Mistakes Agents Make When Dealing with Angry Clients

"Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned." Buddha

Anger. It can come out of nowhere and strike like a lightening bolt. It can start slowly – simmering like soup on a stove – when it suddenly boils over. Anger raises our blood pressure and makes us say things we later regret. It can destroy relationships that have lasted for years. It is an emotion almost all customer care agents hate to encounter but must accept as an inevitable part of the job. There is no getting around it, there is only learning how to manage it.

[eventPDF]

Managing Anger

Step 1 - Realize and Accept: Realize and accept anger for what it is. Simply put, anger is acry for help. The angry person is experiencing a sense of helplessness – a lack of control. Anger is used as a tool to assume control. It is used to intimidate another person to do what we want. Everyone has used anger, on occasion, to get a need met. Our customers are no different.

Step 2 - Don't Ignore: An agent’s second mistake is to ignore anger. Perhaps thinking…"If I ignore it, it will go away"? Instead, s/he interjects at the first possible moment. Big mistake! What the agent is trying to do is "fix the problem" before "fixing the person" (his/her feelings and emotions). Angry customers are not ready for the problem to be solved until they have vented and feel vindicated. Until that time, sit tight for a moment. To do anything else is frustrating for the customer, time-consuming for the agent, and expensive for the company. More expensive because what people want when angry is often more than they want when calm and in a reasonable frame of mind.

Step 3 - Don't Rationalize: The next mistake agents make is attempting to be reasonable and rational with someone who is acting unreasonable and irrational. This too is a mutually frustrating and time consuming blunder. It can also make for a lengthy encounter. Instead, understand the inverse relationship between emotion and reason. When emotion is high, a person’s ability to be reasonable is low. It seems common-sensical, but agents often made this more difficult than need be. Why waste one’s time trying to reasonably communicate with an emotional person? The higher the level of emotion, the less likely it is that a constructive dialog will take place between the agent and the customer. Any attempt to communicate (much less problem solve) is pointless because the customer is not emotionally ready for the agent, his or her comments, or his or her attempt to assist.

Step 4 - Understand Customer Expectations:. All agents need to embrace the idea that most unhappy customers want more than just their problem resolved! As a matter of fact, there are seven customer expectations. None of these takes much time, only some skill and a lot of the right attitude! Each agent has the ability to meet or exceed each of the following seven expectations.

1 To be heard.The customer is saying, "Listen to me and don’t interrupt. Let me tell you what I’ve been through and how my life has been affected by what you people did to me!" Just listen with an open mind and a little heart.

2 To be understood. The customer is saying, "Understand why I am upset. Put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel? Here’s where the "little heart" part comes in. A few statements of care will go a great distance in lowering anger.

3 To be respected. The customer is saying, "Respect me as a human being and as someone who has spent my hard earned money on your product or service." They seek respect even while acting rude! It might help to remember, "An unfueled fire will often burn itself out."

4 A believable apology. Forget the old overused and mechanical "I’m sorry for the inconvenience" statement – it’s dead. It’s actually become annoying. The customer is now saying, "You can apologize, but make me believe you are sorry!" Apologies should sound sincere and be specific to the problem the customer experienced.

5 To talk to an empowered, knowledgeable agent. The customer is saying, "Don’t tell me "I don’t know" or "You’ll have to speak to a supervisor". I don’t want to talk to a telephone operator. I want to talk to an intelligent and empowered associate!" Many don’t even want to hear the phrase, "I don’t know, but I’ll find out" because it doesn’t sound confident and knowledgeable. A better response is "What a unique question. Let me research the answer please."

6 To receive information and/or an explanation.The customer is saying, "Tell me why this happened. Educate me as to how to avoid future problems. If you can’t give me what I want, why not!" Give the customer all of the information and explanations s/he needs. Be prepared to provide them with responses as to why something may have occurred. Also, an explanation is not "It’s our policy". Rather, it is a plausible and believable reason as to why the answer is no. The customer does not have to like the explanation but she or he must understand it.

7 Corrective action.The customer is saying,"I want my problem solved and I want it done A.S.A.P.!" If the demand is realistic and deserved, deliver it with care, concern, and respect. If the demand can’t be met, go back to expectation No. 6 above and read it again!

In closing, if agents respond credibly to customer expectations 1-6, research shows overall customer satisfaction scores can increase in ranges of five to 15 percent! This increase can happen without changing a product, service, policy, or procedure. It happens by simply changing the way agents communicate with emotional customers! How great is that?