How to Handle the Caller Who Won’t Calm Down

Have you met The Caller Who Won’t Calm Down? He or she is out there, somewhere, on the phone with a very unlucky customer service agent right now. They’re angry, loud, and they are determined to keep their fiery passion (hatred?) for your company alive.

They will not calm down, and yet you’re tasked with delivering great customer service to them.

How do you handle The Caller Who Won’t Calm Down? It’s simple, really. All you need are a few tried-and-true tactics that are proven to diffuse even the most chaotic customer service calls.

Here’s how to handle The Caller Who Won’t Calm Down.

How to Handle The Caller Who Won’t Calm Down

In an enlightening blog post about handling the top 10 most difficult types of callers, we talked about one type of difficult caller that every company will come face to face (or voice to voice) with at some point: The Screamer.

“This caller is seriously angry with your company and they show it by screaming at you throughout the call. It might seem like nothing will elicit a calm response from this caller, but approaching it in the right manner can have a positive effect.

The Screamer might come off cool and logical at first, and then launch into a loud tirade. They might start yelling from the moment you pick up the phone. They might include curse words and insults that you are simply not comfortable hearing. You should know when it’s time to transfer a caller to someone else or simply end the exchange.”

Sometimes, The Caller Who Won’t Calm Down is The Screamer. If that’s the case, you need to follow a predetermined course of action to ensure you don’t get caught up in the chaos. Here’s how to deal with The Caller Who Won’t Calm Down.

6 Ways to Deal with Angry Callers

First, take a deep breath and remind yourself that this caller, however inappropriately they are expressing it, has a genuine complaint or issue with your company and the right to let you know about it. You, as the person fielding the call, have an obligation to take action as a representative of your company.

That action will differ depending on the nature of the call, but sometimes, it’s necessary to end an exchange with a truly angry caller who will not calm down after various attempts to assist them.

That shouldn’t be your first action, however. When dealing with a caller who is very angry, remember to:

1. Be firm but courteous
2. Be empathetic
3. Remain calm
4. Refer to facts, policies, and logic
5. Apologize genuinely (if applicable)
6. Brainstorm solutions

Sometimes, a caller who won’t calm down is not all that angry underneath it all. They just want a resolution to a problem they’re having, and if you remain calm and courteous, you can focus on offering a genuine apology and finding a solution or way to make things right.

What if you’re dealing with an abusive caller?

Finally, if you find yourself on the line with a particularly angry caller who is becoming abusive toward you, you should end the exchange according to policy immediately. Some people have trouble distinguishing angry callers from abusive callers, and that’s understandable.

Abusive callers go beyond normal angry responses, however, and use insults, threatening language, shouting, and mocking to berate a customer service agent.

If you find yourself dealing with an abusive caller, the best thing to do is remind the caller you are recording the call, which can sometimes remind a caller to act appropriately.

If the caller continues to engage in abusive behavior, you should end the exchange immediately and make note of the incident for your supervisor or any other agents at your company who may deal with this caller.

Source: https://www.conversational.com/how-to-handle-the-caller-who-wont-calm-down/

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