17 tips and tactics for dealing with irate people

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Dealing with Irate People

Dealing with angry people is not always easy even if you are not the cause of their anger!
You need tact and skill to defuse the situation and then deal with whatever needs dealing with.
People get angry because …

• procedures arenot being completely implemented.
• paperwork is being lost.
• paperwork is not being completed or completed incorrectly.
• of miscommunication or unnecessary communication.
• of  missed deadlines.
• of other people being stressed –  customers/clients being ratty or miserable; staff and managers under pressure to get things done.
• of Inflexibility in procedures (or people).
• people are being rude, dishonest or manipulative.

Here are 17 tips and tactics for dealing with irate or angry people …

• Show you listen and understand, e.g.

“I appreciate what you are saying.”

“I see your point, however …”

“I understand that …”

“I can see that you are frustrated by this delay …”

“On one hand I agree with you …”

“I understand that you’re angry about this matter …”

• Say what you want/feel, e.g.

“I think the best option is for us to go back through the paperwork.”

“It is a totally unacceptable situation and I feel quite embarrassed.”

• Say what you want to happen, e.g.

“Is that okay?  When is convenient for you?”

“I’m going to deal with this personally myself.”

• Do not interrupt

-  Remember the person is not likely to be reasonable at the height of their anger.

-  Let them ‘get it off their chest’.

-  Then you can start to negotiate.

• Apologise

-  Apologise sincerely.

-  Don’t apologise too often, it can become meaningless.

-  You can apologise for a situation without taking any sort of blame: “I’m sorry that you feel like this, Jane”; “I’m really sorry it’s come to this”.

• Manage your emotions

-  Be objective.

-  Do not take it personally.

• Physically

-  Count to ten.

-  Take deep breaths.

-  Remove your frustration by talking the episode through with a colleague or the other half tonight!

• Take control

-  Be assertive.

-  Ask relevant questions.

-  Get the information right.

-  Take notes.

-  Listen carefully to what is being said.

• Questions

-  Angry people will be annoyed even further by probing questions if they see them as irrelevant, or not a contributing factor to solving their immediate problem.

-  Keep the person informed as to why you need certain information.

• Using Names

-  Use their name – this can often help pacify irate people, as long as you don t use it too often.

-  Reinforce confidence by re-iterating your name and direct dial number (if possible.

• See it as a challenge

-  You have to have the right attitude.

-  People will respond to you in a rude way if you are rude!!

-  If you do react in a negative or rude way you may well be in the wrong job.

• Knowledge

-  You have to be confident.

-  Knowledge goes a long way when dealing with someone who is angry, because they can see that you can take control and rectify the situation.

• Voice

-  Keep well paced and at a ‘normal’ volume. The tendency is to ‘mirror’ the other party i.e. raise volume and speed.

• Body Language open

-  Have no barriers such as desks.

-  Arms open and uncrossed.

-  Fingers open and unclenched.

-  Face the person.

-  Give plenty of eye contact.

-  Raise the eyebrows.

-  Smile when you get any sort of agreement.

• Resolve the situation away from other people

-  Invite into an office to sit down.

-  Ensure confidentiality e.g. tip the blinds on any internal windows.

• Set timescales for resolution

-  If you can’t meet those timescales, let them know with new expectation.

-  Never say “I’ll call you later.”

• ‘Under Promise, Over Deliver’

-  Do everything you can to give them something extra e.g. a quicker timescale; a better than normal standard of work

“10 Tips for Handling Irate Callers”

“Customers don’t call with compliments, they call with complaints.”I learned that lesson the hard way as a brand new CSR at the phone company, nearly 20 years ago. Out of 50,000 calls, only 3 people called to thank us for their phone service; 49,997 people called with complaints.

That’s the purpose of a customer service call centre:to help your clients solve a problem. However, before you can help your clients with a problem, you first have to deal with their anger.

Here are 10 customer service tips for dealing with irate callers:

1) Stay calm and try not to take it personally:
•When a client is upset, their emotions can become contagious.Remember, your client is upset about their situation. They are not upset about you.
•Acknowledge the client's right to be upset:“I’d be upset too, if that happened to me.”
•Breathe deeply, unclench your muscles and focus on the client's needs rather than your own reactions.

2) Let the client vent, without interrupting:
•If you interrupt the client, they will become angrier.
•Instead, let the client vent until they start to slow down.Listen empathetically to their issues without interrupting: “Tell me what happened next.”
•Continue to acknowledge their concerns.

3) Acknowledge the client's emotions and apologize, if appropriate:
•Once a client's feelings are acknowledged, they will usually become calmer and more open to solutions.
•If appropriate, apologize. This does not necessarily mean you agree with the client's position. It means you emphasize with how the client is feeling.
•Some possible phrases include, "I'm sorry to hear you're going through this” or “Many people would feel the same, if it happened to them.“

4) Help the client focus on their current needs:
•Clients may ramble when they are upset. They may even continue to argue with you, after you've agreed with them.When someone is upset, their bodies are flooded with adrenaline and they can no longer tell what's on topic, or off.
•Talk slowly. Calmly ask questions to re-direct the conversation back on track.
•Check for understanding at each step: “If I understand you correctly, you plugged in our product and but it didn’t power on.”

5) Give the client control over their level of disclosure by asking permission to ask questions: Some clients may feel threatened when you ask them for additional information.
•Ask permission to ask questions about sensitive topics. For example, "To help you, would you mind if I ask you a few questions? Some of them may seem very personal, so if you're not comfortable with a question, please let me know.“

6) Avoid jargon:
•When people are upset, they may react angrily to jargon or unfamiliar words.
•Avoid the use of jargon, unless you are sure the client will understand it.
•Keep your phrases short and simple. Don’t use company acronyms unless you think the client will understand them.

7) Keep it simple:
•When people are upset, they lose the ability to take in new information.
•Give only one instruction at a time. Walk the client through the process step-by-step. Repeat directions frequently.
•Confirm any key client information by repeating back to them any key phone numbers or appointment information.

8) Seek a full resolution, if you can:
•Offer a solution and then ask a “confirmation question”such as, “How well that does work for you?” By asking, “How WELL does that work for you”, you are focusing your client’s mind on the benefits of your solution.
•If the client agrees, proceed with your solution. If they disagree, ask additional probing questions so you can find a better solution.

9) Offer a partial resolution, when appropriate: Sometimes, you may be unable to fulfill a customer’s entire request. But, you can still offer a partial solution.
•Offer to help with part of the task: "While it takes a week to repair your original item, we can offer you a loaner item you can use."
•Offer an alternative time: "While we can’t have it delivered overnight, we can have it sent to you within three days."
•Offer an alternative resource:“If you need the item immediately, we also have a store located on 123 Main Street, in your city where you can pick it up.“

10) Agree to disagree, if you must:
•Myth: “All conflict can be resolved.” There are some customer service conflicts which should NOT be resolved. For instance, if a client asks for something that is illegal, or violates safety regulations, you need to refuse their request. You may also have to refuse their request due to company policies.
•In situations like this, explain why you are unable to fulfill their request.People don’t want to hear, “It our policy…” They want to be treated as intelligent adults and told the reason “why” their request can’t be satisfied.