How To Keep Calm And Carry On When Experiencing Poor Customer Service

It’s that time of the year where shops, and online retailers will really be hoping to cash in.

Brits plan to spend an estimated £3.8 billion in the 2024 Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales alone. 59 percent of us plan to spend during the Black Friday weekend – which adds up to nearly 32 million people.

But research shows that 29 percent of us who make purchases at this time have later regretted handing over our money.

It means millions of people could end up having to hit the phone lines to seek a resolution from companies’ customer service teams.

That can leave people at the mercy of a more complicated process, including potentially long telephone waits or complaints departments which can only be contacted via email.

These days, there are rightly a lot of protections in place for customer service representatives who can find themselves on the wrong end of a frayed temper which could see you being cut off at even the slightest raising of your voice when dealing with poor service.

It’s understandable that people get frustrated, but there are better ways of getting what you need than getting angry.

But it’s also vital that companies meet us in the middle. Many customer service agents can be abrupt and unhelpful making it hard to know how to get a solution to your problem.

So, as someone who fights for excellent customer service, here are my top tips for managing this busy period to help you come away with your desired purchase and keep your cool.”

Think positive. Don’t approach your call to customer services with a negative attitude, but work out what will be a suitable resolution to your problem. You could simply want a refund or a replacement – so make that clear in the early stages of a call as it sets the goal for both sides.

Arrange an activity during your hold time Many companies have call wait times of up to 85 minutes. That’s a long time, and if you’re just sitting around waiting, it’s no wonder that your temper might take over. But you can avoid that by simply preparing an activity for this time. After all, when you’re busy making dinner, you’ll feel less like being on hold is ruining your day, allowing you to slot this call into your timeline, and stay fresh, positive, and ultimately unphased when you finally make it through.

Plan what you’re going to say It’s unlikely that you’re calling a customer service team to talk about how happy you are, so it’s all too easy to let your emotions barrel you into rushing ahead and missing crucial points. This could damage your chances of a decent resolution, and it’s something that you can avoid by simply planning what you want to say ahead of time, and even writing out a few key points. After all, while research does suggest that customer call times are growing, you’ll have an average of around just five minutes to make your case. Use that time well with a script that covers everything, and makes sure that you remember your manners.

Ask to speak to a manager If you can feel your temper fraying, it’s always worth asking to speak with a manager. That’s not to say that you have free reign to shout even then, but managers will generally be able to grant things like refunds and other forms of recompense more easily. By taking your complaint straight to the top, you also ensure that you aren’t putting undue blame for your issues on customer service agents, more than half of whom are already having to deal with customer abuse.

There’s no doubt that customer service calls can be stressful, particularly when it is your money at stake. Use these tips to keep your cool and enjoy better outcomes as a result and make the most of the bargains out there.

For more free advice visit www.ladyjaney.co.uk