No matter what business you’re in — or where — chances are that, at some point in your career, you will have to deal with an angry customer. Maybe you sold someone a defective widget, or a printing order was delivered three days late. Whatever the problem, your challenge is to handle the situation and send the customer away thinking he or she has just done business with the greatest company on earth, says John Tschohl, founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minn. (customer-service.com).

“I see two major problems when it comes to customer complaints,” Tschohl points out. “The first is that most customers don’t complain when they have a problem with a company. They simply take their money and run — to your company’s competitor. The second problem is that most companies don’t train their employees in how to deal with complaining customers. Too many executives think employees are born with the ability to calm an irate customer. Or they simply think the company is so great that none of its customers ever has a legitimate complaint.”

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If you want to master the skill of dealing with complaining customers and raise your customer service standards, Tschohl recommends following these six steps:

1. Listen carefully and with interest to what the customer has to say. Don’t get defensive. Remember that the customer is not attacking you personally; he or she is merely describing a problem and hoping you can solve it. Make eye contact and responses to let customers know you care about what they have to say. And repeat back what a customer has said to show that you understand their problem.

2. Put yourself in the customer’s place. You can defuse the situation and have a calming influence on the customer if you show some empathy for their situation. Never, ever challenge the customer. Even if the customer is wrong and you’re right, don’t try to prove it. The goal is to solve the problem, not debate who is at fault. If customers feel they’re talking to a real human being who understands their problem and empathizes with them, the door to rational discussion will open wide.

3. Ask questions in a caring, concerned manner. The more information you can get from the customer, the better able you will be to solve their problem. Asking questions helps to clarify the problem — and identify the solution.

4. Suggest one or more alternatives to address the customer’s concern. Ask the customer what would be an acceptable solution. Then make some suggestions on your own. Become a partner with the customer in solving the problem.

5. Apologize without blaming. When customers see that you are sincerely sorry for the problem they’re experiencing, they will respond in a like manner. Don’t participate in fault-finding or shifting the blame to another person or department. A simple “I’m sorry” can do wonders to defuse a difficult situation.

6. Solve the problem, or find someone who can solve it. When complaints are moved up the chain of command, they become more expensive to handle and only add to the customer’s frustration. Find a solution to the problem, and then work within the organization to make sure it doesn’t occur again.

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