There are all kinds of customers. But, what types of customers are there? By types I mean what are their motives? Let’s explore each type of customer you will encounter.
Attentions Seekers: These are the customers that are trying to see what they can get for free. They are easy to accommodate for the most part. Having company merchandise ready is a great way to appease them, something like a free t-shirt or cup. Customers always revolve around money. On both sides of the counter, the customer themselves revolves around all ROI. What you put in; you can get out. There is a balance. Some customers don’t pay much attention to the money they are paying, and others are hyper vigilant. As long as the balance weighs in the favor of the company it is ok to write off a few dollars from time to time to keep a customer loyal.
Aggressive: They are upset at the world. It does not need to be anything that the company or an employee did or didn’t do. We must weigh the complaint against the rest of their world. This may be difficult in one call or interaction. This will take the work of one of your best Customer Service workers, who are patient and able to withstand the blow of this person. Making sure that the person has several great interactions with your business and always landing on a good positive note is so important.
Passive: These are your friendly but totally indecisive customers. They can’t make up their minds. Small, medium. The color, the size, whatever decision they need to make, they are struggling. The key is patience. Do not choose for them. The moment we do, they will turn around and say that is not what I wanted, that is what they told me I should do. Leading them to a choice through the process of elimination all the while letting them choose.
Complainers: Some people, they are just never going to be totally satisfied. We often, sometimes even unaware of ourselves, want everyone around us to be as unhappy as we are. These individuals have a lot of emotions, and they want others to understand how they “feel”. It is hard to get them to focus on what they want, because they are trapped in their emotions. I have noticed that this category holds many seniors and I find them very lonely. When they call, it is because they want someone to talk to them. That is it, just talk. It’s not about any problem, they are just looking to talk and looking for ways to connect with others.
They are not complaining because they are unhappy with services, they are sad, and alone. It is ok to be their friend.
Constructive: These guys are the ones that truly count. These are the customers that have a valid complaint that needs a resolution. Not an “I’m sorry.” Not an excuse. A resolution, and as quickly and timely as possible. From both sides of the counter, I wish I could get every customer service employee to understand that they need to remove the “I’m Sorry.” From their vocabulary. When a customer comes to me with an issue, I don’t say I am sorry. I actually say thank you. I want to communicate that I am thankful for them taking the time out of their day to let me know that they are not happy. That something went wrong. Statistics show that for every one customer that complains with a valid complaint, there are twenty-six who remain silent.
I can also assure you that they don’t want any excuses. They want a resolution. If we can process the complaint from that perspective, then we can hop from judgement to forgiveness and back to admiration much quicker. Now sometimes they come in aggressive, or passive. They may seem like a complainer, but dig in to see what is the core of the issue. They may seem like a storm coming in, however do you know where all the information is? Yep, in the storm.