The holiday season brings joy and gratitude to all. It also brings tremendous amounts of stress. We are all human, and must realize in the customer service world we are talking to real people, with real problems. Every person handles stress differently, but we must be top of mind during this time of year as experts in the customer service industry, and how to deal with negative emotions.  The best approach is to raise your awareness and empathy of the customers problems. Here are the top 3 tips for dealing with difficult customers during the holiday season:

  1. Underpromise, Overdeliver-Always a win-win. You have probably heard this phrase in multiple industries-because it holds true and always works! Think of a time where you ordered something and perhaps it shipped in 1-2 days instead of 7-10. How did it make you feel? Position the customers expectations to your advantage. Give a more conservative response in case issues occur. They will be delighted to hear from you sooner than they expected!
  2. Give Extra Love to Scrooge-Just like the movie. Scrooge is a cold-hearted, miserable, man who lacks empathy. All he needed was a little TLC to remind him how great life can be. Difficult customers are inevitable. Remember not to take it personal during the holiday season, you are doing your best to deliver your product/services to the best of your ability. Kill ‘em with kindness.
  3. Empower Your Employees-Not only with Christmas cheer, but take the extra time during the holiday season to ensure employees are properly trained with difficult scenarios of customer service. Let customers know they are heard, and that you understand their frustrations. Don’t forget to offer multi-channel support like e-mail, social media, or live chat if applicable.