What To Do When A Customer Threatens You
A focus on outstanding customer service is important, but you need to change your approach when a customer threatens you. Your goal is no longer providing outstanding customer service – it’s self-preservation.
Most of the difficult customers we encounter are either unsatisfied customers who are acting badly, or customers who have unrealistic expectations of you or your company. The vast majority of these customers can be won over with the use of some fundamental effective and positive strategies.
There are some customers, however, with whom these strategies don’t work. These are the ones who exhibit such extreme behaviour that very specific action is required. Such is the case when a customer threatens you.
When you are physically threatened
With a customer who physically threatens you, there is only one appropriate action, and that is to remove yourself from the situation immediately. Don’t explain yourself; don’t threaten back; simply say, “excuse me,” and leave to find someone in authority. Whether the authority is your boss or the police, it is they, not you who must deal with this customer.
Is this overreacting? No. While physically threatening customers are extremely rare, their very aggressive nature makes them unpredictable. I’ve heard far too many horror stories of employees who wished they hadn’t ignored the warning signs.
When you are threatened in other ways
If a customer threatens you in a non-physical manner, eg: “I’m going to see to it that you get fired,” the only consistently effective response I know of is silence.
Don’t try to defend yourself. Don’t try a snappy comeback. Don’t let them see you get angry. These customers and situations are quite rare, but you don’t want to risk saying or doing anything that might escalate the situation.
The Bottom Line
Maybe you made a mistake. Maybe you came across as uncaring. Maybe you could have done a better job. Should you reflect on that and try to improve? Of course. But when a customer threatens you, that’s not the time to overthink things.
The bottom line is that none of us get paid enough to put up with threats. With all due respect to Harry Selfridge and John Wanamaker, The customer isn’t always right.
If a customer threatens you in a non-physical manner, eg: “I’m going to see to it that you get fired,” the only consistently effective response I know of is silence.
Don’t try to defend yourself. Don’t try a snappy comeback. Don’t let them see you get angry. These customers and situations are quite rare, but you don’t want to risk saying or doing anything that might escalate the situation.
I truly hope that you never have to deal with customers like these in your career, but if you do, take care!
