How to reduce the awkwardness of interrupting customers

At some point in our lives, we’ve all had to deal with the rambler—the person who just won’t stop talking. When it’s an acquaintance or family member, we can probably just walk away; however, we can’t leave a customer dangling mid-sentence.  We must be careful of our approach because we certainly don’t want to anger customers and cause them to go elsewhere.

Strategies that Turn it Around:

When a customer is rambling, we must first determine if he or she is simply talking non-stop or is angry. The approaches are quite different.

1. APPROACH 1: THE CHATTY CUSTOMER. When customers are simply talking non-stop, you may need to interrupt them.
2. “So sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Jones. That’s really interesting about your grandson. I certainly don’t want to take up any more of your time. Did you have any more questions about XYZ?”
3. When customers describe multiple complaints at once, you may have to say: “So sorry to interrupt, Mrs. Jones. I want to make sure I got it right. You’re talking (or calling) about x, y and z. Did I get that right?” This confirms for the customer you are listening and are interested in solving the problem.
4. APPROACH 2: THE ANGRY CUSTOMER. The customer who is angry will need to vent:
5. Let customers vent. If you interrupt someone who is yelling at you, it will fuel the fire and they will most likely start over. Remember, customers will stop at some point – after all, they have to breathe J
6. After they’re done venting, you can start by showing empathy. I have found that repeating their words back to them is most effective. For example: “Oh my goodness, Mrs. Jones. It took you 35 minutes to find parking? I would be frustrated, too.” Then pause. Let them know you have fully understood the problem.
7. Once you get the head nod of acknowledgment or hear the exhale of relief (on the phone), now you proceed to talking about options. What you must NOT do is to place blame. If you can, it is best to take ownership of the problem and find a solution–even though it may not be your fault or your job to do so. Customers dislike being transferred from employee to employee, forced to repeat themselves time and time again.

Remember:  People love to talk. And they especially want others to listen when they have a problem. By knowing when to interrupt a customer, you will save them and you a lot of time, effort, and needless grief and awkward moments.

What do YOU do to deal with a rambling customer? Please share your stories so Barbara can share them with others.