Unfortunately, the downside of working in a call center is that if a customer takes the time to call you, it’s probably because they’re unhappy about something.  The way you reply can make the difference between a situation that’s resolved amicably and one that escalates into something worse.  Sometimes there’s very little you can do to manage a customer that refuses to calm down, but there are some basic steps you can take to diffuse stressful situations.

Stay Calm, and Don’t Forget to Breathe

When someone is angry, their first goal will be to get you to respond in a similar fashion.  This will give them an excuse to feel even angrier and justify their initial sentiment.  If you feel yourself getting angry or tensing up, chances are the customer will be able to feel it and continue to escalate the situation.  Take a deep breath, and remind yourself to stay calm.  If you have to put the customer on hold for a few seconds to take regain control, it’s best to do so early on.

Evaluate the Customers Tone and Decide on Your Own

Even if an angry customer can’t get you to take the bait, they may keep trying.  They may yell or use words and a tone of voice that will work on your nerves in a subtle way.  Once again, recognizing what’s happening is the key to keeping yourself calm and in control.  The best thing to do is maintain a neutral tone and speak clearly.  Do not yell back or mirror the customer’s inflammatory words.

Let Them Wind Down

Sometimes a customer is angry because they have many other stressful things going on in their lives.  Even if you and the company you represent aren’t the cause of their problems, they may still try to take their aggression out on you.  In these situations, it’s best to simply let them talk themselves out.  While this may take several minutes and go through a number of cycles, eventually they’ll come to a stop and try to work with you to solve the problem they called about.

Remind Them to be Civil

As a call center representative, you aren’t obligated to accept foul language or personally derogatory comments.  If such an event occurs, stop and take a deep breath.  When you speak again, make sure that your voice is steady and soft.  Politely tell the customer that you do not tolerate this type of language and that you’ll hang up on them if use such language again.

Pass Them to Another Representative

If you find that the customer is getting increasingly angry, it may be best to pass them on to another representative.  Sometimes a second person with a different style can bring out the more cooperative side of an angry customer.  Of course, when all else fails, it’s important to realize that there can and will be times when you simply have to hang up the phone and file an incident report with your supervisor – after all, you can’t reach everyone.

When you work in a call center, it’s important to realize that you’re representing a business, so your mannerisms should be professional at all times.  In particular, when you’re dealing with an angry customer, you’ll need to make every effort to stay calm and diffuse the situation as efficiently as possible – even if all you want to do is yell back.

Share This

Posted by Admin in Call Center Tips, Customer Service.

If you’re looking for work in a call center, you may not realize how many opportunities exist for businesses that need outreach call centers to help resolve technical support issues. For example, a car company may need to contact customers regarding recalled products. Other business owners require similar services to manage emergency situations. In the event of a power outage, a home medical equipment company may need to contact patients on life support equipment in order to see if they need additional support.

Outreach Technical and Emergency Call Center Tasks

For the most part, when you work in this type of call center, you’ll be given a list of existing customers and their contact information. Depending on the situation, you may be given a script of questions to ask, or a set of answers to commonly asked questions. It will be your job to disseminate the information as required by the company you work for.

Job and Career Opportunities

Depending on your interests, you may be able to find work at any number of businesses. For example, electric companies may need your assistance to help contact residents in areas affected by power outages, as well as to help locate gas line breaks. Utility companies may also need help contacting customers to determine the limits of an outage problem during the restoration process.

If you’re working in a technical support call center, you may focus on troubleshooting large scale quality control oversights or on preventive maintenance issues. Among other things, you may need to ask if an appliance is malfunctioning, or if it has a particular serial number targeted by a recall. From there, you may need to give specific instructions on how to return the item and how they’ll receive a new one. Alternatively, you may need to give the consumer specific instructions on how to correct the malfunction.

Required Skills

Even though you won’t be making calls to collect money, you may still find yourself in stressful customer exchanges. Among other things, if a utility customer is without power or water, they’re likely to be upset. You’ll likely need to spend a few minutes reassuring the customer that your employer is working as quickly as possible to resolve the situation. You’ll need to be able to remain calm and polite – despite the customer’s reaction – which can be difficult and frustrating.

Working in an outreach center dedicated to technical and emergency issues often requires evaluating information and selecting appropriate solutions. In some cases, you may need training to understand how a particular product works and why the malfunction is occurring. You may also find yourself with the difficult task of translating this technical information to customers in a way that’s easy to understand.

Chances are, if you’ve ever experienced a prolonged power outage, you may have received a call from the utility company to see how you were doing. While these workers are often employed in other jobs during non-emergency situations, there’s still a viable business opportunity for outreach call center specialists in the technical and crisis management fields. Starting an outreach call center service is an easy way to help business manage their problems more efficiently while generating income for yourself.

Share This

Posted by Admin in Call Center News.