An unhappy customer can seriously challenge the positive image of your brand online and offline.
A negative review on popular social media platforms and poor ratings are enough to close the shutter of your business.
It is reported that around 59% of consumers favor brands that respond quickly to service inquiries and complaints on social media platforms.
It is essential to ensure from the very start that you do not upset them with poor service.
Even if it happens by chance, you should know the techniques and tactics to deal with an unhappy customer efficiently.
Here, we will focus on how you can manage unhappy customers to calm them down and give a quick solution.
Also Read: How To Reduce Hold Time In Call Centers
Unhappy callers calling at call centers
Many calls are handled in a call center to satisfy customer queries and address grievances. Sometimes, mistakes happen when the agents handle the calls correctly.
In most cases, dissatisfied customers upset with the business offerings call customer care numbers to pour out their anger or frustration.
It only escalates their frustration if a quick solution is given to their issue by a skilled agent.
The availability of call transfer, forwarding, and conferencing ensures that the concerned department can better attend to the unhappy customer.
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Focusing on feedback
According to a survey, it is seen that 46% of call center businesses admitted that customer satisfaction is the most critical aspect of their growth and survival.
They have to focus heavily on the outputs of customer surveys (nearly 77%) and ensure proper call monitoring (approximately 64%) to record customer feedback.
If the customer feedback remains unattended, it frustrates the callers beyond measure, and they do not think twice before switching to another brand.
Effective call return and call features can ensure you won’t have unattended and unhappy customers.
Also Read: Toll-Free Service: The Gateway to Growing Customer Relationship
Proven techniques to deal with unhappy callers
1. Use empathetic but limited words
Skillful use of language in a polite yet firm tone will help the call center agents deal with a frustrated or angry caller.
Keep your tone even, and do not get agitated while dealing with an already-agitated customer.
If you find no way you can handle an irritated caller. Also, if the caller has legitimate grievances, immediately escalate the call to your supervisor or manager.
Let an expert with profound experience handling such customers deal with the caller.
Be empathetic towards the caller in your words, but do not unnecessarily try to stretch the conversation and keep him waiting.
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2. Call escalation management using advanced software
Escalation management and call routing are crucial for immediately transferring the call to the supervisor or manager.
Therefore, you must invest in a professional-grade call center software solution.
The software comes designed with queue management, escalation management, and call routing features,
3. Call routing
It would be best not to waste your time dealing with unhappy callers effectively at the call centers.
Through call routing, it will be possible to transfer the call automatically to the most skilled call center agent, depending on defined criteria.
According to a reliable source, 61% of customers have been found to stop transacting with an organization following a poor service experience.
In a call center, it is common to receive calls from angry or upset customers almost regularly.
Providing proper and feature-rich call center software is inevitable to deal with unhappy customers—3-way calling.
It also helps to ease the pressure off new call agents while a senior joins the call.
Also Read: Get a Local Number Today to Build a Local Customer Base
4. Listening correctly is the key to dealing with unhappy callers
Listen to what they are complaining about and their grievances before you try to reply.
Trying to defuse the situation before listening to the caller aggravates the negative emotion.
Listen carefully and note the significant issues they are discussing in your system carefully (this is why investing in advanced call center software is crucial).
5. Make them feel you are listening
You must let them know you are seriously paying attention to their complaints.
You can do this by telling them the significant points of their issues (that you noted down) after they vent their frustration and complain about them.
It is like summarizing their points after apologizing sincerely for the fault or issue.
A sincere apology, even tone, and summarizing their issue highlights will calm them considerably as they know you have been listening without being arrogant.
These small gestures go a long way in establishing a positive rapport with customers even when a fault has been in the service.
Also Read: How VoIP Telephony Can Benefit SMBs
6. Make efforts to find the right solution fast
Please do not make them WAIT! It will be the last thing you want to do with an upset customer.
They are already agitated, and you have calmed them down to a certain extent with your gentle and sincere behavior.
Do not take the liberty to get too comfortable with this achievement.
If you can answer their query or address their issue, do it immediately.
Keep researching the problems and talk to them simultaneously (your call center software should have the features to give you quick access to customer data).
If not, immediately route the call without wasting a minute.
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Wrapping up
These are some ways to help call center agents handle angry callers without becoming nervous and making them angrier.
Hopefully, the suggestions will ease the pressure on call center agents who regularly deal with angry callers.
If the caller gets abusive and does not stop, inform the manager or end the call immediately (provided the company’s policy guidelines allow you to do so).
