Anybody who has ever worked in customer service will know that customers are always a mixed bunch.

There are the really nice ones who will always mind their P's and Q's and make an effort to acknowledge the lengths you go to.

There are the ones who are nice enough, and are the right amount of polite.
And then there are the difficult ones. The ones who expect everything to be about them. The ones who will treat you as if you are purposely doing something to make their day worse.

Unfortunately, no matter how many positive interactions you have, it's the bad ones you think of. They can turn your day from a good one to a bad one with a few simple words. And from that moment, you are thrown off and it feels like everything goes wrong.

It's hard to keep up a happy demeanor and follow your customer support best practices when something like that happens.

There are ways to deal with these difficult customers, though. The key is to identify them early, and use the right type of communication to satisfy them. Then, you can turn these grumps into greats.

You might even grow your business in the meantime.