Answering Service Tips: How To Keep Your Cool During Stressful Calls

It’s impossible to make everyone happy all the time, and owning a business practically places you in the hot seat. Those customer complaints are sure to come. It’s how you handle them that makes all the difference.

Answering calls from angry customers is just one stressful task small business owners have to handle. And it’s important to handle the situation just right: 55 percent of consumers would pay more for a better customer experience.

Our answering service receptionists have tons of experience managing difficult customers, which ultimately reduces churn. Here are some pro tips for making those stressful calls a bit easier to take.

Remember to Take Breaks

We know you’re busy. Your service or product is in high demand – congrats! That doesn’t mean that you don’t need downtime.

One of the greatest benefits of taking a break is it wards off boredom and can help prevent you from losing your focus. When dealing with so many customers – especially the heated ones – you need to be on your game.

Taking breaks will keep you focused on creating a positive experience and will help your day move along much more quickly

Use the H.E.A.T. System

When someone is frustrated or angry, it’s easy to dissolve into a defensive mess. Putting a system in place to avoid becoming heated when a customer is having a meltdown is a great way to avoid such snafus.

The H.E.A.T System is a handy way to keep your thoughts on track and make sure you are meeting the customers’ needs. Here’s how it works:

• Hear them out – Give your customer ample opportunity to explain where they are coming from and how they think the problem can be resolved.
• Empathize with their situation – This has to be genuine empathy, folks. Try to understand where they are coming from as much as humanly possible.
• Ask more questions if needed – If you feel like you need more information or need to clarify the details, ask more questions to ensure you are getting to the heart of the issue.
• Take action – Not every problem has a solution, but if there is something you can do that will satisfy both you and the customer, do it!

Stop Answering Your Phone

We mean it! If you are expecting an abundance of phone calls from customers, the phone can become unmanageable quickly.

Hiring an answering service is an easy way to take the burden off of your shoulders, freeing you up to run your business. And it’s not just limited to weekdays; many call centers are open all day, every day. PATLive is even open on holidays.

Another great thing about outsourcing customer calls: your scripts are completely customized to your needs. Avoid the phones and outsource those calls. It’ll save your sanity.

Don’t let furious customers get the best of you. Creating a process that helps you better them helps ward off resentment and decreases your chances of losing valuable customers. Remember:

• Take frequent breaks to create focus and ward off boredom
• Implement a process, like the H.E.A.T. System, that helps you (and your staff) effectively communicate with angry customers
• Partner with a live answering service like PATLive to manage your calls