Dealing with Phone Rage

The majority of calls that are taken by call centres, helpdesks and businesses in general will pass without incident. However, there are occasions when a call may become difficult and it may be necessary to deal with a caller that has become angry for whatever reason.

In these situations, it is important to utilise skills that will help defuse the emotion from the call and eventually move it towards resolution. When badly handled, anger can turn into rage with devastating consequences.

This course will help attendees to review the reasons why callers may become difficult and provide practical methods of overcoming these challenging telephone scenarios in a professional and courteous way.

Topics covered:

• Crossing the Line – Anger Vs. Rage – Personal experiences of anger and when this spills over into rage
• Causes of Rage – What causes rage in general and over the phone. Including the top ten phone rage triggers
• Dealing with the Angry Caller, A.L.E.R.T. – A simple process to improve call effectiveness and eventual customer satisfaction
• Acknowledge the Anger – Using empathy techniques to subdue the caller and move the call on to a stage where it can be dealt with
• Listen – Gaining understanding for the customers concerns through active listening and allowing them the opportunity to air their emotions
• Establish the Facts – Identifying the key points behind a callers concerns and removing the emotional element in order to resolve the issue
• Recap – Summarising the customers points in a way that establishes a sense of purpose and allows them to acknowledge their own feelings and realise that you are there to assist them
• Take Action – Realising that you have a big part to play in moving callers to a positive solution and that it is up to you to take responsibility
• Turn Negatives into Positives – Focusing on the statements we make and what might cause a customer to get angry. How can we alter our language?
• Attitude – Accepting that we have a responsibility to display the right attitude from the start and it is only through demonstrating this that we will effectively improve our conversations
• Personal Coping Techniques – Methods of managing our own stress levels and ensuring we do not become too affected by the raging caller
• Enough is Enough – Realising that there is a time when we must give up on a caller and providing specific techniques for managing this
• Benefits of Dealing with Rage – Focusing on the positive effects that handling difficult callers effectively has on the individual and the organisation

All content is designed in such a way as to make it interactive and inclusive throughout.