It’s possible to placate most customers when they don’t get what they want with your return and exchange policy.

It’s possible that some customers feel discontent when they don’t get what they want with a refund and return because of your policy. Here’s a two-step process you should follow to better handle this situation: Acknowledge the impact. When you show the customer you’re genuinely sorry for the inconvenience, you convey empathy, which helps create calm and good relations. You might say something like, “We realize this isn’t what you wanted to hear, but we may have alternative solutions for you”. Explain how the policy benefits the customer. For instance, an optometry office can’t refill contact lens prescriptions without an annual eye exam. Customers whose eyes haven’t been checked lately may get frustrated when they can’t renew their contacts over the phone. So take this opportunity to clarify the procedure adopted to ensure the health of their eyes through regular examinations. Sometimes, though, return and refund policies don’t directly benefit the customer. In this case, simply explain why you have the policy in place. Be sure some customers will be upset with your refund policies, but using these two steps will surely help you soothe most customers. Source: Creating Positive Conversations with Difficult Customers, by Mira Golde. LinkedIn Learning, 2021 Photo by Christiann Koepke on Unsplash