Everyone Deals With Irate customers sooner or later. They can ruin your day. I still remember the customers who went ballistic on me more than 10 years ago. Back then I didn't do a lot to prevent confrontations from escalating. My ego got in the way of managing them effectively. It's too late for me, but I have some ideas that can help you.

How to Cover Your Butt

Most confrontations come about because there's a mismatch of expectations — like who pays for what and for how much, who scratched the tank, whether the bike was really fixed right, and when it's supposed to be ready for pickup. Even if you're the perfect proactive service writer, you'll still get into confrontations with customers. Here are some steps to managing confrontations.

First, don't take things personally. You can't manage a situation if your emotions are out of control. Calm yourself by taking several slow, deep breaths. Relax your shoulder muscles as you exhale. Put your mind in a happy place, like a beach, seagulls singing and waves lapping the shore. Sure, the customer is calling you names, but you don't mind because you're at the beach!

Ask customers to talk about their frustrations, but within the following guidelines.

• Don't encourage irate customers to tell you more, because that can send them over the edge. Venting is for customers who still have control over their emotions.
• Don't fix the problem too soon. When you try to fix the problem (usually by giving stuff away) before customers are done venting, they won't appreciate your goodwill.
• If the customer is too upset (swearing, making a scene or threatening physical harm), you have to stop it before it gets worse. Say something like, "I know you're upset and I want to help you. We can work this out if we can talk about it, OK?" If that doesn't work, suggest a 10-minute time-out and promise to meet the customer at a specific time and location to start again. Do as many time-outs as needed.