When working at a call center or answering service, you are bound to come across a few angry customers. Follow these tips to properly handle angry customers!
When you work at a call center or answering service, your job is to answer the phone and talk to people all day long. Because of this, you are bound to come across a few angry customers that have an issue or complaint. Customer service is so important in these industries and it is essential that you don’t lose your cool. Here are five tips for handling angry customers over the phone.
Don’t Take it Personal
The first thing you want to do when you encounter an angry customer is to remind yourself that it isn’t personal. This customer isn’t mad at you specifically even though they are taking it out on you. Remember that you aren’t the problem and allow them to get their story out without interruptions.
Kill Them with Kindness
It is important that you never argue back with a customer because you are putting your job at risk. If a customer insists on being rude to you throughout the entire conversation, kill them with kindness instead of being rude back. Provide respectful, sympathetic, and sincere responses to their concerns. If you remain calm, your customer may start to let up.
Be Apologetic
After you have listened to the customer’s problem, you want to offer as sincere of an apology as you can. This can be difficult when a customer just yelled at you for an entire phone conversation, but it’s necessary. Being apologetic and letting them know that you want to help them fix the problem shows them that you care.
Patience, Patience, & More Patience
When dealing with an angry customer, it may take longer than normal to get through the conversation. You want to be patient and listen to everything they have to say with minimal interruptions. Interrupting them or trying to speed the conversation along may make them even more upset. Try to stay in control and guide the conversation as respectfully as possible.
Relieve the Stress
Once you have solved the problem for the customer and ended the conversation, make sure to take a few moments to relieve some of that stress. It can be difficult to allow someone to talk to you angrily and not be able to retaliate, so unwinding is a good idea. Take a walk outside or around the office, vent to a coworker, or go get a quick cup of coffee. You need to be in a fresh mindframe to continue taking calls just in case every customer seems to be having a bad day.
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