Dealing with Challenging Callers

Communicating via telephone can be a challenge especially when we do not see the callers. As a receptionist, you are also being appointed as your company ambassador, you are the first person to meet and greet your customer virtually through telephone or in person.

Each caller is different in term of objective, intention of calling and even with different personalities. In order to make sure every phone call is a success, you need to acknowledge these differences, especially those who like to challenge your patience. Your role is important and crucial especially when comes to handling difficult callers who are loaded with dissatisfactions.

Here are 10 ways which are able to help you in handling challenging and unhappy callers.

1. Facing with the assertive callers.

Assertive customer is normally sounds firm and business-orientated. When you are facing with assertive caller, please make sure that you stay objective, stay calm, pay attention and listen to your caller carefully on what he/she has to say. Every customer is important to your company; therefore, you would like to reply with soft tone and relate to customer by apologizing in general. After caller is calmed down, you could propose or offer a solution plan by emphasizing on solution instead of the problem.

2. Angry callers

On certain occasion, some caller who is unhappy with your company, products or even services provided to them. Differences between assertive and angry caller is the angry caller is normally more emotional. In such condition, when you are on the telephone conversation with an angry caller, pay attention to caller on his/her complaint and dissatisfaction, be calmed even though his/her words are rude and even abusive. Try to avoid small talk and do not affected by caller's emotion. Allow caller to ventilate his emotion and listen carefully while taking notes. At the end, suggest a solution plan and be direct to your action plan by overcome his/her problem.

3. Attitude

By projecting a positive attitude on yourself is actually reminding you that a complaint is actually a room and opportunity to improve. Every complaint will bring along a room for improvement. From here, you can learn and at same time helping your company to do better.

4. Acknowledgement

Listen carefully by paying attention to your caller on what he/she has to say. Recognize their problem and ask question to make sure you understand the situation. Acknowledge caller's problem that there is a cause of complaint and show sympathy.

5. Agreement

Discuss possible and potential solution. Remember to ask for caller's agreement when offering a solution. Must not make assumption that caller will agree with all your proposals