However, being grateful for feedback doesn\u2019t mean you should always<\/em> treat it the same.<\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s heard stories of horrible customer support. What we talk about a lot less, especially in SaaS, is stories about horrible customers.<\/p>\n While 99.9% of people are an absolute joy to work with, there\u2019s the 0.1% who behave in a less than desirable way. Some types of customers\u2019 feedback<\/a> does not<\/em> come from a good place.<\/p>\n Respect and appreciation is important, but it should apply to both sides. And it\u2019s perfectly fine to be firm about it.<\/p>\n Today, we\u2019re going to talk about 3 types of \u201cbad\u201d customers whose sh*t you don\u2019t need to deal with.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve also included templates on how to reply to their \u201cfeedback\u201d with integrity, respect, and balance.<\/p>\n Before we get into it, it\u2019s important to make a distinction between a \u201cbad customer\u201d and a \u201cbad person<\/em>\u201d.<\/p>\n Yes, some people are genuinely just jerks. Such is life.<\/p>\n However, more often than not, a \u201cbad customer\u201d isn\u2019t actually a bad person<\/em>.<\/p>\n They\u2019re probably having a crappy day, a hard time, or are under a lot of pressure.<\/p>\n If you think of a difficult customer as just a bad person, you\u2019ll get angry and resentful. This doesn\u2019t solve anything, for you nor your customer.<\/p>\n A bad day doesn\u2019t justify anything, and it definitely<\/em> doesn\u2019t mean you should just take it as is.<\/p>\n However, understanding that there\u2019s a reason behind acting a certain way can help. You know that it has nothing to do with you.<\/p>\n It\u2019ll help you keep your calm, and show integrity and respect even if they\u2019re not.<\/p>\n That being said, let\u2019s get into it.<\/p>\n These people are one of the worst kind of \u201cbad\u201d customers to deal with.<\/p>\n Whether they\u2019re just being extremely condescending, or straight up calling you names, it\u2019s not cool.<\/p>\n Even if you did<\/em> do something wrong, resorting to insults is never acceptable. With some customers, it only happens once. With some, it\u2019s a constant issue.<\/p>\n With a one time thing, you can offer to solve the issue\u2014given that they adjust their behavior.<\/p>\n If it\u2019s a recurring issue with the same customer even after asking them to stop\u2026<\/p>\n Well, sometimes it\u2019s better to end that relationship altogether.<\/p>\n We all think customer support representatives should have thick skin. It\u2019s also hard to accept losing money over \u201cfiring\u201d a customer.<\/p>\n However, nobody<\/em> deserves to be bullied or degraded. Every issue in life can be resolved in a civilized way, no matter the severity of it.<\/p>\n The key is to empathize first, offer a solution, and then firmly state that respect is expected.<\/p>\n An example of a one-time occurrence:<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback! We understand your point of view, and apologize for any inconvenience.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how we can solve the issue you\u2019re having:<\/p>\n With that being said, though we empathize with your frustration, we ask you to communicate your concerns with respect.<\/p>\n We can solve this while remaining polite on both sides. We\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n An example of a regular occurrence:<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback!<\/p>\n We understand your concerns and would love to make things right.<\/p>\n However, we feel like you\u2019ve been incredibly disrespectful towards our team, and are continuing to do so.<\/p>\n This is not to imply that your dissatisfaction as such is unwarranted. However, it can and should be communicated in a polite way.<\/p>\n There are two ways we can move on:<\/p>\n 1. We can agree to show respect towards each other and talk about the issue in a civilized way Let us know how you would like to proceed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Even if big companies aren\u2019t your target market, you\u2019ll probably deal with one wanting to come on board at some point.<\/p>\n Big company offers can be tempting, and it\u2019s hard to say no to these amazing deals<\/a>. Doubling your revenue with one deal? Heck yeah!<\/p>\n There are benefits in selling to enterprises. Namely, they pay more and they churn less.<\/p>\n However, big companies have big company needs. If a big company is nice and patient about this, there\u2019s no reason to not<\/em> work with them.<\/p>\n However, some of them present their demands in an extremely condescending way.<\/p>\n Here are some red flag statements:<\/p>\n Basically\u2014\u201dwe\u2019re bigger than you, do what we tell you to.\u201d<\/p>\n Many representatives of these big companies are used to getting whatever they ask for. I mean, they\u2019re, like, Facebook. How can you say no.<\/p>\n If you take these threats and do whatever they demand, they\u2019ll never<\/em> stop asking.<\/p>\n If they never stop asking, you\u2019ll be spending all of your time on them and their demands. The majority of your customers will be losing out.<\/p>\n The key is to clearly (and respectfully) communicate that you don\u2019t put edge cases first at the expense of your regular customers. Them not coming on board because of it sounds like a them<\/em> problem.<\/p>\n An example of a response:<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback!<\/p>\n We’ve decided we’re currently unable to prioritize features X and Y.<\/p>\n We’re a small team and have to be careful with how we spend our time. These features would add no value to the majority of our existing customers.<\/p>\n We understand that this is likely a deal breaker for you, but let us know if you’re still interested in moving forward.<\/p>\n Otherwise, feel free to look at some of the following companies who might be more suited to your corporate needs: X, Y, and Z.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n These are all scary stats. Most companies view bad online reviews as a horrible thing. Everyone can see it, and it will cost any business customers and money.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s precisely why certain customers love to use \u201cpublic shaming\u201d as a threat.<\/p>\n These statements are just a way to try to blackmail you, on the premise of \u201cruining your reputation\u201d.<\/p>\n However\u2026.<\/p>\n You shouldn\u2019t be scared of negative reviews. You just need to learn how to deal with it well.<\/p>\n You definitely shouldn\u2019t tolerate bad reviews being used as a threat to get you to do something. Especially if that something is something you have solid reasons for not doing.<\/p>\n So they want to go and say bad stuff about your company online? OK.<\/p>\n Most of the times, it\u2019s just a threat anyway. Even if it isn\u2019t, you can always reply to it in a friendly, useful, constructive way.<\/p>\n If anything, you\u2019ll be letting everyone know how good you are at dealing with negative feedback.<\/p>\n First, offer a workaround or other potential solution to whatever issue they\u2019re having. Then, let the customer know that their threat of \u201cpublic shaming\u201d doesn\u2019t phase you. They\u2019re welcome to do so if they wish.<\/p>\n An example of a response:<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback!<\/p>\n We\u2019re sorry you\u2019re not satisfied with our response. However, we are still unable to work on\/prioritize\/do X, Y, or Z for you at this time.<\/p>\n Here are some alternative solutions\/workarounds that might help:<\/p>\n If you wish to voice your concerns outside of our chats, you\u2019re welcome to do so. We believe in freedom of speech, and you\u2019re allowed to express yourself in any way you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n Please let us know if there\u2019s anything else we can do for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Yes, customer is king. However, that\u2019s only the case if they\u2019re respectful, honest, and genuine\u2014like a king should be.<\/p>\n You should always strive to solve issues and work towards doing what your customers need.<\/p>\n However, that doesn\u2019t mean bending backwards for customers who threaten, blackmail, and abuse you.<\/p>\n Every request, issue, and concern can be communicated in a respectful way. Sometimes, not listening to customers until they’ve adjusted their behavior is perfectly fine.<\/p>\n There\u2019s nothing wrong about being firm and fearless about your integrity and your team\u2019s well-being.<\/p>\n What are the worst \u201cbad\u201d customer stories you have? How did you deal with it?<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/giphy-9.gif\")
\nA disclaimer about \u201cbad\u201d customers<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/giphy-10.gif\")
\nDisrespectful\/mean customers<\/h2>\n
![\"Not](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Google-Chrome_2019-07-23-12-10-01@2x-1024x371.png\")
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Fire-Bad-Customers-Low-Res-250x300.jpg\")
\nHow to respond<\/h4>\n
\n
\n2. If not, we can cancel your account\/refund you, and you can find another solution<\/p>\nBig fish demanding special treatment<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/enterprise-vs-smb-1024x558.jpg\")
\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/giphy-11.gif\")
\nHow to respond<\/h4>\n
Using public shaming as a threat<\/h2>\n
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\n
\n
![\"Not](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Screen-Shot-2019-04-25-at-12.31.32-PM-1024x499-1024x499.png\")
\nHow to respond<\/h4>\n
\n
Don\u2019t allow yourself to be beaten down<\/h2>\n
![\"Canny](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5705808\/e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa.png\")
<\/a><\/span>