The clueless.
”Clueless”, in this case, can be one of two meanings. Either the
customer is entirely not aware that he has a problem in the first place, or he
is completely befuddled by your product and has no idea how to work it or how
to figure out what they are doing wrong. If you are going to be faced with the clueless
customers, pray that they would be the nice, polite ones, because lack of
knowledge coupled with rudeness is a bad combination to deal with.
The best thing to do for these types of customers is to explain things
as slowly and as simply as possible without sounding as if you are talking down
to a customer. It is very easy to offend an insecure customer, and these cases
usually end up in epic one-way shouting matches, topped off with the customer
leaving (or hanging up) with an indignant huff, never to be heard from again. Remember
that cluelessness can be remedied easily if both parties cooperate.
The faultless.
This next one is an even bigger displeasure to work with. Usually
angry, never at fault, and perfectly justified in everything they do. For the
sake of your sanity as a business owner or employee, it is important to mention
that you do have the option to simply
let
go of these customers and never serve them. Some customers are just not
worth the effort and can, in the long run, be hugely detrimental to the state
of your business. Time and energy is important in the business world, and to
devote huge chunks of these just to please self-entitled people is definitely not worth it.
You can, of
course, give these people a second chance by simply calling them out on their
behaviour. Tell them that you would not stand for any shouting, profanity, or
irrationality, but you are perfectly willing to help them if they behave
nicely. Sometimes, this method does wonders to calm down a raging customer, but
if it doesn’t, dump the customer A.S.A.P.
The penniless.
There’s usually nothing wrong with this type of customer; it’s just
you would be hard-pressed to provide services within the limited budget he
wants to work with. Of course, some people take it to the next level by ceaselessly
asking for freebies, discounts, and special services, which you can five up
freely to an extent. The next level after that would be the paranoid customer
who would always find a way to accuse you of ripping them off, every excuse
from overcharging, to short-changing, and even to accusing you of fraudulent
charges.
The best defense to this would be clear cut rates, neat and orderly
records, and an impressive patience. Expect to break every transaction down to
the very last cent, and make it a point not to give customers the opportunity
to sneak in a baseless accusation. Some people really do not have any extra
money to spend, so it is not surprising that they are incredibly careful with
their finances. You just have to make sure they get their money’s worth.
The bottom line.
There are many more different types of customers, ranging from the
good to the bad, and each situation would warrant a different way to interact
and deal with these people. The most golden advice would simply be to keep
calm and carry on, and to know the limits you should go to for a customer.
You are running a business at the end of it all, and while the customer is
always right, that doesn’t mean you have to go bankrupt for it.
