We all want to keep our customers happy. Loyal customers usually mean repeat sales, and keeping an established customer base is generally a lot easier than obtaining new clients. Most customer expectations are pretty reasonable – prompt customer service, reliable delivery times, and good communication.
But how do you approach those customer demands that are, well, a bit more unrealistic? Perhaps it’s a customer that wants unachievable delivery times. Or, it could be a slightly high-maintenance client that expects you and your team to be on-call 24/7 to answer their queries immediately.
Whatever it is, dealing with more challenging customer interactions is an inevitable part of doing business. How you handle these situations, while maintaining a good relationship with your client, is what counts.
Understanding Unrealistic Demands
Customers, like all of us, are only human. It’s important to recognize that while their demands might seem unreasonable, there’s likely a reason for it. Few people set out to be deliberately difficult, so start by trying to understand where your customer’s expectation stems from.
It could be that they have been given the wrong information, or they’ve misunderstood what they’ve been told. Or, they might have previously had a bad experience, like a late delivery, that has led them to put pressure on you to meet their expectations this time around.
Empathize and Listen
When you’re first met with an unrealistic expectation, resist the temptation to immediately dismiss it or try and deflect it. The worst thing you can do? Completely ignore their demand and hope it goes away.
This is more likely to just add to their frustration and could even lead to them venting via bad reviews or negative comments on social media.
Instead, acknowledge their request and try to empathize with their situation. Use active listening to allow them to communicate their concerns fully and show them that you recognize their feelings on the matter.
Use phrases like “I understand” – it doesn’t mean you agree with them, but that you can appreciate their perspective. This approach helps to break down barriers between you and the customer and can turn a defensive conversation into a more constructive discussion.
Strategies for Managing Unrealistic Demands
Once you’ve established a good two-way conversation with the customer, it’s time to tackle their demands. There are a few practical ways to approach this without upsetting the relationship. While discussing strategies for managing unrealistic demands, incorporating efficient returns management strategies is essential when addressing customer expectations regarding returns. Educating them on your returns policy while negotiating expectations can turn potential frustrations into positive interactions.
Educate and Set Expectations
A lot of unrealistic demands are actually just a misunderstanding. Give your customer the benefit of the doubt and take a moment to fully explain what your standard service level and products include.
It could very well be that they simply didn’t realize that their request couldn’t easily be accommodated. Make sure you explain ‘why’ you can’t achieve what they are asking for rather than just saying no.
Imagine your company offers outbound calling services. You’ve recently bought a new customer on board and they’re insisting that you need to reach 1,000 new leads per hour ahead of their new product launch.
Now, you want to give a good impression to your customer, but making promises at this stage that you can’t deliver on isn’t the best foot to get off on. So, instead, you empathize with their situation and set an expectation that you can deliver on, explaining why you can’t meet their demand.
For example: “While we’re eager to support your product launch, reaching 1,000 leads within an hour may not be feasible for high-quality engagement. Let’s discuss a more achievable plan that ensures effectiveness.”
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Manage Expectations From the Start
As the saying goes, prevention is better than a cure. Avoid falling into the trap of unrealistic expectations by making sure your product or service is suitably tailored to your target customers and that prospects are really clear on what you can offer from the start.
When you’re making a sale, it can be easy to gloss over details like lead times and SLA in your eagerness to get the deal over the line. However, not being transparent from the get-go can come back to bite you when your customer starts asking for things that aren’t possible later on.
Offer Alternatives and Compromises
Sometimes, despite your best efforts to set clear expectations, you will still find yourself dealing with one of those demands that make you want to pull your hair out in frustration. We’ve all been there.
However, before you pick up the phone ready to tell your customer all the reasons why you can’t accommodate their request, could you meet them halfway?
While it can feel frustrating to have to seemingly pull off last-minute miracles or spend extra time accommodating a special request, it could make all the difference in that customer relationship.
See if you can find a middle ground and settle on a compromise that is both practical for you and helps your customer out.
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Present Options
Rather than just telling your customers what you can and can’t do, give them options. People are more likely to make a choice they feel satisfied with when presented with a range of options, compared to when they are just given one solution to “take it or leave it”.
If you can’t meet their demands, offer alternatives and let them choose the solution.
For example, imagine a scenario where a customer contacts a company that provides their call center workforce management solution. They urgently need a customized feature implemented on their system and they want it done by the end of the day.
However, after speaking to the development team, it’s clear that this isn’t going to be possible.
Instead of giving them a flat “no”, you offer them the option of a temporary solution that can be quickly put in place while the full feature is being developed and tested.
You also show them some existing functions on their system that could offer a workaround to meet their needs while you work on a more permanent solution for them.
Giving them options shows that you want to work with them to find a solution, but also sets boundaries around what is possible. That way, they appreciate you helping them out but don’t expect you to perform miracles in the future.
Dealing with Difficult Scenarios
Now, let’s say you have been as tactful as possible. You’ve listened to your customer’s concerns, shown them that you empathize with their position, and tried to offer a number of solutions. However, this customer is not budging on their demands.
You don’t want to damage the relationship, but short of being a magician to solve all their problems, you just can’t meet their expectations. How do you handle those awkward situations where you really just have to say no?
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Know When to Say No
There are times when, despite your best efforts, you just can’t achieve what the customer is asking, and you need to say no. In these cases, don’t drag it out and lead the customer on with false promises. All this will do is lead to more frustration on their part when you let them down later on.
Be sympathetic but firm about exactly what you can and cannot achieve, explaining your position and reasons why you can’t meet their demands. Don’t leave any room for confusion and ensure that your customers are completely clear on what to expect next.
Provide Explanations
Chances are, at some point when you were young and constantly asking why you couldn’t have something, an adult would eventually shut down the conversation with the classic “because I said so!”
While this tactic might bring an end to persistent nagging from a toddler, it’s definitely not the approach to take for achieving customer satisfaction.
You want your customer to understand that you’re not just being stubborn or awkward in denying their request. So, offer detailed explanations of exactly why it can’t be achieved. Even if your customer isn’t getting what they want, they’ll appreciate your transparency.
Let’s consider you’re in a situation where a client starting a virtual call center contacts you asking for a reduction in their quoted monthly service fees. After empathizing with their concerns over budget constraints, you give them some options for cheaper service plans or reducing their features to help cut costs.
However, they are insistent that they want to stay on the same plan but pay less. The price they’re suggesting is well below the standard rate and there’s just no way you can afford to reduce their fees by that much.
They’re a valued customer, so how do you deliver the news without rocking the boat too much?
To start, you acknowledge the client’s financial concerns and show understanding, but make it clear that the requested fee reduction is beyond what can be offered.
For example, you might say “I understand the importance of managing costs. However, I must be honest that the requested fee reduction is beyond the flexibility we can provide at this time.”
You then offer detailed explanations regarding the standard pricing structure, operational costs, and why you can’t offer the reduced fee.
“Our pricing is carefully structured to cover operational costs and maintain the quality of service you’ve come to expect. Reducing fees to the extent requested would compromise our ability to deliver the same level of support and technology.”
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Escalate Responsibly
There might be times when you’re simply out of your depth with a customer’s demands, or you don’t have the authority to approve their request on your own. It’s okay to pass their request to someone higher up who can make the final call.
It’s not about passing the buck, sometimes a customer just needs to hear “no” from someone more senior to truly understand that it can’t be done. Other times, there could be room for some flex in the situation, but challenging standard procedures are beyond your control.
For example, a customer service employee at a software company gets a phone call from a customer wanting immediate email integration with their new email service provider.
Despite explaining that this is a process that would normally require development and testing, the customer is still insistent that it needs to be done with immediate effect.
In this case, the customer service employee is all out of options to offer their customer. So, they escalate the issue to the development team to properly assess what can be done.
Making sure not to just leave the customer hanging or feeling like they’re being fobbed off, they explain that they are escalating the issue and what to expect next.
You might say: “While I’m here to assist, the customization you’re seeking goes beyond my current authority and expertise. To address your unique requirements appropriately, I’d like to escalate this to our advanced support team.
Once your request is with our advanced support team, you can expect a thorough review. I’ll keep you informed about the progress and any updates regarding the feasibility of implementing the customized feature.”
Make sure employees are clear on your escalation procedure and when to pass on a customer query rather than trying to deal with it themselves. You can create a simple guide or share a business memo explaining the steps everyone should take.
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Effective Customer Handovers
If you’re transferring a customer to someone with more authority, don’t just drop the problem on their desk and run. If your customer has to repeat the issue they will only feel more frustrated.
So, make sure you brief the person taking over on what exactly the challenge is and the options you’ve already discussed. Then, when they pick up the phone, they can be fully up to speed and ready to offer solutions, showing your customer that their concern has been taken seriously.
Learn from Every Interaction
There will always be the occasional super-demanding customer you encounter, but if you’re getting frequent requests for things you can’t achieve it’s time to take a look at why.
Analyzing your customer journey can provide valuable insights into areas where you may need improvement. You might need to polish up your proposition. So, find your target audience and make sure you’ve got everything they might need covered.
Depending on your industry, it could be quicker lead times, better courier services, or maybe your customer service isn’t quite meeting expectations.
Keep a note of frequent requests or complaints you get and look for areas you can improve on.
Turn Challenges into Opportunities
Dealing with tough customer requests is never fun, but it’s part of the job in customer service. The trick is handling these situations with kindness, communicating clearly, and problem-solving.
With the right approach, you can even turn those awkward conversations into chances to make your customer relationships stronger. Just remember, every time you interact with a customer, it’s a chance to show that you care about their satisfaction.