May 16, 2024

Tips for Service Teams

What Are Your Workplace Triggers?

When a customer says or does something to cause a frontline rep to lose control of their emotions it's difficult to respond in a professional way.

This month in Customer Communicator, the training and motivation newsletter for frontline reps, five reps share their personal triggers and advice on the best way to respond. The first example will ring true for many reps.

The trigger: My number one trigger is when customers fib about how long they have been on hold or how difficult it was to reach us. They’ll say things like, "I’ve called six times and no one has called back." Well I can see from the logs that this is their first call.

The solution: Deep breath. You may be tempted to "set the record straight," but that won’t help reduce the tension. Instead, acknowledge the customer and their feelings by apologizing for the emotions the customer is feeling and then move into action to solve the problem. For example:

"I’m sorry you’re feeling frustrated. Let’s get started resolving the problem right now."

More techniques for handling common emotional triggers appear in the May issue of Customer Communicator.

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