Angry customer responses

Every business has to deal with angry and complaining customers every once in a while. Whatever the reason for customer dissatisfaction, proper and timely response can make a difference between keeping a frustrated customer loyal or completely losing their business. Considering that 95% of unhappy customers tend to share bad experiences with others – either personally or through social media/ review sites – knowing how to deal with angry customers and how to respond in a professional way is an absolute ‘must-have’ for anyone working on customer-facing positions.

How to respond to unhappy customers 

When replying to an angry customer email, there are a few key points to remember and include in your message:

• Respond as soon as possible to avoid spreading the negative word-of-mouth.
• Apologize for the customer’s negative experience, show empathy and understanding.
• Take responsibility for whatever your company may have done wrong. 
• Provide an explanation for the situation, if possible, and ensure it will not happen again.
• Offer some incentive, a reasonable discount or refund, where appropriate.
• Encourage the customer to respond with further questions, comments or concerns.

8 Customer service email templates for responding to angry/ complaining customers

To handle customer frustrations and complaints smoothly and effortlessly, you may use the following email response templates for some of the most common issues that can occur. Make sure however to personalize every message taking into account each customer’s unique situation.

The customer had a poor service experience

The customer is dissatisfied with the purchase 

Handling a delivery delay

The customer received the wrong items

There was no response to the customer’s previous email

The customer demands an exception 

The customer left a negative review

The customer is leaving

Frequently asked questions

What do you say to an angry customer?

You can try to calm the customer down and ask them questions about the problem to diagnose and try to solve it. There is nothing wrong with being nice to your customer.

What should you not say to an angry customer?

Don’t criticize, blame, or complain. Don’t argue, state the obvious, or try to correct facts. Don’t use sarcasm. Don’t assume that the customer’s complaint is based on fact.

How can you identify an angry customer?

You can tell when a customer is angry by looking out for these five tell-tale signs:

1. They use foul language (swear words).

2. They are sarcastic.

3. They use accusatory language.

4. They are confrontational.

5. They use short, choppy sentences.