Seven Challenging Customer Service Problems and Solutions

Working in customer service brings with it its own rewards and challenges. Before I dive into the problems and their solutions, it's important to clear out one crucial thing first.

Skills Needed To Work In Customer Service

If you work in customer service, one of the most important skills you would need is self-discipline. This is because self-discipline would help you in controlling your impulses and reactions with customers in the instance where they behaved negatively.

The second most important skill is adopting a positive mindset, which will allow you to turn a negative situation into a positive experience for the customer.

Without these two skills, it would be hard to successfully work in customer service.

Keep in mind, as the popular saying goes, the customer is always right.

Below, I have gathered the top seven toughest customer service challenges and how you can manage them wisely.

Your Customer is Angry

• Use the HEARD technique developed by Disney, which stands for hearing, emphasize, apologize, resolve, diagnose.
• Simply put, start by actively listening to what the customer is saying, use empathy, offer an apology, and make an effort to resolve the situation.
• Afterward, reflect on the problem, the cause, and how it can be prevented or fixed for a better result.

There’s an Outage or Other Crisis

• Adopt a crisis communication plan which ensures each staff member understands what to do in an emergency situation.
• Apologize and over-communicate to ensure the customer feels heard and acknowledge through the chaotic times.
• After the issue has been fixed make sure to debrief the customer on what the issue was and what caused it, what you are doing to prevent it from happening, and an apology.

A Customer Requests a Discount You Can’t Give

• Make sure you do not simply turn the customer down, make it clear in a polite way that you do not offer discounts, and emphasize the value of your product/service.

A Customer Requests a Feature You Won’t Build

• Make sure to keep and maintain a positive tone, while being personal and helping the customer at the same time.

A Customer Asks a Question You Can’t Answer

• Let them know that you will find the right answer for the customer, saving your customer time and energy.

You’re Overwhelmed by a Backlog of Tickets

• Respond rather than resolve.
• Acknowledge your customer’s message let them know you are getting on top of it and provide them with a deadline.

You Have to Fire a Customer

• Start by being positive and reframe the situation to make it seem like you as a business couldn’t meet the customer’s needs.
• Reimburse the customer as a refund or partial refund, apologize and give them an alternative.

Handling angry or upset customers: It's essential to stay calm and empathetic when dealing with angry or upset customers. Try to understand their perspective and see if there is any way to address their concerns or resolve the issue to their satisfaction. If the customer is aggressive or abusive, it may be necessary to de-escalate the situation and involve a supervisor or manager.

Managing high volume: When dealing with a high volume of customer inquiries, it's essential to prioritize and triage requests to ensure that the most urgent or pressing issues are addressed first. It is also helpful to use automated systems or tools, such as chatbots or FAQs, to help manage the volume of inquiries.

Dealing with unrealistic customer expectations: Sometimes, customers may have unrealistic expectations or demands that cannot be met. In these cases, it's essential to be honest, and transparent with the customer and explain the limitations or constraints preventing you from meeting their expectations. It may be helpful to offer alternative solutions or options to help address the issue or meet the customer's needs to the best of your ability.

Keeping up with industry changes and updates: Customer service representatives need to stay informed about their industry and any changes or updates that may impact their ability to assist customers. This may involve staying updated with new products or services, company policies, or industry-specific regulations and laws. Regular training and professional development can help customer service representatives remain informed and prepared to handle various customer inquiries and requests.

Articles That Might Interest You:

If you would like to support my journey, then kindly subscribe to my youtube channel where I will be sharing updates as well as step-by-step guides on my passive income journey as well as business strategies and tricks. Subscribe here.

About The Author

Noor is a second-year business student at Tredu and an owner of multiple digital businesses since 2016. She is passionate about marketing and content creation. She recently launched her YouTube channel specializing in holistic healing.