6 Ways to Deal with Unhappy Clients

There’s nothing worse than an email from an upset client. Seeing all of our unread emails can be stressful enough, but seeing a message from someone seriously concerned? Nothing makes our hearts beat faster! Over time you realize that not every client will be 100% happy during your professional relationship, but we can, fortunately, navigate these times easily with a plan in place. 

So, how should we deal with unhappy clients? Here are 6 ways to handle an upset customer:

1. Listen and hear your client out. 

Let them speak fully about their concerns while you really listen. Try to ask questions that help you better understand their perspective. Instead of using this time to be defensive, getting into the mindset to understand how your client experience has gone wrong in this case. Is your client upset about something you can quickly fix like communication or is it something larger like their final product not being what they expected? Narrow down the concern to something that has an actionable solution. 

2. Apologize for their experience. 

Even if you don’t ultimately feel that you’re at fault, you probably still are apologetic for how they feel. You want every client that comes your way to be satisfied and pleased with their experience using your services. Let them know that this was never how you intended for them to feel and that you are confident you can make it right. Sometimes all a client needs to hear is validation about their concerns to feel better about the direction things are moving. 

3. Don’t take it personally. 

In the professional world, it’s easy to take things personally but at the end of the day, it’s just business. Your client is upset because they feel they are not getting the value they’ve paid for, but their mind is geared more towards the financial side than you personally. Help them understand the value of your services and where you’ve gone beyond the call of duty. If you think you haven’t truly done the tasks asked of you, consider issuing a refund to your client. This can be an easy fix for an unhappy client that is looking for a physical solution to the problem! 

4. Work out a solution that makes both of you happy. 

Ask what they feel would be fair and listen to what they have to say. Think about how you feel about their offer. If the solution they suggest doesn’t seem fair for you, counter with something that you think will satisfy both of your concerns. It’s important to ensure your client is happy with the outcome you decide on because the goal is to ultimately get them out of their unhappy mindset.  

5. Decide if the partnership is a good fit.

At the end of the day, if there are multiple concerns frequently coming up on one or both sides it might not be the best fit for a professional relationship. Think about what you get out of this experience yourself; maybe your client is not the only unhappy one in the relationship. Choosing to end a professional relationship is never easy, so if you do make this decision ensure it is done well and respectfully. 

6. Grow from this. 

Could you have potentially prevented this from happening? While some clients are just difficult to please, try to use this as a lesson for how you can increase communication or workflows with your customers. If this is something that can be prevented in the future, let’s do what we can to stay proactive and keep our clients satisfied! 

Next time you get a dreaded email from someone that’s less than thrilled with you, don’t panic. It happens to the best of us and it doesn’t mean you’re not an incredible freelancer! With good communication and a positive attitude, you can turn this into a success story.