Customer Service ¦ Telephone Techniques
As the holiday season approaches and stress of being merry becomes too much for us to handle, it is easy for some to lose their patience and become an angry caller. Here are a few customer service telephone techniques to help you and your coworkers keep your composure and recover from the customer service situation.
Be polite, remain professional and never let your frustration get the best of you
- If you must contain yourself, put the caller on hold and take a breather.
- Set some ground rules for the call if necessary.
- Ask the caller to remain calm.
- Communicate that you understand and want to help them, but that you need them to stop yelling and using profanity.
- If you cannot stay calm enough to handle the call, ask for a name and number and call them back when you are ready.
Put your active listening skills to good use
- Let the client speak and don’t interrupt.
- Help them feel heard.
- Admit any mistakes your office may have made and take responsibility
- Be apologetic and empathetic.
- Ask what you can do to resolve the issue, or communicate what you can do to resolve the issue.
- Ask questions that will help to resolve the issue.
- Be upfront with what you can provide now, and what you will have to do later—manage the caller’s expectations.
If communication barriers exist
- Slow down
- Rephrase
- Speak on the caller’s level
- Don’t insult or speak above them
- Explain terminology
- Be patient
If a real threat exists, hang up and call the police or other authorities immediately.
