Don’t — let an angry customer drain time from others waiting for your service.

You can’t neglect an irate customer, but you don’t necessarily have to spend your whole afternoon with him.

A dissatisfied customer can consume a lot of your valuable time. Even though your job is to serve him, the reality is he isn’t your only customer — you have others waiting in line.

So how do you politely close business with your current customer who’s hogging all your time? First, make sure your business is indeed finished. Don’t let an angry customer’s issues go unresolved. Then, after you’ve wrapped up the business (even though he doesn’t seem to want to stop arguing) use these tips:

• Help the customer, and then politely tell him, “Have a nice day!” This will cue him that his turn is over.
• Direct your customer to your supervisor if you’ve reached a dead end. Consider saying, “I’m sorry sir, but I don’t know how else I can help you. Perhaps you should speak with my supervisor.”
• Politely ask your customer to please excuse you so you can service your other customers who are waiting patiently.
• Be honest and tell your customer that you’ve done everythingyou can to help him but you really have other work responsibilities to tend to.

Filed under: Customer Service Corner