What to Say to An Angry Customer

How to turn an irate customer into a reference

It happens: you arrive at a service call to find the customer livid and yelling at you. Many times, it’s not even your fault or your company’s fault. But if you don’t handle things right, your company could lose business, which is not good for you either.

On the other hand, handling the situation effectively is a win for everybody. You get to impress the boss and gain his trust. Your customer feels heard and respected and gets their problem solved to their satisfaction. And your company gets to keep a customer. And if you do a really good job, you can turn the customer’s anger into gratitude and even a good review online.

Before we tell you what to say to an angry customer, here are a couple of tips to get into the right frame of mind:

Keep calm. Take a breath and don’t let yourself respond to the customer’s anger with more anger. Instead, put yourself in their position and respond with compassion. (Read this article about staying calm under pressure for more help with this.)

Don’t take the customer’s anger personally. It’s very unlikely that the customer is angry with you personally. They are frustrated with something your company has done or not done. As the representative of the company, unfortunately you’re the one in the line of fire. However, that also gives you the opportunity to fix things and emerge as the hero.

Here are the steps to diffusing the situation and what to say to your angry customer so you can find the solution together.

NEVER do this with an angry customer

This may be the most important bit of advice we can give you: never try to “win” an argument or get the best of the customer, even if you feel they are wrong. If you do that, you’ll only lose their business.

This is the reasoning behind the old adage: “the customer is always right.” If you don’t treat them with respect and compassion, even if they are wrong, you’ll lose in the end.

What to say to an angry customer: steps to rebuild the relationship

1. Listen

Start by introducing yourself and get their name. Then listen attentively to what they have to say. Ask follow up questions to get more information:

“Can you tell me more about…”

Repeat back what the customer said to make sure you have understood correctly.

“I want to make sure I have this right…”

2. Apologize

Even if you’re not sure the problem is your fault (or your company’s fault), you can still apologize sincerely for what the customer has experienced. Remember to address the customer by name and look him in the eye.

“Mr. Garcia, I’m sorry you have had such a hard time with this.”

An apology helps to diffuse the situation. Hearing a sincere apology can make the customer get a handle on their anger and be able to have a rational conversation with you.

3. Acknowledge and empathize

It helps to try to imagine yourself actually going through what the customer has experienced. If they have lived through 90 degree heat for days with no air conditioning, that’s enough to make anyone angry. You might feel like they are being unreasonable if the delay is not your fault. But putting yourself in their shoes can help you realize why they are angry.

Showing your compassion for their experience helps the customer to feel like someone understands. Plus, they realize you are a person with feelings, too, and they will be less likely to stay angry.

“I can understand why you’re upset. I would feel the same if it happened to me.”

4. Take immediate action

The next step to defusing an angry customer is share your intention to do something to help:

“I want to take care of this for you.”

“Here’s what I can do right now to make it right.”

Be straightforward and explain exactly what you will do, what the customer can expect to happen, and when.

5. Offer additional help

You might not always be able to solve the problem immediately or do so personally. If you need to get someone else involved, try this:

“I can’t solve this on my own, but I know who can.”

Tell the customer exactly what you will do to engage the person who can solve the problem. If possible, share the person’s name, role and contact information. Also, let them know that you will monitor the situation and stay involved.

6. Check their satisfaction

Never assume the customer is satisfied with the solutions you have offered. At this point in the conversation, check in:

“Is this a fair and reasonable solution for you?”

“I don’t want to lose you as a customer over this situation. Is there anything else I can do to make things right?”

If the customer still isn’t happy, you still have work to do. You may need to go back to step 4 or step 5.

7. Express gratitude

Once your customer has let go of their anger and worked with you to identify a solution, it’s time to wrap up the conversation with a thank you.

Exactly what you want to thank them for will depend on the situation:

“Thank you for bringing this problem to my attention.”

“Thanks for your patience as we fix this for you.”

“Thanks for giving us a chance to make this right.”

8. Follow up

Once again, never assume that the customer is left with satisfactory results and a positive impression of your company. When it comes to HVAC service, equipment problems can recur. Even if you turned the problem over to someone else, the smart way to handle things is to keep following up with the customer until you know the problem has been resolved.

“I just wanted to make sure your problem is resolved and you’re satisfied with the results.”

That’s how you make an angry customer so happy with your service that they give you positive reviews or serve as a reference.

More skills training for service technicians

Check out these additional resources that can help you improve your value to your employer and grow your career in the HVACR business.