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How to Deal with Customer Complaints by Telephone


How to Deal with Customer Complaints by Telephone

Handling customer complaints is difficult but handling complaints by telephone is even more troublesome. What’s the trick?

Handling a customer complaint by telephone is difficult. Normally, people rely on both verbal and non-verbal cues to signify emotion and understanding. Since the telephone takes away the facial expressions and body language you'd usually express while talking, your verbal communication needs to be top-notch to compensate for the missing information.

Companies that use case management software find it easier to track, escalate, manage and resolve complaints, even those received by telephone. Learn more here: Managing Customer Complaints Effectively with Case Management Software eBook

Listen Actively

Customer service representatives can compensate for some of the drawbacks of telephone communication by using vocal cues to assure the customer that they are listening.

Active listening involves being reactive to what the customer says. Throw in small verbal interjections like "okay" or "mhm" without completely interrupting the customer. Tiny verbal confirmations prove that you’re understanding the bits of information and sequence of events that the customer is describing.

Avoid Clichés

When a customer hears a vague, automatic response or some other indication that a call center representative is following a script, they don’t feel as though the company genuinely cares.

This can be tricky since phrases such as “I understand your frustration” may really convey the representative's feelings, they may also be seen as typical and impersonal.

Anyone who deals with customers over the telephone should be trained in using natural language that makes a conversation seem more personal. For example, instead of saying “I understand your frustration”, they could say “I would be upset too if that happened to me”.

Pay Attention to Tone

Often, the tone in which you speak a word means more than the word itself.

Train customer service staff to speak slowly and clearly and enunciate properly. Customer service representatives should strive to maintain a tone that expresses them as calm, patient, interested, friendly and caring.

However, there is a fine line between sounding calm and sounding bored or tired. Calmness gives customers the impression of competence and control. While you want to appear happy to help out, you don’t want to appear insincere.

Be wary also of sounding insincerely enthusiastic instead of interested. While customers want to feel like the company is taking interest in their concerns, they know that customer service isn’t exactly a trip to the fair. Excessive enthusiasm can be perceived as fake and annoying.

Provide Solutions

Customer service staff shouldn’t make promises they might not be able to keep.

It’s more frustrating for a customer to be told false information than to be told that the person will do his or her best. Hasty promises can lead to further confusion and frustration, which can be easily remedied by being upfront and provide details.

For example, instead of simply saying “I’m going to fix the problem”, let them know the full course of action by saying something like “I’m going to launch an override, which will tell the system to approve your request”.

Customers are more likely to be satisfied and calm if they know each step of the process that is involved in reaching a solution. Keeping them informed also helps customers to feel more connected to the work that you’re doing, which makes them feel more connected and loyal to the brand.