Ecommerce - dealing with complaints and aggressive
online clients
Ever heard of anyone threatening to sue over a $2
purchase? Welcome to ecommerce!
There's something about the partial anonymity of
online business that leads some clients to believe
that rattling sabers is a great method of conflict
resolution.
I've been involved with bricks and mortar business
since the 1980's and ecommerce since the mid-90's. I
have noticed that customers have a greater tendency to
come out swinging when online transactions don't quite
go the way they expect.
If you've experienced your share of aggressive online
clients or are just venturing into ecommerce, I hope
this article can provide some valuable advice for
dealing with these unpleasant incidents. Some of the
following principles can also be applied to
non-aggressive complaint resolution.
The "customer is always right" myth
Like many people, in my pre-Internet days of retail, I
was taught by various employers that the customer was
king and always right. Sure, customers are king to a
certain degree, but times have changed. We live in a
more aggressive, "I want it now" type society.
Business is now more competitive and client loyalty
can be very fickle. Competition has given consumers
more power, as has the availability of consumer
advocacy groups and hungry lawyers.
Consumer protection is a very positive thing, but it
has led some misinformed people to believe that they
can demand beyond what they are entitled to from a
merchant.
Regardless of whether the client is in the right or in
the wrong, their aggressiveness can cloud the real
issues and challenge rapid resolution. This scenario
can be a real time-sucker, distracting you from
attending to core business - they need to be dealt
with quickly and effectively.
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Types of aggressive online clients
My experiences over the past few years in dealing with
aggressive clients in a online environment has allowed
me to categorize a person quite quickly. The "I'll
call my lawyer" types can usually be broken down into
4 groups.
The clueless/illiterate client.
These are people who shouldn't be using a computer to
engage in online transactions without some further
training. For these people, an Internet connection is
a WMD - a Weapon of Mass Disruption.
These people have little to no online experience
outside of browsing and believe that everything should
be so intuitive that it requires no mental effort on
their part at all. They are the ones most likely to
order the wrong goods, record their delivery details
incorrectly or repeatedly enter the wrong password
into a client account interface :). Their email
communications are usually poorly constructed and they
expect the recipient to be a mind-reader.
Instead of acknowledging their own incompetence, they
will invariably blame the technology.
Here's a classic example. A client once contacted me
stating that their access details didn't work. I
couldn't find a record of them in our system. I
inquired about this and they became a little impatient
about it. I asked them to confirm the username and
password - they sent me a blank email. I then asked
them to send me a copy of a receipt. They sent me a
photo of their house. After a week of back and forth
trying to extract some sense from them, they sent me
the receipt. It was from another company. They had
signed up with *that* company, not ours and then
proceeded to suck up several hours of my time in
research and communications while we tried to resolve
where the problem was. Of course, during this time
they tried the "I'll take further action!" spiel.
The client with personal problems
Ever had one of those days where everything went wrong
from the moment you opened your eyes? Online vendors
make wonderful scapegoats for people who are
experiencing personal problems. The anonymity of email
or live chat can bring out the worst in those people.
Instead of separating problems, they bundle them all
together and fire the accumulated frustration at you.
The scammer client
These are the people that make a career of complaining
and aggression. They do this in order to extract free
services from ecommerce merchants - it's just
schoolyard bullying brought into the adult world. They
will kick up such a stink that you give them freebies
or discounts just to get them off your back. Expect no
loyalty from these people. Once they've squeezed you
all they can, they'll just move onto the next target.
The exasperated client
Out of all the categories, this is the only type whom
deserves your utmost efforts to assist. These are the
clients who have experienced legitimate problems and
have been passed from pillar to post within your
organization without any resolution. In their
frustration, they become aggressive - still not
acceptable, but more understandable.
Dealing with aggressive online clients
The way you initially respond to an aggressive client
is so important. It sets up the battlefield for a
rapid victory or a long and bloody campaign. Equating
customer support to war isn't a good mindset and I
usually wouldn't draw that comparison, but once the
client gets unnecessarily nasty, that's just what it
is - a battle of minds.
Get it right and you can resolve it quickly. Get it
wrong and it can drag on for weeks and cause you all
sorts of legal problems if you've identified the
"type" of client correctly.
Probably the best way to illustrate a handling process
is via a fictional example:
Example ---------------
"Support,
I purchased a downloadable flomble with my credit card
and the download link didn't arrive. Your site is
(expletive) crap and a scam. I don't have (expletive)
time to deal with this - my dog just got ran over and
I don't need this (expletive). I expect you to refund
my money and give me access to the flomble to make up
for wasting my time otherwise I'm going to call my
lawyer and I'll sue your (expletive). Call me on my
phone immediately as email confuses me and I've
emailed you 20 times already without response.
John"
End Example -------------
You can laugh, but I've seen this kind of email on
occasion. In this type of complaint, it's difficult to
categorize which type of aggressive client "John" is.
He actually fits into quite a few categories; but we
can't be sure at this point if he's also a scammer.
How to respond to aggressive complaints
John has threatened legal action, even though this is
the first that you've become aware of the problem.
Bear in mind that in most instances, the client
actually has no intention of calling up their lawyer.
In most cases they won't have one; but you must tread
cautiously. Remember that the goal is to not score
points for personal satisfaction or to retaliate for
spiteful comments, but to resolve the issues as soon
as possible.
There is one of two outcomes you'll want to achieve
*
resolve the issue with view to getting rid of
the person altogether.
*
resolve the issue with view to maintaining an
ongoing relationship.
Personally, I prefer the first goal. I really don't
want clients who are abusive and aggressive as it may
be a habit for them; but in John's case there is a
hint that perhaps the issue *may* have been a failing
on my company's part.
Let's give John a response. Even though John has
demanded a phone call, if you do not offer phone
support, then there's no reason why you should have to
call him in the initial response. Also, an email
response provides a written record in case things
should get out of hand:
Example response -----------------------
Dear John,
Thanks for bringing this to my attention, I wasn't
aware you were experiencing problems until I received
this email from you a few minutes ago. I have checked
our support system and haven't been able to find any
of the the previous emails you stated you sent.
I'm responding to you via email as we don't offer
phone support and this way, we both have a written
record.
John, I'm sorry to hear about your dog and I'm eager
to resolve this issue for you as quickly as possible,
but I ask that you refrain from using abusive and
vulgar language as it's unnecessary; I'm here to help.
John, could you please provide me with some details of
your purchase. Either please forward me a copy of the
receipt, or if you didn't receive a receipt, please
provide me with the following details:
*
Your full name
*
The date that you purchased the flomble
*
The email address that you used when purchasing
*
The last 4 digits of the credit card you used.
Once I have that information, I will investigate with
our team, check our billing systems and follow up with
you within 24 hours. In the meantime, I'd also like
for you to check something for me - is it possible the
email that would have contained the download link may
have wound up in your bulk email folder or in the
deleted items?
John, I can assure you we aren't a "scam" business and
there's no need for you to go to the expense of
contacting your lawyer. We've been involved with
ecommerce now for nearly a decade and we're always
eager to assist our clients on the rare occasion that
there is a problem.
Sincerely,
Blah
End of example -----------------
There's a number of points achieved in this style of
response:
1.
Addressed the person by name in a number of
instances, therefore giving the signal that they just
aren't a "number"
2.
Shown that you responded quickly once you were
aware of the problem
3.
Addressed each point made in the complaint
4.
Asserted that the issue will be resolved
5.
Gave a clear indication that vulgarities and
aggressiveness will not be tolerated
6.
Liability for the problem has not been accepted
as there isn't enough information provided to do so
7.
Asked for all the details needed to investigate
fully without having to go back and forth with
questions
8.
Defended the credibility of the business
9.
Haven't apportioned blame on the client.
10.
Made no offer of compensation at this point,
just resolution.
In the majority of cases, a response like this will
help defuse the situation if the clients' claim is
legitimate. If they cannot provide the information,
especially a credit card number or some sort of
payment details, then it's likely they are a scammer.
Never, ever accept liability from the outset if the
circumstances aren't clear - this could work against
you later.
Resolving the situation
It's important that once you have received the
information that you follow up as promised. Failure to
do so will only incense the client further and give
them greater basis for a case and an excuse to become
abusive again. How you resolve the situation depends
on the scenario.
If your company is at fault
If the fault does turn out to be on your end, it
doesn't mean you need to give the client exactly what
they demand. Give them some choices:
*
A full refund
*
A partial refund, plus the product
*
A credit on their next purchase
*
Another companion product for free
The idea is to give the client some power, but not all
of it. This will give them a clear signal that you
while you are meeting your obligations in the
transaction, you aren't a doormat. Apologize for the
inconvenience, but don't grovel - mistakes happen.
If fault cannot be determined
If it's not clear who was at fault, you may still wish
to provide one of the above. If you do provide a
discount or freebie, ensure you record it somewhere.
This is for tracking purposes so that you can identify
repeat "offenders". A number of major fast food
restaurant chains keep complaints books, not just as a
QA (Quality Assurance) tool, but to identify
freeloaders.
If the client is at fault
If the client is at fault, then they should be gently
advised as such. There's no use not addressing the
fact as they will learn nothing and probably continue
making the same errors. A gentle rap on the knuckles
is sufficient:
"John, the reason you didn't receive the download link
was because you entered www.john@kdfjkfdjl.com instead
of john@kdfjkfdjl.com in the order form"
In these instances, it is suggested that you only
provide the client with what they ordered; there is no
need to provide the product for free - they received
your attention for free when the problem laid squarely
with them.
Continuing aggressiveness
If the client continues to be aggressive in their
responses, tell them in a professional way again that
while you want to assist them, you will not tolerate
abusive or vulgar language; and if they should
persist, you will cease communications until such time
that they can behave in a civil manner. Any direct
physical threat made to you and your staff should be
referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency
immediately. Ensure you keep a copy of all
communications.
Remember, that regardless of the tone of the client
and how much it may hurt you - do not match their
aggressiveness, just be assertive.
If they *should* call their lawyer and their lawyer
contact you, you can then show your attempts to
resolve the situation and also point out how
aggressive and abusive their client was. That should
earn them a slap on their wrist from their lawyer and
minimize the possibility of further legal action.
Your staff and aggressive clients
It's important that your staff be trained in dealing
with aggressive clients. In fact, wherever possible,
aggressive communications from clients should be
immediately escalated to you or to a senior manager.
This shows the client that someone in the upper ranks
of the organization has taken special "interest" in
them. This "interest" works in your favor in two ways:
*
It shows the client that you feel their
complaint is important.
*
It shows the client you don't allow your staff
to be bullied or abused.
Prevention as a strategy
The old saying of "an ounce of prevention is better
than a pound of cure" is very relevant in online
business. Ensure that your ordering/delivery systems,
faq's and help documentation are spot on and you'll
have less of these sorts of issues to deal with.
Set up your site to require as little mental effort on
the clients' part as possible. It's a sad fact that
most of us don't like to think too much these days.
Live chat/support software and effective shopping cart
software can also be of great benefit in heading off
complaints.
Aggressive clients in ecommerce are not a passing fad.
In fact as time goes on and our world generally
becomes more aggressive, you'll see more of them. It's
important for all of us as ecommerce merchants to send
a clear signal to our clients - we want to deliver the
best possible service to them, but that abusive and
aggressive behavior will not be tolerated.
By the way, it doesn't hurt to have an online-savvy
lawyer of your own on stand-by for dealing with
continually unreasonable clients who just don't "get
the message". A brief "cease and desist" letter from a
lawyer to them can save you many hours and much
stress. Plus there is a degree of satisfaction without
having to sink to the level of the person :).
Related learning resources
Choosing the best shopping cart software
Live chat software for ecommerce
Michael Bloch
Taming the Beast
http://www.tamingthebeast.net
Tutorials, web content, tools and software.
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