When a Customer Won’t Stop Talking on the Phone
Robert Bacal
THE SITUATION
Sometimes customers will phone for help with a problem, but are upset and don’t allow you to respond to their concerns. In this example, we’ll try to get the customer to stop talking long enough to begin the helping process.
TECHNIQUES USED
■ Telephone Silence (1)
■ Empathy Statements (2)
■ Assurances of Effort (3)
■ Refocus (4)
■ Offer Choices/Empowering (5)
DIALOGUE
The customer wants some help with an issue and has been talking on the phone with an employee almost continuously for two or three minutes.
Customer: What kind of organization are you running here? I expect to get answers to my questions immediately, and when I call I get the runaround . . . [continues to talk].
Employee: [Says nothing—no “Uh-huhs,” nothing at all (1).]
Customer: And another thing [continues for a time]. Hello, are you there?
Employee: Yes, I’m here. It sounds like you’re pretty upset (2), and I’m going to help you right now (3). I need to get a bit more information from you so I can help, so is it OK if I ask you a few questions (4, 5)?
Customer:Well, OK.
Employee: I only have a few questions. First, can you give me your account number?
EXPLANATIONS
You can’t help someone without information, and you can’t get that if the person is talking at you or rambling. In this example, the employee stops responding completely (1) until the customer is no longer sure if the employee is still there. (This works only on the phone.) When the person stops his constant stream of talk to ask whether the employee is there, it creates an opening for the employee to move the conversation back to whatever the customer has called about.
Note that the employee also wants to show the customer that his concerns and feelings are important (by using an empathy statement) (2) and assuring the customer that help will be offered immediately (3). He then refocuses (4) the conversation back to exploring the actual problem. This is done by asking permission or giving the person a choice (5).
HINTS
■ Keep using a calm tone of voice.
■ Don’t try to interrupt the customer, because that tends to cause him or her to start over or redouble the talk.
■ Refrain from signs of impatience, like sighing.
See Also: 17. When a Customer Won’t Stop Talking and Is Getting Abusive on the Phone #1, 18. When a Customer Won’t Stop Talking and Is Getting Abusive on the Phone #2