Dealing with Difficult Clients

I’ve been dealing with a couple of difficult clients lately. Thankfully this doesn’t happen often. I’m a big proponent of delivering excellent customer service to the clients I work with. People like feeling that they and the issues that they are dealing with matter to you. When you show that appreciate them and the business they provide, it creates a foundation where loyalty and trust bloom. And let’s face it – it doesn’t cost you a dime to treat people nicely and with respect. My friend, Lori Widmer wrote a fantastic article about how businesses should get back to the basics of offering good old-fashioned customer service as a deliverable to clients. I highly suggest checking it out.

No matter how nice you are, you get a client who cannot be pleased. Some people just like living in the shadow of misery and complaining about everything under the sun. I’m usually pretty good about sniffing these individuals out and avoiding them in both my personal and professional lives; but I’m human and sometimes my “spidey senses” fail to warn me of impending trouble.

Client #1: Nothing is right; but how can it be when he keeps trying to change the scope at every turn? He disappears for weeks and then pops back up at the most inopportune times (e.g. when I’m getting started with new projects) to suggest new changes. To top it off, he has an inflated sense of importance and can be quite sarcastic and demeaning when communicating with everyone working on the project. Now normally I have clauses in my contracts that would have helped me avoid a lot of this type of situation. I took this project on through a marketing firm I used to work with, so I’m kind of stuck dealing with their terms of service.

Client #2: A PR/Marketing and Promotional professional who is completely clueless about what she wants. She’s in need of a professional bio and during our initial phone conversation explained the breadth of her industry experience, saying she wants the bio to reflect that. I prepare the bio based on our conversation and additional information she provided.

Now she says it’s too broad, and she wants it to be more narrowly focused. We scheduled another call to discuss it further, but I realize that she really doesn’t want to participate in the process saying , “I thought I’d just give it to you so that you could complete it without my involvement. I’m just so busy.” Yeah, I gathered that you’re so busy when you missed our last scheduled phone call to instead take part in an impromptu tennis match (BTW - I would NEVER have admitted to anyone that I did that).

All frustration aside, I treat these clients with respect and consideration. Under different circumstances, I would have recognized that they were not the right clients for me BEFORE doing business with them. Nevertheless, here are some of my tips for dealing with difficult clients:

Don’t Let Them Get to You

Easier said than done sometimes, but if my past corporate sales experience taught me anything, it’s that remaining calm and in control when dealing with irate or otherwise difficult customers is important. You have to separate yourself emotionally from the situation and not take things personally. If they get nasty, don’t take the bait.

Don’t Keep Apologizing

This advice kind of seems like the opposite of good customer service on the surface. I NEVER say “I’m sorry by the way. I don’t like that phrase, and think it’s overdone. What I will say is: “I apologize for…” and offer solutions. I make sure that I am clear about specifically what I’m apologizing for. Also, I don’t keep apologizing because when it’s mindlessly uttered over and over it loses its value and just doesn’t seem sincere.

Establish a Rapport if Possible

I’ll objectively listen to a client’s complaints, and offer sincere empathy saying something like, “I can understand your issue with XYZ; I don’t like to be kept waiting either.” Sometimes it helps them calm down and see that I do understand their frustration and am truly trying to help correct the issue or get to the root of it. **NOTE: I don’t recommend doing this if you don’t sincerely feel empathetic because It can come across as completely insincere.

How important is customer service in your business, and you have any additional tips to share?

The Power of Good Customer Service

This morning was unseasonably cold for an early December morning in the southeast. Although I work from home, I still had to brave the freezing temps to get my little ones off to school. I absolutely abhor the cold so when I noticed my neighborhood Krispy Kreme sign alight with promises of hot coffee and hot, freshly baked doughnuts, I could think of no place I’d rather be in that moment.

The drive through line was long, but I had my heart (and taste buds) set on enjoying a steaming cup of coffee with a hot, sugary, melt-in-my-mouth doughnut. When I finally got to the window, the young lady working the window was so pleasant and effervescent, it blew me away. She seemed genuinely happy making sure each drive through customer was happily satisfied and I left the window happy and completely impressed with her friendly service.

As I drove back home I got to wondering why I was so affected by something as simple as receiving good customer service. Isn’t that something I should automatically expect when I spend good money on a product or service? Maybe so, but the fact is that’s seldom what you get these days. The phrase “customer service is dead” gets tossed around a lot, but I’m happy to say that it’s not and hopefully will never completely die away. There are certain businesses I am completely loyal to simply because of the service I receive. I’ve been fortunate enough to have clients complement the service I provide saying that they've had experiences working with writers who do not prioritize friendly, reliable service (Really? In THIS economy??).

Customer service is one area of your business that allows you to tip the scales in your favor. Statistics reveal that repeat customers spend 33% more than new customers, so clearly building solid relationships with existing clients is essential. Businesses that ignore the customer’s need to feel appreciated pay in the end.

Do you place emphasis on customer service when working with your clients?

How Far Do You Go to Provide Good Customer Service?

Lately I’ve been talking a lot about setting boundaries with clients to protect yourself from being taken advantage of. It’s an important aspect of business, but it really is a two way street. I think that customer service is an important value you can add to your business. It’s what makes some clients return again and again to work with writers with average skills let alone writers who know how to get results.

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t always work on improving your skills as a writer. If you don’t provide value and results you won’t have very many clients anyway. But being a pleasure to work with is important too. My mother always said having a good attitude can open a lot of doors.

Now don’t confuse providing your clients excellent customer service with being a rug to be walked on. I’m talking about common sense gestures - the same ones we appreciate when paying for a service:

1) Be reliable. When I’m paying good money for something I expect reliability. If something goes wrong, I expect some empathy and an offer to make things right when possible. Do what you say you will when you say you will.

2) Be positive. Even if you only communicate with clients by email, you can still present a positive persona. Nothing irks me more than having to deal with a negative attitude when I’ve been nothing but nice. If you’re dealing with a crabby client, being friendly might help turn things around. I know it sounds corny, but it’s true: a positive attitude is contagious.

3) Anticipate your client’s needs. Many times the clients seeking our services are confused. They may be unable to clearly communicate what they need, or you may be able to help them achieve better results by offering additional services. This is not only good customer service, it also make you indispensable.

Mind Your Customer Service Manners

My husband and I were remarking about how rare it is to receive good customer service these days. I'm not talking about the people who ring up your order at Star Bucks, Barnes and Noble or the local supermarket. Getting good customer service is often hit or miss with these guys. What I mean is the type of customer service that comes with just a little bit of common courtesy, politeness and concern. It's so sad to see that real customer service is a dying art. So much so that when I encounter someone who extends genuine concern and a friendly, helpful attitude I am more likely to buy whatever it is that they are selling.

I am tired of dealing with the representatives at my local phone company (who shall remain nameless) that treat me like I am nothing more than my 10 digits whenever I turn to them for help. I have even stopped going to the gas station that's right up the street from my house because of the way they grunt at and generally dismiss their customers. When discussing this phenomenon with a friend one day, she cut me off and said, "Face it – there is no more customer service."

When you are stuck working a job you hate, I can understand the lack of enthusiasm. I can overlook the rude young college student working at my neighborhood print shop who always seems depressed and never even bothers to say "hello" or "can I help you?" But I would think that as an entrepreneur you couldn't afford not to be nice to your clients. Being friendly, showing concern for your client's projects and updating them on your progress are important ways to establish trust.

I remember once while working my sales job with the newspaper, the advertising department had us all take part in a special customer service training seminar. They hired an expert to come in and teach us how to treat our clients so that they would always have the most satisfying experience doing business with the publication. They really kept on making a big deal about how prestigious this trainer was in the customer service training industry, and how much money they were spending to bring her to us. In the end all she did was come in and teach us the same basic etiquette your mother probably taught you.

Remember that old saying: "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?" Well it seems pretty simple, but it's true. Extending a little courtesy can go a long way in business. Go ahead and extend pleasantries like "how are you," "thank you," "can I help you with anything else?" and "have a great day/weekend." People like doing business with people they like and trust. Become both someone your clients like and trust to get the job done right and there's a good chance they will return to work with you again and again.