"Take the high road."
"Be the bigger person."
"Turn the other cheek."
There are tons of expressions offering advice on how to handle negative people. Of course, the one you hear most often in business is "the customer is always right." Unfortunately, some customers take that to mean that they can be as rude as they'd like while demanding unreasonable requests and you'll have to comply. That can make even the mellowest employee struggle to keep their cool. If you'd like some tips to help you deal with difficult customers, this is the post for you. As a bonus we'll also have some tips on how using Stockpile quick small business inventory solution can reduce your inventory management stress and help you find more time to focus on the things that are important to you.
Smile
Starting each customer interaction with a smile may help diffuse the situation. Often people feel bad yelling at someone who is sweetly smiling at them and genuinely trying to help. Having a cheerful attitude may even help customers recognize just how negative they are being and that could encourage them to tone it down some.
Don't Raise Your Voice
If someone is being loud and yelling at you it can be hard to continue speaking in a normal tone. It's just human nature to raise your volume to match theirs. When dealing with customers it's important to remain calm and continue speaking in a normal tone. This can keep the situation from escalating and also makes it obvious to both your boss and other customers that you aren't the one causing a scene.
Keep Calm and Carry On
Maintaining a normal tone is only half the battle, you also have to watch what you say. Avoid using negative words or profanity during your interaction. A customer may call you names and swear at you but answering in kind won't help the situation. Remember you will be judged more harshly for what you say and how you act because you represent your company and its brand.
Call for Backup If You Need It
If things are really getting out of control call a manager to come over and assist you. Sometimes you just can't make someone happy and in that case it might be better to involve a manager or other employee to bring the altercation to a close. This shows the customer that you are taking their complaints seriously and provides a witness in case there is any question about how you handled the matter later.
Shake It Off!
Once the angry person has left you have to get back to work. While it can be difficult to shake off a bad experience it's necessary for you to continue working with customers for the rest of the day. Remember just because you had one cranky customer that doesn't mean everyone is going to be angry and argumentative. Try to relax and let it go so that you aren't stressed out for the remainder of your shift.
Easy Inventory Management
Customers aren't the only cause of your headaches. If you have inventory you probably have inventory issues. Tracking your inventory doesn't have to be a difficult time-consuming task. It's easy if you use Stockpile. Because Stockpile quick small business inventory solution is fully customizable you choose which fields to include in item records. This allows you to design a system that will work for your unique business. You can include sku, size, style, manufacturer, price, color, and much more in your records. You can even include a photo.
By using areas and locations you can be very specific about where items are stored. This makes it easy to track inventory in one location or across multiple locations. Running reports is easy as well. Just a few clicks and you can access all the data that you need. You can even check your records while you're out of the office. Stockpile quick small business inventory solution is mobile compatible so all you need is a mobile device and access to the internet.
Ready to see what we can do for you? Try Stockpile today!
