The Right Words and Phrases to Say to an Angry Customer (2)

So, we now know what phrases to use when dealing with the different types of angry customers in the call centre. But what specific words are central to all of these expressions? Find out below, and if you remember these words, the right statements to use should start to fall off the tip of your tongue. You can also build them into your call centre spiels. Which Specific Words Should You Use? “I” There are occasions when you can use “we”, like when taking feedback and noting that the company will take it on board, but for the most part, you should always use personal pronouns, especially “I”. This is so the customer understands that you are a real person and are invested in them individually. The caller will feel less stranded if you take personal ownership of their problem and taking away this isolation will help to remove frustration. “Yes” Customers want to hear what you can do to solve their problem, so it is important to avoid negatives such as “no” and replace them with positive words like “yes”. A good technique to help to achieve this would be to listen to the customer’s rant and say “Yes, …” and then repeat what they have said back to them. This helps to confirm to the customer that what they have said was understood, whilst you have added a positive spin to the conversation. “Definitely” As highlighted before, words like “definitely”, as well as “absolutely”, “certainly” and so on, can help a difficult interaction. Why? Because they are affirmatives that take away uncertainty from a conversation, as this kind of language will remove doubt. “Feedback” In many cases, an irritated person does not like to be told or it to be insinuated that they are angry, so try to remain positive. So, when the customer has come to the end of their rant, refer to what they have said as feedback and perhaps mention that you will pass it on to the managerial team. “Understanding” This is an example of the progressive form of a verb, and others such as “resolving” and “asking” are particularly good when handling an irate customer, as they show that you are actively working to fix an issue. This removes the insinuations of future-tense forms, like “I’ll resolve” and “I’ll ask”, which don’t suggest the immediacy that the customer will undoubtedly crave. “Currently” Using this word has a similar purpose to using the progressive forms of verbs, as you are informing the customer of your immediate actions, so that they feel as though they are in the loop. It could then be useful to follow this up by informing the customer of your action plan for resolving their query and, if needs be, specify a realistic timeframe in which you will deliver a solution. “Recommendation / Suggestion” To avoid telling a customer what they should or could have done, make sure you make recommendations or suggestions to offer advice, in order to avoid patronising them. You run the risk of angering customers further if you offer them advice in a condescending tone, especially if the problem is on a computer or a technical gadget. Reader Suggestions Here are some additional suggestions sent in by our readers. These involve suggestions of words and phrases to use, as well as other general advice to consider when dealing with an irate customer. Add Empathy In some instances, it is important to show empathy with what the customer is saying, even agreement – “if that happened to me, I would also be annoyed”. But what we need to concentrate on is stating that we are acknowledging that we understand the customer. Nobody argues if someone agrees with them. Do we always need to apologise? No! Why put ourselves on the back foot all of the time? Customers believe that they expect an apology. Again… very few customers in my experience call up for an apology… they call up to have the issue resolved. Apologies often result in the advisor feeling as if the customer has the upper hand. Let’s stop this parent / child customer / advisor relationship. – Thanks to Ross Let The Irate Customer Vent The customer may not be right, but the customer is always the customer. Remember the person on the end of the phone is not shouting at you. Don’t take it personally! They are shouting at the business you work for. So, sit back, relax and let the customer rant and rave. If you consider that they are shouting at you all the time, then you shouldn’t be in the call centre business. So, remember always stay calm and you’ll shine. – Thanks to Anonymous Stick to This Four-Point Plan! Make notes – First listen to the customer very carefully and patiently. Make a note of every detail, as you can make your customer increasingly irate if you make them repeat and convey that you don’t care. Don’t interrupt – Never, never interrupt the customer while they are explaining the issue. Let them pour out their aggression, and get them ready to listen and understand what you are saying. Always take a pause before you start. It’ll help you avoid interruption. Watch your tone – What you say is important; however, how you say it is even more important. So please make sure you pay attention to it. Saying anything or everything in a flat tone will make situation even worse. Smile – Last but not the least, keep smiling. It’ll help you not to lose your patience and keep calm, but it will also help you resolve the issue more effectively. – Thanks to Gaurav Rana Be Careful With Apologies An apology given where it is not necessary is of no value to the customer and only serves to engender feelings of resentment in the agent. These agents may think: “I’m being made to apologise to this person when all they’ve done is abuse me and I/the company have done nothing wrong.” Think about it for a moment: how many times, just in general conversation, do you hear people say, even to their friends rather than in a work capacity, “I’m sorry, but I don’t agree,” or “Well, I’m sorry, but I never agreed to that,” or “I’m sorry, but I’m not very happy.” What is there to be sorry about? People use “I’m sorry” as a kind of shield, or a sweetener, before delivering something that they feel the other party will react negatively towards. And it displays a lack of confidence in their own opinions and feelings. I’d like to see empathy combined with practicality from agents (not just my own) without ubiquitous apologies. Then, where an apology is given, it carries far more weight, is sincere and actually means something. – Thanks to Anonymous Follow The PIA Principle The practice we have is using the PIA terms, which stands for: P – Power word (react to the customer’s emotion), “oh” or “oh my”. I – I statement (relating to the customer’s experience) showing a human connection. A – Assurance that you’re going to resolve the customer’s issue. Example of using PIA: “Oh my, I can only imagine what you have been through… Let me pull up your account. I can definitely check available options for you.” – Thanks to Jolahadhen Ooc Never Repeat The Phrase: “I Understand How You Feel” In general practice, you should NEVER say that you understand how a customer is feeling. From personal experience, I can tell you that it never goes down well with the customer because to them you do not understand. Trying to dig yourself out of this hole is impossible. Yes, you may have kids too, but you do not have their kids. Yes, you may own a similar product but you do not own their product. This is especially the case when working in technical support or repairs, as if you say you understand them and then try to redeem yourself by saying you have had the same problem, even the nicest customer will pick up on this and get annoyed, assuming they have bought a faulty product from a bad brand, and will start to demand replacement. INSTEAD tell a customer that you appreciate their concern or anger. Tell them that you will help them to resolve this issue. By doing this you validate their feelings without providing reason for argument. Just ensure that you sound sincere whilst saying it, or else it may come across as patronising. Source: https://www.callcentrehelper.com/the-right-words-and-phrases-to-use-with-an-angry-customer-30110.htm