Handling
an Angry Caller in the Call Center
As a call center representative, you
will come across angry callers on a daily basis. How you handle these
interactions can ether lead to a successful resolution of their issue or losing
the customer forever. It’s important to provide your call center agents with
the proper tools, training and call
center software to help them
handle difficult customer personalities with grace.
The following five techniques can
help to calm the caller, enhance the productiveness of the call, decrease
handle times and increase customer service quality.
Step
1: Listen
You can usually determine whether or
not the caller is angry within the first few seconds of a call. When you come
across an angry caller, it is important to simply listen to them before trying to defuse the
situation. The caller may just want to vent his frustration. Sometimes, after a
caller is given the chance to express displeasure, they will apologize and
allow you to solve the problem with no further anger.
While the caller is speaking, it may
be helpful to jot down the major points of their problem on your notepad. Angry
callers tend to go on tangents. Keeping notes will help you to find an answer
to the problem more efficiently and will also allow you to maintain your focus.
If the caller is threatening you,
using violent language or swearing, follow your company’s policy guidelines for handling difficult customers. If your guidelines allow you
to end the call when they cross the line, by all means, end the call right
away.
Step
2: Remain Calm
It is important to stay calm during a
call to prevent the situation from escalating. Here are a few tips to try:
·
Focus
on using an even tone while you speak. Using an agitated or angry tone will
simply infuriate the caller even more.
·
Remember
that the customer isn’t angry at you. It is the situation that is making the
caller angry.
·
Put
yourself in their shoes. How would you feel if this happened to you? Having a
little bit of empathy for the caller can go a long way.
·
Take
a few deep breaths to calm your nerves while the caller is talking.
Step
3: Repeat Information
When the angry caller has finished
talking, it is important to make them feel as if you are on their side. One way
to do this is to apologize about the problem, convey empathy and then summarize
their main points. Doing so will not only make the caller feel you are
listening to them, it will also give them a few moments to calm down. You may
be surprised at how much calmer they are when they start talking again.
Step
4: Avoid the Hold Button
Many customer service representatives
will put an angry caller on hold, believing that the hold time will allow them
a moment to calm down. Actually, the opposite is true. The hold time will add
to the caller’s frustration, escalating the situation.
Some callers believe that hold time
allows representatives to talk rudely without being heard. Others believe that
they are put on hold so that the representative doesn’t have to deal with the
problem. While this may not be true, while on hold, a caller’s imagination will
have plenty of time to think up negative reasons for why they are on hold.
Instead of putting the caller on hold
while you research the problem, talk to them. Let them know exactly what you
are doing to solve their problem. For example,
“It seems to me that you may have a
billing error. I’m pulling up your bill, Ms. Jones, and taking a look. I see
that you were billed on the first of the month and the payment was made
automatically through your credit card. You said you changed your method of
payment, so now I am going to take a look at the notes on your account to see
when that change was made.”
Talking to your angry customer will
help to calm them as they will feel you care enough to guide them through the
entire process.
Step
5: Make the Caller Happy
Once you have researched the problem,
it is time to take action. Below are tips to help make the callers happy:
·
Give them options
Giving your callers options to
resolve their issue will make them feel more in control. Be sure to not only
tell your customer what their options are, but also how soon each option can be
implemented. A lack of control can enrage the customer even further.
·
Offer a refund or voucher
If your company policy allows, offer
them a refund or voucher. It can go a long way in showing that you are sorry
and that you appreciate their business.
·
Go the extra mile
Before ending the call, ask the
caller if there is anything else you can help them with. Going the extra mile
can make them feel more appreciated.
·
Make them smile
Finally, compliment them on being
patient or tell a joke to lighten the mood. If you can put smile on their face
before you end the call, you are an all-star agent.
Handling angry customers is part of the job at any call center. Knowing how to deal with these challenging
interactions effectively can go a long way in improving the customer’s
experience with you and your company.
Listening, staying calm, repeating
information, avoiding the hold button and making your caller’s happy are all
essential when you have an angry caller on the line. Employing these techniques
will not only allow you to help the customer, but will also improve customer
satisfaction and reduce handle times
To me this article is very useful if you to work in a call center as agent becuase you will come across with many difficult costumers every single day and you must how to deal wwith them.
ReplyDeletePutting yourelf in the customers shoes is very important and not upsetting them even more, can go along way for both parties. It is necessary to be trained in this area in order to handle calls, callers and solving issues. I also like the part about empathy, because everyone has certain needs to fullfil. Great tips for us.
ReplyDeleteWell this article is interesting for me because at the moment if you want to work Maybe you can trained and understand what the customer wants and how you can help them..
ReplyDeleteI agree with this article ,and the same time it's important due that if we want to work in a call center always we must put in practice all of this techniques ,because in a call center we going to face with angry caller every single day ,also its mentioned the word "empathy "because u told us in class that the people in a call center have to be emphatic with other and try to solve the problem of them .
ReplyDeleteExcelent information
I think is important keep on calm when you have a angry customer, sometimes we were not get used to deal with those kind of people so, is better receive a training in call centers
ReplyDeleteOne of the best aspect of a call center worker should be reaching patience. I think this virtue is essential in order to deal with different kind of call center caller, specially with those who get angry. As a remind, costumers always get the reason.
ReplyDeleteNice article, I think it details important steps to follow when dealing with difficult clients. I consider that patience is something that you need the most when dealing with this kind of difficult clients. Also, you need to be a good listener, sometimes clients just want to heard. I liked this article!
ReplyDeleteI think that during the Training you would have the opportunity to practice these scenarios, right? If not during the shadowing the agent must be really careful to learn and understand how to solve this.
ReplyDeleteThis information is helpful because an agent should know how to deal with angry callers therefore is needed know these techniques in order to calm the caller in a successful way. It is important listen, be patient, and convey empathy with the purpose to help them and improve customer satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteThis post is such a great blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the information, Keep it up writing. Thanks again!
Hosted contact center Philippines
When it comes to call centers, having the right headphones is essential for ensuring clear communication and productivity. call center headphones DASSCOM offers noise-cancelling call center headphones that effectively block out background noise, providing crystal-clear audio quality. With comfortable designs for all-day wear, these headphones enhance focus and reduce strain during long shifts. They are built for durability, ensuring a long-lasting investment for any business. Explore DASSCOM’s top-notch call center headphones here to boost your team’s performance today.
ReplyDelete