Here are ten valuable ways for call centres and salespeople to reduce the chances of escalating difficult conversations during phone calls. And, in most cases, calm the caller down when their emotions are running high.
- All employees who interact over the phone or in person should receive regular training on how to deal with difficult people. All staff should be trained to manage difficult callers, relax, and unwind afterwards. After all, being face-to-face and answering tough calls all the time can take a toll on employees’ emotions. The last thing you want is high employee turnover because your employees need help with the pressure of their jobs. Give your team leaders and technical staff a short training session at the start of a new week or the beginning of a shift. A supervisor can share examples with their team and ask them for ideas on handling difficult calls. As you already know, repetition is the mother of all learning.
- Stay calm. How can you hope to calm your caller without fear? No matter how strong the urge is, avoid fighting. One of the easiest and fastest ways to stay calm is to take a deep (slow) breath when you hear someone shaking or angry on the phone. Breathing slowly while making a difficult call allows your brain to understand what’s happening. If you are stressed, nervous, agitated, or angry, you may say or do something that will worsen the problem with the person calling you. Slow down, and slow down!
- Remember, it’s not personal. It may be difficult to hear, especially if the person calling you is shouting, but you must learn to ignore negative emotions and understand that hurt people often hurt others. In this case, the mouth. Even if the caller calls you, insults you, or threatens you, it is a sign that they are not in control of their emotions. The person angry with you does not make the situation better, but patience and calmness, a calm mind and voice, and knowing that you do not take their “blame” will often appear when the caller cools down quickly.
- Use the caller’s name. Try to get the caller’s first and last name at the beginning of every phone call – and use it. Callers often cannot control their emotions when their name or surname is called.
- Give them your first name. If you want to get the caller’s name at the beginning of the phone call, give them your name first. You will have a relationship when you call yourself or when they know your name. Even if you give them your first name and use their first and last name, you will make the conversation more interesting.
- Tell them what you can do, not what you can’t do. One of the first things you can do when someone hurts, or annoyance is to ask him to talk to you. Note what you have heard and repeat what you hear, what they say about the problem, or what they help them. Even if what they ask is unreasonable or impossible, let the caller know what you can do then. Create your words correctly. Nothing hurts customers faster than giving them a flat refusal, a big “no”, or making them feel bossy.
- Ask for more information. When a caller is upset or angry, they are not thinking through their neocortex – or the human brain that thinks. They are in fight or flight. Psychologists refer to this as having an amygdala hijack, and a person with an amygdala hijack immediately experiences uncontrollable emotions. It is impossible to use them in imagination. That is why it is important to calm down angry callers. One way to calm the caller down and prevent the possibility of amygdala seizure is to ask them questions. Not too much, but enough to help you better understand the situation and show them you’re listening.
- Ask them for help. A powerful way to reduce the caller’s anger or frustration is to ask for help. By using phrases like, “Okay, I get it. Now, I’m going to need your help with something. This activates their cognitive function and reduces their chances of falling ( amygdala hijack).
- Always tell them what to do next. One of the worst things you can do when someone is angry, upset, or angry is to hold it and hold it for a long time. Please do not put the caller on hold without first letting them know what you will do next, which is to speak to your supervisor, but in the meantime, you will be on hold. It’s important not to leave them on hold for too long. Even if you are still waiting for the operator to answer, contact the caller and let them know what you are doing and what is happening on your end. If it takes several minutes or more to get a response from a supervisor or someone else, call back if possible. But, if you can’t call them back and they have to wait, check in with them every minute and give them an update on what’s happening on your end.
- Learn to de-stress after a tough call. The first few moments after a difficult call can be the worst. You may have adrenaline all over you, and depending on what was said when you were called, you may still be upset about how you were spoken to. The sooner you forget that call and move on to the next one, the better. Whether sitting in a call centre or working from home, get up when the call is tough and slow down. During a difficult conversation, your body will shake, increasing stress, so relax before sitting down.
