Every business, at some point of time or the other, has had an encounter with an agitated abusive customer. A common human reaction would be to revert back with equal amount of anger, if not more. But doing so would worsen the situation beyond repair. There are no two thoughts about it that such a condition is extremely sensitive and needs to be handled with utmost care. One wrong step would be enough to scar the brand image and bring bad name to the organization. Management needs to understand that such situations are inevitable. They will occur at some point of time or the other, either face-to-face or via phone. Maintaining professionalism in such delicate scenarios is the key to success.

An abusive caller is for sure not one of the best things to happen to any call center agent. However, their presence can also not be neglected. It is vital to realize that all the effective inbound call centers across the world, the ones who have been handling customers quite efficiently, have one thing in common – they don’t let any customer slam down the phone angrily. Companies seldom realise the value of this feature at the time of hiring a contact center, but in the longer run it manifests into one of the most crucial characteristics. The truth is that no matter how much quality service you provide to customers, angry abusive callers are unavoidable. Yes, with good service and offerings the number of such instances might reduce but the presence would still be there.

The question which arises here is that how well inbound call centers can prepare themselves for such kind of difficult situations. Most importantly the agents need to be trained, after all they are the one who will finally be handling these people. There are some ways in which irate customers can be taken care of without losing them. A list of such practices are explained below and the implementation of these will surely help you in retaining your tough customers.

• Listen. Listen:
  If the customer is furious and spitting fire like a dragon, anything that you would say would add fuel to the already burning fire. It is extremely crucial to listen to the customer calmly. This is easier said than done, but doing so will not only help your customer put across all the anger, it would also give you an opportunity to understand the main root cause of the problem. Listening skills are the most crucial characteristic of efficient inbound call centers agents.
• Maintaining a professional manner:
  One must always remember that the key to successful encounters with customers is to maintain a polite and professional tone during any kind of interaction with them. If a customer chooses to use swearing or exposes you to personal attacks then you must resist the urge to retaliate and even the score. And if you successfully maintain a professional manner during the conversation, the customer would be forced to level up and talk in a similar manner like yours.
• Empathize:
  Customers can sense genuine empathy and you must show that. It is quite possible that if you would have been in their shoes then you also might have reacted in a similar manner! There is a reason why your customer is behaving that way and you must understand that.
• Honesty is the best policy:
  Our forefathers were astute enough to state these pearls of wisdom. You must always be honest about what can be possibly done about the complaint. If you’re unsure then you must not bluff, as doing so would enrage your customer further. Customers do appreciate honesty and if you’re confused, let your superiors handle it or confirm that you will revert with the best solution timely.
• Issue a warning:
  If your customer is choosing to use foul language and threatening you, even when you have tried to help, you must put it across assertively and respectfully that you will not tolerate being spoken to in such a manner. You must explain that you’re here to help but, at the same time, let them know that swearing won’t help.
• Terminate the conversation:
  If all else fails and your customer chooses to behave in such a manner, you must end the conversation by stating politely that the conversation isn’t heading anywhere and you will let a senior contact them soon. This will give you the time to recollect yourself and later on you can let someone more experienced give them a call.

Aforementioned tips will surely help you in handling such callers efficiently. Abusive callers are an indispensable part of inbound call centers. However, the way they are handled is crucial.