If you’re in a customer-facing position, chances are you’ve dealt with some less-than-easy situations! I’ve dealt with my fair share, and what I’ve found is that there are different types of customer interactions that lead to those difficult situations. Generally, when dealing with difficult customers, it’s either a result of:

• A Policy Debate
• Service Snafu
• Product Failure
• or just a Crazy Complaint!

And while each situation could potentially happen to the same customer, they shouldn’t all be handled the same way. In this Skētchmap, I offer my insight on how to deal with difficult customers, specifically in a debate about policy. What factors should you consider when navigating a policy debate with a customer? How is best to ensure you retain them as a customer, while sticking to an important policy? Can you us this as a learning opportunity for change in your own practices? All of these questions and more are answered in this helpful cheatsheet for dealing with difficult customers.