How to Deal with Angry Callers

How to Deal with Angry Callers

Unfortunately, difficult customers are a fact of business life, regardless of the line of work you happen to be in.

This does not make them any less challenging to deal with, but it does mean that you’ll need to work on a few key aspects of your customer service skillset.

The customer experience is critical to success in today’s climate of ultra-high expectations and online reviews, so keeping your cool under the immense pressure of a furious client is a must.

Whether it’s justified anger or not, you’ll need to see the world through the customer’s eyes. Here are some tips to help you improve your customer service skills in no time.

Listen and Stay Clam

Dealing with angry callers can be an upsetting experience, but as long as you remember not to take it too personally, you should be able to put the situation back into perspective.

People can be incredibly callous and insensitive sometimes, but if you can stay calm in the face of anger, you’re already well on your way to diffusing the tension.

You can improve this by practising your listening skills and responding directly to the customer’s specific complaint. It’s no use saying, ‘I understand,’ as a standalone statement – what exactly do you understand about their situation? Make sure the customer knows you’ve heard them.

Work on Your Phone Etiquette

Angry callers don’t get the face-to-face benefits of a direct conversation, so you’ll need to take extra care to come across well over the phone.

Always remember to speak clearly and concisely, and even take some notes if you have to; this can help you out later on.

Try not to interrupt either; phone calls can be challenging enough without having someone getting even more annoyed at being talked over.

Respond Quickly

Responding to customers sooner rather than later is crucial. It tells your customer that you’re attentive, caring, and highly professional.

This isn’t always easy, especially if you’re a sole trader or you’re extremely busy, but it should still be a top priority.

If you need some support in the communication department (effective communication is critical to success), you may want to check out our virtual receptionist service; it could be the perfect tool to bolster your customer service efforts. Your customers need to be able to get through to you no matter how busy you are, and we’re here to help.

The right telephone answering service could even help you turn a complaint into an advantage, particularly if you can prove that you’re able to resolve problems as promptly as possible.

Use Polite and Positive Language

Responding to an angry customer politely and positively can help bring the situation under control.

It can also enable you to keep a clear head and showcase your professionalism, important factors when trying to appease your clients to achieve the best results.

Apologise

This one may seem obvious, but it can be easy to forget to say sorry in the heat of the moment.

A meaningful apology, one that’s backed up by a positive suggestion, should go some way toward de-escalating the problem.

Angry customers are tough to deal with, but appeasing them promptly and professionally makes your brand look superb.