Devoted to the call center industry, the agents on the phones, and their managers

Here is Part 2 on how to handle abusive customers.  It's important you've gone through the first part before you continue to read.

Be Firm and Reassure
Here is the hard part.  Try to find some dead air within the conversation.  Just be careful where you start talking.  If you do it too early, he’s going to freak and it will get worse, thinking you weren’t listening.  Angry people normally go in circles, and the first chance he starts mentioning the same thing, this is where you be firm and assure him you are there to help.

Take note!  Some will start saying, “I understand how you feel….”  DON’T COMMIT THAT MISTAKE.  Regardless whether you truly understand or not, he will take it negatively.  So, you can start off with, “Sir, I am aware you are frustrated over (issue), but I can only help you if we are to discuss this without the unnecessary words.”  You then take control of the call.

Give Options
See, the trick here is that you’ve been listening while he was ranting.  You’ve had the time to work out the solution and ready to let him know how to get solve the issue, or at least give him options.  Remember, you haven’t stopped talking when you started, a bit of empathy but none of those scripts were used.  You head on to giving him the facts, the solution in a confident tone.  He will not give you a chance when you start stumbling, so make sure you don’t.  You’ll notice that he will stop and start listening to you, the foul words will stop and he’s calm.  Some would even apologize to you for being difficult.  Accept the apology and move on.

One last thing – this isn’t a time to use scripts.  An emotional person absolutely hates it!  But, don’t feel bad if you couldn’t handle it because it takes time to master it.  You can seek the help of a senior agent or your supervisor, if things get too heated.

If they’re hitting you personally, you can always tell him in a polite way, “It is clear that you are not open to having me help you right now.  But, I need to disconnect this call.”

There are other tips out there for you to check out.  Rediff.com has posted "How to handle abusive BPO customers" as an extra resource.

Note: Graphic seen on this post sourced from rediff.com