know how stressful a job that can be...The people on the other end of the telephone do NOT know you or you KNOW them...some are hostile, antagonistic, and aggressive...and of course threatening...and none of it is you fault...you are just the operator...Now, we all went to this meeting on..."How to deal with difficult people"....the lady told us to NOT hang up on them after we tell them the reason we are NOT able to do something for them whether it is a rule or policy....BUT if we did not hang up right afterwards we would go ROUND AND ROUND AND END UP IN A FIGHT...(by the way, this lady had NEVER BEEN AN OPERATOR!!)...really!...We have to hang up...because they will start yelling and we are not allowed to take the abuse they do to us???? what is your opinion on this??? Sorry to have to bother you with this.....i just say.."I'm sorry maam, but i have other calls i need to attend to"...then i just hang up...(the people want what they want and will not take NO FOR AN ANSWER..... I worked for five years as a telephone operator at a busy, high pressure call centre (inbound calls only), and the rule was NO HANGING UP on a caller. Hanging up meant instant dismissal, so regardless of how rude or whatever they were, we had to deal with it. And, as all calls were monitored, the bosses were on out case not to lose business at any time.
Some tips I learned (in training, from other operators and from experience). Sorry it's a bit long:
1) Always smile when you answer the phone (I know, it can kill your jaws after eight or nine hours!), but it is TRUE that people can hear the smile in your voice, so you start off sounding friendly.
2) Nothing that anyone says to you on the phone is personal. They don't know you as a person, they know nothing about your life. They are rude and aggressive because of THEIR issues, not because they don't like you. It can FEEL personal, but it's not.
3) There are two main types of rude people ~ the first is the ignorant. They are rude because it makes them feel important, and they are the type who will be rude to the telephone operator but grovel to the managing director. The second type are the people who have a real problem but don't feel anyone is actually listening to them, they feel ignored and become anxious, don't know how to deal with it, so it becomes aggressive.
If you start every call non-committal, always act like what the person telling you is true and factual, and listen attentivelt so you are able to do just what it is they request, you are off to a good start.
The ignorant people ~ there is nothing much you can do. They are like that because they are bullies in real life. All you can do is be efficient, keep smiling so they don't know they have got to you, and get off the phone as fast as you can. You can tell the bullies from the others because they are the ones that nothing is ever good enough for, who never say thank you and who are generally pigs, just like they are in real life. At least you can congratulate yourself you are not them.
The other people who are aggressive on the phone are often those who think no-one is really listening to complaint. Maybe they have called before and been fobbed off with 'Write a letter' or something similar. Often, their issue can be resolved fairly easily, but they feel no-one is really listening to them and so their anger mounts. I found that with these people a lot of the time they didn't really know how to get themselves heard. I kept a list of useful contact numbers within the organisation, to transfer them to, or give them the numbers to, so they could contact the person. It's better to transfer them because then they don't feel mucked about having to make another call. If the person isn't there, you can check when they will be and let the person know to phone then. If it's a question you can answer (from knowledge and because you are alolowed to), then you should do so. You can also be sympathetic to a limited point, as long as you don't go against your employer. So, if they say 'I have been waiting on the line for 15 minutes' you can say "I'm so sorry you've had to wait, we've been very busy here this morning, the phone has not stopped. Please let me know how I can help you ..." You've acknowledged their problem and that they have a right to feel upset, apologised, explained and moved on, all in a few words and with a smile on your face. Most important, you have stayed in charge of the call and the direction it goes in.
4) Most people are OK, and the fact is if you are getting 30 or 40 calls an hour most will be from OK people who are courteous and polite, but somehow the rude and nasty ones do stand out. Try to vent with another operator or your boss at least once a day, and if possible make a joke out of it. Laugh at how the rude and ignorant are so silly to think they'll make friends that way. If someone REALLY upsets you, take a break straight away, go to the loo and have a cry and wash your face, comb your hair and say a rude word about them. Don't try to go onto the next call with something like that on your mind, because you won't be as efficient.
5) Take charge of the call. Make sure you are the professional at all times. Never give someone cause for complaint about your efficiency or lack of professionalism. it's so tempting to tell them what you think of them. Don't do it! They've heard it a million times before and have skin like a rhinoceros. be the better person and you will find you feel more powerful and in charge. If they start arguing, you can always say something like "Yes, I can see you feel very strongly about this. We have a number of ways people can lodge a grievance. I can transfer you to the frievance office, send a form to your address or transfer you now and you can ask the person you speak to. Which would you prefer?" Don't get into it with them or you will end up in never ending circles.
6) Find out if there is a large call centre in your area which offers training to its employees and see if your boss would find out if you could attend one of their training courses. Most phone operators come across very similar problems, and in-house raining often gives you some great ideas. Plus, you meet people who have the same experiences and they may have great ideas.
I've met some great people on the phone over the years, but still remember some of the stinkers. Fortunately, I can laugh about it now. Try not to let them get you down :-)
Good luck and best wishes :-) Here's a suggestion. Let them rant and yell (take the receiver away from your ears and keep it at arm's length), when you know they have slowed down or stopped, say to them "are you done ma'am? I'm sorry I really can't help you. Bye" |
