How to Deal with Angry Customers as a Customer Service Agent

I worked 8 years in a call center for my current employer and there was never a day that I did not come across an angry customer. It often seemed like nothing you did made them happy. So I developed a philosophy that you cannot make everyone happy, but there are things that you can do to improve the interaction with most angry customers. I focused hard on working on my own approach and soon became known as the subject matter expert when it came to dealing with angry customers. My coworkers started using me as a last resort to take over a call with an angry customer. So I would like to share with you tips on how I dealt with angry customers as a customer service agent.

1. Put yourself in the customer’s shoes

The interaction that we have with others depends on our ability to develop an emotional intelligence where we better control our own emotions and understand the emotions of others. This sometimes means that we should take the time to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes to understand their viewpoint to come to a compromise where both parties benefit in the interaction. It is good to stop and think how you would feel if the same issue that your customer is having happened to you. Letting the customer know that you understand their frustration helps the customer realize that their problem is shared and that you want to be on his or her side.

2. Ask the customer for input into a solution

The customer is a valuable resource for input into a solution for the problem and wants nothing more to be able to effectively reach a solution. Remember the input from customer may not always be the definitive solution to the problem but can be a means of brainstorming for ideas on how to come up with a solution that benefits all parties involved.

3. Reiterate that you are documenting the issue

Angry customers want to hear that their problem is being documented. Tell the customer that you are documenting the issue to prevent it from occurring again in the future. Effective documentation can also provide other customer service agents with the knowledge of the issue and letting the customer know that you just want to share the information further lets the customer know that you and your company share in the desire to prevent the issue from occurring again.

4. Try hard to prevent the caller for getting the runaround

Sometimes when the customer gets to you, they have been on the phone for a period of time whether on hold or as a result of being transferred multiple times by other agents who would not take the time to resolve the issue. The key is to lessen the time on the call for the customer and to free up the line for other customers on hold. If you believe that the call with the angry customer is going to take some time, it can help if you let the angry customer know that you would like to address the issue with your supervisor to reach a solution and will call them back as soon as possible. When you show that the customer’s time is too valuable to be on the phone then you are showing that you are generally concerned which can help calm the customer down.

5. Provide ways for the customer to stay in contact with you

If the customer has gotten the runaround and you are able to provide a solution that satisfies him or her, it is good to show the customer that he or she has a point of contact within the company, someone that he or she can speak directly with in the future. If you are able to provide your contact information to the customer, then do so, if not, provide your supervisor’s contact information. Always inform your supervisor if you give his or her contact to a customer and brief the supervisor of the issue and the solution you provided so that the supervisor is not caught off guard.

6. Never present the caller with a dead end solution

If you are prevented from policy to provide the customer with a solution that he or she feels will address his or her issue, never tell the customer that it is policy and that you are not able to go outside the policy. Company policies should be able to be flexible to address varying customer needs and not used as a means to provide the customer with a dead end solution. Nothing makes a caller angrier.

7. Never place the blame on someone else or your company

Never belittle your coworkers or your company in front of the customer and try to place the blame for the problem the customer is having on them. This makes the customer think that you are the only one generally concerned about his or her problem which is not the case. Customers, again, want to hear that the overall company is concerned about their problem and reaching a solution.

These tips can help a customer service agent handle the majority of angry customers. However, it is important to reiterate that there are those customers who are never satisfied with any solution you provide them. If you cannot please an angry customer, do not take it to heart, as it can impact the emotions you bring to your next call.