Angry Customers May Need a Little TLC

Psychologist Leon F. Seltzer says venting can be good for you. Airing your frustrations can provide relief, restore your equilibrium, and help you move forward, the “Paradoxical Strategies in Psychotherapy” author says.

But it’s not so great for the person on the receiving end of the conversation. And that’s where contact center agents tend to be.

Sometimes callers simply reach out to explain what’s happening and seek a solution to a problem. That’s a best-case scenario.

Frequently callers have an ax to grind. Their goal, if you want to call it that, is simply to complain. They may also seek a solution to their problem. But that goal may run a distance second.

If you ever wondered why agent churn is so high, you have found your answer.

Now agents need to figure out how they should answer to callers who are rude, crude, and indicate they just can’t take it anymore.

Professor Jeff DeGraff of the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business suggests that expressing frustration is a cry for help and that listening may be the answer. In a Psychology Today column he writes “maybe it’s really about being valued – about being a somebody – about having a voice that is heard. Maybe if we listen they won’t have to yell so loud.”

The DeGraff piece addresses frustration relative to political and social debate and decision-making. But it could just as easily apply to frustration relative to customer service.

Letting people know you sympathize with them can help defuse a bad situation. And it can be the path of least resistance in getting a customer problem resolved and completing a call.

“The bottom line is this: Never underestimate the power of empathy,” advises the book Taking Your Customer Care to the Next Level. “It might be the most powerful tool in customer retention.”

Edited by Maurice Nagle