In the field of customer support, complicated situations and challenging customers often reach you every day. Your task is not only to keep the conversation pleasant and ongoing but also to solve customers’ issues. So it can be a very stressful and challenging position to be. However, with excellent communication skills, patience, and these five handy tips from Katrium on how to handle contacts from challenging customers, you are ready to manage your next customer crisis like a pro.
Be an active listener
Considering that customer satisfaction mostly depends on the way you handle the call. It is your job to be supportive and understanding of the issue. Remain calm and listen to the needs and moods of the customer. You can try assuring to do everything in your power. If the problem needs more time, offer the customer to arrange another time that is more feasible for them. Until that, you have time to look into the issue. If you receive a call from an angry customer, acknowledge their frustration and use empathetic phrases. If the caller is indecisive, you can turn the conversation the way you would like it to go. Be straightforward and ask the customer what exactly are they looking for. Not all the customers will be easy to categorize, but try to find the best approach according to their needs.
use positive language
Saying no but remaining open for discussion can be a challenge. So the customer might not hear anything else than your inability or hesitation to deal his problems. This makes them more frustrated. If the solution isn’t available now but will be at some point, assure him that it can be solved shortly. Another point to remember is: not blame the customer, even if he has said certain things you want to refer. Try using we discussed instead of you said as it might seem like an accusation. You should avoid negative remarks, that could offend the caller or make you look incapable of dealing with the situation.
prepare for everyday challengin situations
Like every building has a fire escape plan, you should have a cheat-sheet with most typical conditions and the solutions. In this way it can help you escape the fire and treat challenging customers as an expert. You can learn the expected difficult situations by talking to your more experienced co-workers. they probably can give you some tips on how to deal with some instances. Secondly, during work training, use the opportunity to play out or simulate challenging calls, it doesn’t have to be a severe test, make it fun by creating flashcards, presenting strategies in teams and playing out quizzes. You can always gather information online and learn more about upcoming callers and situations they might put you. Once you have enough relevant knowledge and experience, create a cheat-sheet to keep on your desk with all the essential information.
improve your anger managment and negotiation skills
Sometimes work at a call center can seem like working in a psychologist’s office. Besides having excellent communication skills, experience in the field, and being a problem solver, you might need to improve your ability to manage your reactions to challenges the customers bring you. To find the best solution for both – customer and the company, you will need negotiation skills to sell your offer to the frustrated customer. Good help can be listening to other agent’s calls and taking in their experiences and best practices on how to deal with challenging situations. It will give you the perspective that there are many ways how to deal with situations. It is also essential not to take everything personally; most of the time, you have to take in the opinion of the customer and later let it go.
don’t be afraid to transfer the call
When everything else fails, and you understand that both you and the customer are getting annoyed, you can’t find a common language nor solution, try transferring the call to another specialist. What is essential, do it politely. Instead of getting rid of the customer with anger, explain, that you want them to find the best solution and there is a better agent for their problem who will help out instead of you. Stating that you have customer’s interests at mind, will change their attitude from feeling unwanted and expectations of being left on hold for hours, to a positive mindset that the help will provide. This tactic also can shift the customer’s anger towards a particular agent and not the company, product, or the overall service you provide.
Check-out the link to have more informations! https://katrium.eu/