Customer relationship management is what brings everything you’ve tried to do and all your efforts together.

It’s your secret recipe towards success.

Could you possibly make your way through without a solid relationship with your valued customers?

Of course not.

That’s where the expression “the customer is always right” first originated.

Whether it’s correct or not, we’re not here to argue the validity of it.

And no matter what, customers are people at the end and dealing with them means dealing with different types of people.

There are the nice ones and the rude ones.

The complainers and the picky ones.

And of course, you’re forced to please everyone to stay in business.

Difficult customers aren’t all equal.

You should be nice with everyone especially the ones you hate starting with a smile and keeping a positive attitude. 

There are different types of difficult customers.

The aggressive/angry customers

Usually these customers are rude and highly critical.

They get abusive whether physically or verbally. They are loud and become an embarrassment that you want to avoid.

They might use cursive language and they are more likely to yell at your staff for any inconvenience.

How to handle aggressive and angry customers?

Don’t take it personal 

It’s not about you, it’s totally about them.

Teach your staff this so they can learn not to react aggressively.

Teach your staff to use the pronoun “we” instead of “I” to make the situation less personal and more professional highlighting the fact that your employees are acting on behalf of the restaurant, not themselves.

Be empathetic 

You’re not supposed to give a lecture here. All you have to do is acknowledge the problem, show the customer no matter how rude he is that you are listening carefully even if you have the urge to punch them.

Just point out the customer’s concern so he rests assured that you are listening to him.

Understand that it’s impossible to please everyone 

A customer might complain that you don’t serve vegan options or you don’t have a certain selection of wines.

It’s something you can’t change at least for the time being so apologize for the inconvenience but explain to him that while you don’t serve his exact choice, you have a substitute. 

If he insists on his order then simply apologize and affirm that nothing can be done in this case and you might have to ask them to leave your restaurant.

Try to prevent the problem if possible 

Sometimes, a customer comes to you to have a certain dish. Having a reliable inventory management software to avoid shortage that leads to disappointment can help a lot in reducing the problems with customers.

The complainer

At least a complainer is better than an angry or aggressive customer.

A complainer customer will provide you with positive and sometimes constructive feedback that enhances your business. 

Sometimes, a customer nags about everything and anything from food to presentation, customer service to wait time, layout of the restaurant or the colors used.

Nothing is enough with these customers 

How to deal with customers who complain a lot?

If the customer is giving you a valid complaint than what’s better than this moment to improve your services?

If he simply nags about everything then make sure you listen to them but limit yourself from satisfying or responding to his demands every single time. 

You can give them time but don’t over do it so you don’t exhaust yourself with a habitual complainer.

Indecisive customers 

These customers suck up the time you should be spending on profits generating interactions.

They ask you thousands of questions and they can’t seem to make up their mind even when they know that they are getting the best value versus price.

They get you into an infinite circle of comparaison, questions and investigations and they stress you out.

How to deal with indecisive customers?

See them as an opportunity 

Know their main concern and work on it.

Is it the price, the quality, the quantity?

Once you identify their main concern, you can force them to decide on something. 

It’s your chance to offer a platter that might be more profitable disguised as healthier or bigger.

Remember that they are interested but they might want to get the best out of their order.

Narrow their choices

“In 2000, psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper from Columbia and Stanford University published of body of work that found that consumers were 10 times more likely to purchase jam on display when the number of jams available was reduced from 24 options or more, to 6.”

Based on their main concern, narrow their choices.

If they ask you about chicken sandwiches with a concern of paying too much, offer them a selection of 2 sandwiches that are fairly priced.

Customers who review everything negative on the internet

You need reviews but not these ones.

There are customers who return to the internet for the pettiest inconvenience to vent on your page or on review pages like yelp.

It makes you feel that your business is so fragile and it can jeopardize your hard work especially if you are a small restaurant starting recently. 

How to deal with them?

Don't just ignore them hoping that no one will read the bad review.

Respond to them

Respond to each bad review without assuming guilt. Apologize for their bad experience but not for a mistake you aren’t responsible for before understanding the situation.

Respond and mention their names in your response. 

Try to take it offline afterwards because you don’t need to expose yourself.

Block actual trolls

While some people are actual customers, others are just people who like to antagonize others online. 

You can block these users or report them for the nuisance they cause and the harm they do to your business. 

Remember that the most difficult customers might turn into your most loyal ones.

Redirect their issues and deal with them smartly to retain them instead of losing them.

Collect information about your customers using a CRM software integrated with your POS for rewards or compensations.

It takes effort to deal with difficult customers but it’s totally manageable and worth trying for.