Call Center

For a call center, working with difficult people can be a strain on customer service representatives.  Sometimes call center employees can become defensive when an irate customer becomes demanding over the phone.  But for the call center, it's important to deal with the angry customer and diffuse the situation.  

Why is it important to pacify an irate client?  Often, negative experiences can hurt the company's reputation.  Studies have shown that a negative experience from the customer's point of view can be shared among seven to nine people; this is much greater than a person with a positive view of the company.  

The most important step is to empathize with the caller.  Anger must be addressed so that the client gets affirmation of his or her anger.  In fact, real communication from conversation is broken if the representative tries to avoid the anger.  The customer here feels like the communication is not getting through.  The anger must be first acknowledged before we can get on with the rest of the communication.  

The first step should always be an attempt to calm the irate customer.  Resources and time could be wasted if the employee devotes too much time talking about the anger.  So it should be in the best interest to empathize with the caller.  The call representative can say "I'd be upset too if I got the same service", or "I can understand your position very clearly".  These responses allow the call center employee to make that first connection to the angry caller.  Cleary, the irate customer wants to be heard.  Make sure that they are understood and acknowledged.  However, sometimes it makes sense, depending on how angry the caller is, to let the person vent his or her frustration.  Giving time to the caller affirms that the call center representative is listening.  If we were to interrupt too many times, it may look like we're not really listening to the entire conversation.  

Another important step is to change the tone and emotion of the call to a rational or logical conversation.  Often times, the irate client would be wrapped up in emotions because a service wasn't performed correctly or the customer feels that he or she was financially damaged.  By appealing to rational side of the brain, a representative can curb the anger.  In other words, the representative can diffuse the upset caller by explaining rationally how the problem evolved.  The caller can lead the customer by detailing the events and possible solutions to the person's problem.  

Interestingly, the problem at hand is not always the issue.  For instance, a charge of $1 for a service may ignite the client to outrage, but the important thing is what would satisfy the client.  The representative may ask what the client needs to make him (or her) happy.  The resolution may not be a refund for $1, but a good explanation on why one would incur such a fee.  

The ability to pacify and calm someone's anger is a very important skill set for anyone working in a call center.  It's important the client's anger is acknowledged and addressed immediately.  An attitude that stresses good customer service to remove anger will go a long way.