How to manage customer calls like a pro

Greet customers by their first names and thank them for calling.

Give a warm greeting

"Hello, [first name], how are you?"

Thank them for calling

"Thanks for calling [company name], I'm glad that you did."

Ask how they're doing

"How's everything going today?" or "Is there something new on your mind today?"

Listen carefully to your customer's issues before you respond to them.

Listen carefully to your customer's issues before you respond to them. You should ask the customer about their problem and make sure you understand it before responding.

If a customer is upset, they may be speaking quickly or not communicating clearly. It's important for you to listen carefully so that you can understand what the problem is as well as possible.

You'll also want to show the customer that you're listening by repeating back what he or she says (in a non-judgmental way). This will help him or her feel like they're being heard, and it confirms with him or her that he or she has explained things correctly so far.

Once it's clear what the issue is, there are several ways that we can try to solve it:

Never use the word "but" when responding to customer complaints.

The word "but" can be a trigger for your customers to stop listening, so you should avoid using it when responding to customer complaints.

Instead of saying "I'm sorry but..." or "I understand your concern but..." try using the word "and." You might say:

I'm sorry and I understand your concern.
We will do our best to make things right as soon as possible.

Emphasize that you care about the customer.

One of the most important things you can do when managing customer calls is to show that you care about the customer’s concerns. The best way to do this is by emphasizing that you are taking the time to understand their issues and concerns. When a customer asks for help, it is tempting for employees to rush through the call, just so they can get back to work on other tasks. However, if an employee does not take time out of her day to listen carefully and empathize with customers’ problems, then she will never really be able to solve them.

Another way in which managers can show empathy during customer calls is by demonstrating that they have invested themselves in solving a problem that was brought up during the conversation (rather than simply handing off responsibility). For example, if a customer says something like “I am very frustrated right now because my computer broke down last night while I was working on an important project and now I need someone who can come fix it today so I won't lose any money! Please help me!” then showing empathy would mean saying something like: “That sounds awful! Let's see how quickly we can get someone out there; what time would be most convenient? Oh no—you said your deadline was today? Well let me see what we could do… Would later this afternoon work better? Okay great let me get someone scheduled ASAP!" Lastly but certainly not leastly... You should also go above and beyond as needed! If possible resolve issues outside normal operating hours or even offsite locations (if necessary).

Always use a helpful tone of voice, even when giving unpleasant information.

The tone you use with customers is important to maintaining a positive experience for them. Customers appreciate being treated with respect, but that doesn't mean you should avoid providing unpleasant information or give an automatic "yes" to every request. Always maintain positivity and avoid talking down to your customers, no matter how simple the question may seem. When giving unpleasant news or explaining why something can't be done, do so in a way that avoids condescension and doesn't sound like you're dismissing their needs or concerns.

Sarcasm doesn't help either—it just makes it harder for people who aren't familiar with it (like most of your callers) to understand what they're being told! Some companies even have strict policies against using sarcasm in any context because it can make things confusing when communicating across teams who don't know each other well enough yet; this includes customer service agents working together on calls as well as coworkers who don't normally interact much face-to-face but need some sort of common language between them because otherwise one person's jokes won't make sense at all if everyone else doesn’t share their background knowledge about whatever topic/habits/etcetera might cause them.)

Never raise your voice at a customer, no matter how frustrated they're making you feel.

The last thing you want to do when a customer is making you crazy is raise your voice. You may feel that it's your only tool in this situation, but it’s actually not. If you raise your voice, the customer will get even more upset, and if they are already angry about something else (like the quality of their product or service), then there will be no stopping them from yelling back at you.

If the customer starts yelling at you first, hold on! They're just trying to get under your skin—don't let them win! Stay calm and collected as much as possible while speaking clearly (remember: clarity and brevity). Don't lose control over yourself by getting loud with them; if they see that they can get under your skin by yelling at you then they might keep doing so until the end of time.

Avoid using technical jargon that the customer might not understand.

Avoid using technical jargon that the customer might not understand.
Be aware of technical language that you use in your industry.
Be aware of technical language that the customer might use.
Don't assume they know what you mean by a certain term or phrase, and explain things simply so there's no confusion between you two.

Don't interrupt your customers when they are speaking, no matter how mad they get.

When a customer calls you, they may be upset and emotional. If you interrupt them while they are speaking, it can come across as rude and make the customer feel that you don't care about what they have to say.

If their problem is urgent or important, let them finish without interrupting them (unless there's an emergency or safety issue). When it's your turn to speak, ask if now is a good time for you to talk about their concerns.

Don't pass responsibility onto someone else a more junior employee, for example - without checking back with them after doing so.

The customer should not feel like they are being passed around. If you need to discuss an issue with a colleague, always check back with them after doing so. This will ensure that the customer doesn't get the impression that they are being put on hold while you "figure out what's going on". A second point here is that once you have solved their problem, make sure you let them know who solved it! No one likes calling back again because they didn't understand who was dealing with their query or where it was left off at. Finally, if there is ever any doubt in your mind about whether or not you can handle something yourself (or when in doubt), ask for help from someone more senior than yourself - but only after confirming this is OK with the customer first!

Don't try to rush customers off the phone just because it's inconvenient for you to talk with them right now.

Most customers will tell you exactly what they want to talk about, so if they're expressing a complaint, don't be in a hurry to get off the phone with them until they've had their say. Often times, customers are looking for an apology or some reassurance that their concerns have been addressed and resolved. In addition, many people who call customer service departments don't actually want help—they just want someone else (the representative) to hear their frustration and validate it. So even if you do have other things on your plate at the moment, make sure each caller feels heard by listening fully and acknowledging their concerns appropriately before ending the conversation.

Don't give up on a customer just because you're having trouble solving their problem or getting through to them.

You're going to have some frustrating calls. You may even come across some people who are rude or unhelpful, and you'll want to give up on them. But don't! If a customer has been calling for help, they probably need it. And while it's understandable that they would be frustrated by being put on hold or getting transferred from one department to another, this doesn't mean that you should give up just because the customer is starting to get upset.

Let's say a customer calls in with an issue about their account—they've had trouble logging in lately and think their username has been compromised. They want a new password immediately so they can access their account securely again. When we ask for a bit more information about what's happening, though (like what browser they're using), we find out that the problem isn't with anything related directly with their username at all: It turns out the user name was still valid but something else had changed recently which caused problems when trying to log in via our website; rather than giving them another password right away like he wanted us too though I instead changed his login method over so now he uses an app called "Authy" instead which should solve any further issues like these ones since there won't be any more changes made ever again after having done this once already today already now - hopefully anyway!

Dealing with difficult customers requires compassion and patience.

If you’re dealing with a difficult customer, be sure to listen carefully and explain your company’s policies and procedures. You can help the customer by offering options for resolving their issue, such as returning an online purchase or providing a refund. If the customer is still angry and upset, let them vent before trying to resolve their problem.