We all know the feeling. You take time off work and wait in all day for a new washing machine that fails to appear.
Or the lights go out and your electricity provider says they have no-one of your name at that address.
On the phone to the contact centre you find your blood begin to boil as you struggle to keep a lid on your stress.
But what’s it like to be on the other end of the line with a customer who is seeing red?
Melissa Fraser from Glasgow has worked in the call centres of several major utility companies and service providers and she says that the ability to keep a cool head under fire is an essential skill for call and contact centre staff.
However, far from dreading the difficult calls, she has learned to welcome them and says there is nothing more rewarding than sorting out a problem for a caller in distress.
Here is her advice for resolving a heated situation – top notch guidance whether you’re a Service or Sales Adviser, Customer Support Agent or Inbound Contact Centre Advisor.
It’s not about you
“Remain calm and professional and don’t take the caller’s anger personally. They aren’t mad at you but at a situation they perceive to be wrong. They may need to off-load a lot of anger before they can begin to be rational about their experience.”
Diffuse the situation
“Empathise. This is not the time to point out that the mistake might be their own. Any attempt to counter their argument will just escalate the situation, so be understanding and sympathetic.”
Get the story straight
“Listen very carefully and ask for clarification on any points on which you are not clear. Working through the facts to get the full picture will not only convince the caller that you are taking their complaint seriously but it will also help them to regain control over their emotions.”
Don’t pass the buck
“An angry customer can sometimes feel like an unexploded bomb and your instinct is to pass them on to another call handler in a different department before they ‘blow up’. Don’t. You might enjoy an instant feeling of relief but you’ll miss out on the satisfaction of having done your job properly.”
Stick with it
“Customers don’t object to being put on hold, if you are genuinely checking facts and getting guidance from a team leader. Once they have confidence that you are trying to resolve the situation they usually become co-operative and much less hostile.”
Result
“Do it often enough and you learn that, with patience, it is possible to convert even the most disgruntled caller into a happy customer.”