In this day and age, the world has gotten accustomed to relying on "instants" – from instant noodles to instant messaging. The same goes with customer service, where consumers expect businesses to provide efficient and high quality support. This demand is shown in the rise of business process outsourcing (BPO) services in the Philippines, owing much to big companies wanting to provide their global customers with technical support and customer care.
A large portion of the calls that customer service representatives receive are from customers complaining about products or services they are not satisfied with. In a situation where a call begins with an irate customer on the other end of the line, what should be done to avoid friction? Open Access BPO enumerates some pointers for call center agents.
Listen to your customers
Let the customers vent out their frustrations first and defer any form of rebuttals at this stage. The last thing they want is to speak with someone who would contradict their statements. They called because of an existing problem that they are unable to resolve, so the best thing you can do is listen carefully to understand what they need so you can devise a way to help them. This tells your customers that they are valued and their concerns are not only being resolved, they will also pave way to help improve the service of the company.
Express genuine empathy
Showing empathy goes a long way, especially in customer care where it is your responsibility to address customer concerns. Acknowledge and understand the predicament they are in, and with a sympathetic tone, use apologetic phrases such as "I understand that it is upsetting" and "I am sorry to hear that." By doing these, customers will know that they are speaking with someone who understands them and whom they can trust. This can help calm them down, giving you the opportunity to create a lighter mood and begin providing appropriate solutions.
End the call smoothly
Creating a positive closing spiel generates a positive feedback. So aside from offering relevant solutions, express gratitude in being of service to your customers, and express willingness to assist them in the future. If any additional action is needed (such as making a follow-up call or sending a confirmation email), then make sure that it is done promptly or within an agreed upon time period. This is a subtle way of reassuring your customers that they are being taken care of during and after their calls.
Handling irate customers is definitely unavoidable. But to sustain efficiency and quality service, these pointers could save you from unnecessary rifts with customers. This will pacify the interaction and lead to a better conversation.