Keep in mind though, that if the customer becomes too abusive, or seems really threatening, you should tell them that you will go get your supervisor or someone else to help you resolve this problem. When you are walking back to the customer, fill your supervisor or helper in on the situation and explain why you felt you needed to come get them (ie. you felt really threatened, etc. ) If worse comes to worse, you will have to ask the customer to leave. Know your organizations policy on when to call the authorities and how to document any encounter like this where noting specific details might be necessary for follow up.
A good way to make sure that you know exactly what the problem is, is to use calm and collected wording like “I understand that you are upset, and rightly so, that the pizza was delivered an hour late to your house. ”
“I completely understand your frustration–waiting for a pizza, especially when you’re really hungry, is a horrible feeling. ” “You are right to be annoyed–delivery delays can throw off all whole night of plans. ”
For instance, in the situation with the late pizza, you might present something like, “I totally understand that you are upset your pizza was delivered late. I would like to refund your order and offer you a voucher for a free pizza. I will personally make sure that your next pizza gets delivered to you with the utmost haste. ”
“What would you like to have happen? If it is within my power, I will see that it gets done. ”
