It can take a lifetime to keep a customer, and a second to lose one. This is why it is important to ensure that your business and its employees are operating effectively. The best way to do this is to train your agents on how to deal with difficult customer calls and situations. Here are our top ten tips to follow with these calls:

1. Understand that this call may not be pleasant for the caller. In order to understand the customer, you must first listen fully to the customer’s problems to ensure that you have a full grasp on the situation. Do not interrupt the customer while they are telling you about their problems.
2. Apologize for the inconvenience or for the problem. Be sincere in showing that you care how this has affected the customer.
3. Clarify and confirm that you have understood the customer appropriately if you are unsure. You may want to even restate the problem to the customer as confirmation of your understanding. This will save you problems in the long run as you will know how to approach the situation before making any solutions.
4. Respond with possible solutions. This is a great time to tell the customers what we can do about the problem while providing them with choices. Try to avoid negative sentences like discussing what we cannot do or our company policies.
5. Solve the problem quickly, and effectively. If you are unable to solve the problem on your own, make sure that the customer knows you are in the process of finding a solution. Try your best to solve the problem on your own quickly so that the customer does not have to wait long or go through multiple transfers.
6. Update your customer regularly during the process of the problem solution. This may be done via email, text, or a return phone call. You should always update your customer before the end of the same business day to ensure proper customer support is provided.
7. Deliver above and beyond what is expected of you. If the customer is having a problem, try to compensate them in some way for the problem or inconvenience. This will help to secure your customer and keep them from leaving.
8. Ask the customer if the solution is helpful and if there is anything further that can be done for them today.
9. Thank the customer for bringing the problem to your attention and allowing you the time and opportunity to deliver a solution.
10. Follow-up with the customer one week after the solution to see how things are going and to provide an optional survey on how the support team handled the problem.