Angry customers
1. Diagnosis
Agent has difficulty handling customers with high negative emotion such as angry or upset customers.
2. Behaviour Observations
What you might see or hear that points to this pattern.
- The agent becomes cold and distant when there is a display of negative emotion from the customer.
- The agent stops asking questions when there is negative emotion shown on the call.
- The agent believes that it is reasonable to explain a poor call away because the customer was angry/upset.
3. Session Objective
The objective is to help agents handle their personal reaction to a customer with negative emotions and to stay in control of the call.
4. Session Tactics
How to prepare for and structure the 45-minute call review.
Step 1: Get the agent to identify their physiological response to anger. Play a call where the customer gets angry — discuss what you both feel in your body. Are you flushed? Have your shoulders tightened? Focus on the physical response, not thoughts. Step 2: Help the agent separate themselves from the target of the anger. The customer is angry at the situation or the company — the agent is the person who happens to be there. How can the agent hold that distinction during a live call? Step 3: Discuss how to accept that someone is angry, empathise with their position BUT not take on the role of being the object of anger. Step 4: Discuss closing down the call — but this is the easy way out.
5. GROW Experiments
Experiments the coachee might choose to try. These are offers, not prescriptions — the coachee selects what feels right for them.
Monitor your physical reaction on a call. When you feel your shoulders tightening, stand up and shake your arms — then act differently to normal.
Express the reason for the customer's anger back to the customer — this needs to include the customer's context, not just the facts.