,
account number, previous customer service contact, etc.
But if you don’t understand the problem completely,
see Tip 2.
2.
Ask For Clarification.
Angry customers may not write clearly. The customer may
be unskilled or his e-mail may have degenerated into a
rant about the company rather than an explanation of the
problem. So you may have to ask the customer to clarify
the problem: “I need some more information to solve
your problem with the replacement parts for your storm
door handle. Were the parts you received broken, or did
you receive the wrong parts?” You may also have
to clarify how the customer would like the problem resolved.
“Do you want us to rush the parts to you overnight
or do you want a refund?” Unless you clearly understand
the problem and the preferred solution, you’re bound
to make the customer even angrier.
3.
Personalize Your Response.
Nothing infuriates an angry customer more than the feeling
that no one is listening. “Dear Customer: Thank
you for your e-mail. We take our customers’ problems
seriously and are glad to hear from you.” So, personalize
e-mail to an angry customer to reassure him that he’s
being heard loud and clear.
5.
If You Have Good News, Put It First.
If you can make the customer happy, put the good news
first and the empathy second. Good news: “We are
happy to refund your money, as you requested.” Empathy:
“We understand the frustration of receiving the
Christmas gift after Christmas.” But if you can’t
make the customer happy—if you have to tell the
customer no—put the empathy first and the “bad
news” second. Empathy: “We understand the
frustration of receiving the Christmas gift after Christmas.”
Bad news: “We can't refund your money because you
ordered the camera after our guaranteed shipping date.”
6.
Use A Polite, Positive Tone.
You may be tempted to match the customer’s angry
or accusatory tone: “You dropped the camera on your
cement driveway. Our warranty does not cover your incompetence.”
But you should never match fire with fire; you’ll
only get more e-mail! Keep your tone polite and positive:
“The problem you’re having seems to be the
result of the camera falling on your driveway. We’re
sorry to have to tell you that our warranty covers camera
malfunctions caused by manufacturing defects only.”
7.
Avoid Scolding The Customer.
Emphasize the pronouns I and we rather than you. Don’t
write: “Your order was not filled because you didn’t
include your mailing address on the order form.”
Do write: “We didn’t fill your order because
we didn’t have your mailing address.”
8.
Acknowledge The Customer’s Pain and Suffering.
Maybe the problem is not your company’s fault, or
maybe you can’t fix the problem. But you can acknowledge
the customer’s frustration. Empathize with the customer:
“We know that having our server down—regardless
of the reason—has made it difficult for you to do
your job.”
9.
When You Are At Fault, Apologize.
When your company is at fault, apologize. Make your apology
genuine and specific. Don’t write: “We’re
sorry for the confusion regarding your scholarship application.”
Do write: “We apologize for posting the wrong date
on your scholarship application. We’ve corrected
this error.” Never put a but in an apology. Don’t
write: “We’re sorry it took us a full week
to process your credit application, but you provided two
addresses and it took us extra time to verify both.”
Do write: “We are sorry for the delay in processing
your credit application; we were verifying both addresses
you provided.”
10.
Satisfy the Customer by Offering Something Of Value.
If your policy allows, give your angry customer a product,
a discount, or a rebate: “We can offer you a $50
discount on the purchase of a new camera.” Or give
something else of value: a software upgrade, a whitepaper
download, even a follow-up e-mail a couple of weeks later
to check on the situation.
Answering
angry e-mails is hard work. And unlike when you resolve
a problem for a customer on the phone, e-mail doesn’t
give you the chance to hear the relief in the customer’s
voice or experience, in real time, the gratification of
turning the customer’s anger into appreciation.
Your
satisfaction may come from keeping problems from escalating
out of control. As the acclaimed social commentator H.L.
Mencken pointed out: “Every normal man must be tempted
at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag,
and begin slitting throats.” You’ve done your
job well if you’ve diffused your customer’s
anger while he is still spitting upon his hands.
About E-WRITE
E-WRITE
teaches people the new rules for writing quickly and well
in the electronic age.
We develop and teach writing courses, write the
content for web sites, and translate print to online writing.
http://www.ewriteonline.com
Tel. 301.989.4655
Fax. 301.989.9583
