Working with difficult customers is part of every worker’s job, but one customer in particular — known as Karen — stands out as being particularly demanding and aggressive.
Cody Frank of Pittsburgh recently made headlines for an unfortunate encounter on TikTok when Karen thought he worked for his car rental company and began criticizing his customer service skills. Karen started screaming at Cody over perceived poor customer service at his place of business.
1. Don’t Give Up
Make sure that every complaint is documented, whether using CRM/customer service software, an independent complaint management system, or simply Excel sheets. Doing this will enable you to identify patterns of behavior (or lack thereof) which could indicate an underlying issue.
On a recent morning, Zecca is sitting at her dining table, scanning through papers from Karens for Hire client list. Her current caller has spent hours on hold with a travel company which refuses to refund money that was previously paid out due to an canceled flight that she has spent her time trying to resolve with them.
While she might seem like your stereotypical angry Karen, she could also be suffering from mental health issues that make simple mistakes like not having enough ketchup seem catastrophic. Without being trained to recognize red flags like these it can be easy to give in to an entitled Karen’s demands and allow her to take over; make sure you set limits with these clients who won’t work with you and know when it is time to move on from them.
2. Stay Positive
When dealing with an angry Karen client, it is imperative that you remain positive. Karens tend to be non-logical individuals; they view things from only their perspective and cannot sympathize with anyone else’s perspective; therefore staying upbeat will enable you to turn this unhappy customer into one who appreciates your services.
On a recent morning, Zecca Fallon of Karens for Hire is sitting hunched over her dining room table with a laptop and speakerphone, discussing her most recent fight with an indifferent corporation – in this instance a travel company that refused to reimburse her after her flight was canceled.
As a business owner, it is crucial to offer your customers a way of communicating their concerns to you directly – such as via an online contact form, social media channels or dedicated complaint management software. Furthermore, keeping records of every complaint received can help identify trends which might indicate you’re dealing with someone like Karen.
3. Ask for Help
Karens are a unique subspecies of people who can only view things from one viewpoint: theirs. These individuals tend to be self-indulgent, self-righteous, and consumed with themselves – completely preoccupied with themselves and their world. Karens disdain all authorities, taxes, non-Americans and anything outside their narrow view – an especially dangerous breed indeed!
One way to deal with an angry Karen client is to ask for assistance. After all, it can be challenging to handle their anger when directly communicating with them. You could try explaining the situation calmly before asking if they would like a manager to contact them back – or walk away altogether and leave them be.
Make sure that your business has an established and transparent complaint procedure, recording every complaint from dissatisfied customers who do not end up becoming Karens. Use a CRM, customer service software, or Excel spreadsheet for this task and then refer back to these records when encountering another angry Karen client – so as to quickly identify what went wrong and effectively address their needs before they turn into serial Karens.
