4 Ways to Help Your Staff Deal with Angry Customers

Dealing with angry customers can be a significant source of stress for frontline staff. Here are some effective strategies I’ve found that can help your agents cope.

1. Role-play: Provide comprehensive training on handling difficult situations. Role-playing exercises can help staff practice their responses and build confidence in managing customer interactions.

2. Remind them frequently, “it’s not personal.” A lot of times, anger stems from misunderstandings. Teaching effective communication skills can help de-escalate situations.

3. Active listening skills are so important. Train employees to practice active listening, which involves fully concentrating, understanding, responding and remembering what the customer says. This helps customers feel heard and valued, taking the wind out of some of the anger.

4. Provide the tools and the outlet they need to talk about negative experiences. That could include a brief daily “huddle” to share what happened and get other team members support and input. Provide team-building sessions around mindfulness, stress coping methods and more. 

This post originally appeared in a discussion thread on the ICMI LinkedIn page. Be sure to follow us there for daily updates and conversations. 

Topics: Agent, Culture And Engagement, Customer Experience

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