When you have to deal with a rude individual at your place of employment, it doesn’t make work very enjoyable.
It can even make it unbearable if they are clients you have to deal with on an ongoing basis.
I’m going to give you some tips on how to deal with these difficult situations.
Know that it takes a lot of self discipline to make it out of this with your head high and it can often be painful. Maintaining your composure and honestly being the bigger person is key.
Stay Calm
I’m sure you’ve heard that smiles are contagious – they are. Negative attitude is unfortunately contagious as well.
If someone is attacking you, you’re going to want to lash right back out. You want to immediately defend yourself.
It’s difficult to stay focused while also trying to calm your nerves. Take deep breaths while they are speaking.
Count to seven while you are breathing in…. Count to seven while you are breathing out… Repeat if necessary.
Most people want to be heard. They do not want to be interrupted with “your excuses” as to why they aren’t right. I am not saying your reasoning is not valid. It’s very likely this was a misunderstanding and if they would listen, you could clear this up.
In their mind, they are completely justified in their outburst. Let them get the venting out first.
Take It To A Quiet Place
Without interrupting the rude individual, attempt to see if you can take it to a quieter place. There may be an office that you can use temporarily. Try to get at least far enough away from other clients, customers, or staff so they are not subjected to the same agony you are in currently. You want to try to avoid making a scene.
If they are having an explosion in front of multiple people, they may calm down a bit if you can get them into a different setting.
In addition, it’s very possible that this rude customer may regret the way they are acting after this event is over. That being the case, leading them to a quieter area where they aren’t being stared at is saving them later embarrassment.
Do Not Take This On Alone if You Can
After this is over, it is going to be your word against the rude customer’s. We all hope that you can resolve it and your customer has nothing but fantastic things to say about you after. However, there are customers that like complaining to the higher ups and making phone calls. Having at least one other person nearby or within the conversation with you will help your case.
Having a “good cop” in the situation will benefit you if the rude individual thinks that you were originally the bad one.
If you can, bring someone into the conversation that you know has a calming or bubbly personality. You don’t want the office mean girl being anywhere within 50 feet of this one.
Your Turn
Once the venting has subsided, apologize. You do not have to apologize for what the rude customer thinks you or someone else did wrong – it could have been very right. What you can apologize for is the situation.
You’re truly sorry it got this out of hand. You’re sorry that you and your coworkers couldn’t have resolved the situation before it escalated to it’s current state. You completely see their point of view and understand their frustration.
Make sure you watch your tone when you speak. You don’t want to come off as overly assertive. Keep your voice low and the customer should match your volume.
Ask them how you can make it right for them. You do value their business and your company thrives on having returning customers that trust them. How can you regain that trust on behalf of the company?
Make it known that you value their feedback and are deeply concerned with their opinion of your business. You have complete faith that you can make this right for them and you will.
Remember As Much As You Can
If this does escalate above your level, you want to have done everything correctly. An incident report needs to be immediately written after the altercation. If you were able to have someone with you during it, have them write their recollection of the events as well.
When the altercation is happening, stay focused on every word they are saying. Know that you will have to recall as much as you can after the event.
If you don’t feel an incident report is necessary, at least write your individual thoughts down so you can remember what happened. If this customer has another outburst that is worse than this, you’ll have something to go back to and look at.
Taking This Personal
I’m an overthinker. If a bad situation happens at home or in the office or even at the grocery store, I let it sit at the top of my thoughts for DAYS. I hope that you can let things go easier than I can. I am going to tell you to try to not take this evil client situation personal, but I know that I would.
Making sure you do everything right until the very end is going to help you let this go. These situations are usually unique and it’s hard to prepare, but you can have a game plan set in your mind prior to the event. The main takeaway from this should be realizing that keeping your composure and staying calm will prevent the situation from escalating.
You are in control and can help guide the client down a path of realization that we are all human and mistakes happen. Your goal is to correct the situation as best as you can so both of you can walk away leaving feeling better about the situation.
There has to be some sort of resolution for me to let a situation like this go. I think that’s the best quality of us “overthinkinkers”; we will not settle until an outcome is achieved to our satisfaction.
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