How To Deal With Upset Customers At A Call Center

By Chametra Baskerville

Dealing with upset customers happens almost EVERYDAY! The key is to understand that upset customers are expressing their frustrations; it’s nothing personal. Here are a couple of things we do to help control the situation and calm our customer.

1. Relax and listen to what the customers concerns are-identifying the issue is important so that it can be resolved
2. Try not to raise our voices, even if the customer does
3. Never get into a screaming match with the customer…remember, they are ALWAYS right
4. Use empathy in our tone of voice and conversation with the customer 
5. Be patient with the customer- rushing the customer or talking over them will only add to their frustrations  
6. Resolve the customers issue by using a positive approach and offering additional positive feedback. Example: “I know that you are frustrated with what happened and I apologize for your inconvenience. Tell me what you would like to see happen from here and I’ll try to make that happen.”

Customer Service Representatives have one of the hardest jobs in the industry. It takes professionalism, poise and commitment to excellent customer service to make it in this business. We need to keep a professional demeanour at all times and treat our customers as we expect to be treated…like the VIC’s (very important customers) that they are!