The Keys to Effective Customer Service

Posted by Amitava Sarkar on May 24th, 2016

As any sales professional can confirm, retail management is far from a stress-free career path. Training sales staff, staying on your feet for prolonged periods and remaining abreast of the latest consumer trends are all challenges store managers face on a daily basis. Of course, this isn’t to say a career in sales can’t be rewarding. In addition to bringing home a respectable salary, you’ll be able to meet and work with a fascinating assortment of individuals. If sitting behind a desk all day has never appealed to you, managing a retail establishment may be right up your alley.

If there’s one thing that unites sales professionals, it’s their shared disdain for impossible-to-please customers. Almost any retail worker you speak with will have an array of horror stories about disgruntled patrons that he or she won’t hesitate to share. One angry customer has the power to ruin your entire day, leaving you shaken, irritated and wary of dealing with other patrons. Luckily, there are several effective ways to take the air out of argumentative customers, thus preventing nasty verbal altercations. If you’ve had your fill of disagreeable shoppers, the following customer service tips are sure to serve you well.

Don’t Interpret Customer Grievances as Personal Attacks

When dealing with a disgruntled customer, it can be difficult not to interpret their anger as a personal attack. After all, if someone is raising their voice to you or expressing displeasure in response to service you’ve provided, it’s only natural to assume this person’s grievance is personal in nature. At times like this, it’s important to keep in mind that this person doesn’t even know you. In all likelihood, they’re unhappy with one of your store’s policies and are using you as a buffer for their frustration. This doesn’t necessarily excuse their behavior, but it certainly puts things into perspective. Adopting this mindset will enable you to remain calm throughout unpleasant exchanges with disgruntled customers, thus preventing the situation from spiraling out of control.

Keep Popular Items on the Shelves

Few things elicit as much frustration from shoppers as big-ticket items being consistently out-of-stock. In the age of Internet shopping, having immediate access to the items you purchase is one of the biggest draws of traditional retail establishments. If they can’t have the item(s) they wish to purchase same-day, what’s to prevent them from taking their business to Amazon? An inability to keep popular items on the shelves doesn’t bode well for your store – or its reputation among local consumers. With this in mind, order new shipments of hot-selling items before your existing stock runs out, and enlist the aid of a top-notch transport company, like Landstar System, Inc.

Take Some Time to Decompress

Following a heated exchange with an angry customer, many people remain on-edge for the remainder of their shifts. This inevitably prompts them to be curt and snippy with other patrons, effectively paving the way for some legitimate customer complaints. Just as the customer you dealt with vented his frustrations at you, you’ll essentially be doing the same thing to innocent patrons. If you’ve just received a tongue-lashing from a particularly unpleasant customer, take a 10 to 15-minute break to decompress – and encourage your sales staff to do the same. This ensures that you’ll be able to return to work with a clear head and refreshed demeanor.

Anyone who’s worked in retail for more than a day knows how demanding this profession can be. Still, most salespeople don’t know true aggravation until facing off against their first disgruntled customer. However, despite all their bluster, there’s no reason to live in fear of combative patrons. Refusing to take customer attacks personally, consistently keeping popular items in stock and engaging in self-imposed cool-off periods will do wonders for your customer service.

About the Author: Brittany Clous is a store owner and sales manager with nearly 20 years of experience in retail. To ensure that all of her merchandise arrive on-schedule, she regularly enlists the services of Landstar System, Inc.

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Amitava Sarkar

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Amitava Sarkar
Joined: May 28th, 2015
Articles Posted: 48

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