It’s not unusual for Call Center agents to reach their tipping point and snap.

Not unusual, true. Good for business?

Absolutely not.

Your frontline staff take challenging service calls all day. If they don’t have the right tools, their stress levels can elevate quickly. 

That’s where the Split Second Response comes in…

With this simple tool your Call Center staff can manage the most challenging calls, reduce stress, improve customer service and increase productivity. 

The Bucket Analogy

So, how does your Call Center agent get to that moment when instead of seeking RESOLUTION they’re seeking REVENGE?

I use The Bucket Analogy:

As a call center agent (I cover this in more detail in my seminars), you speak with dozens of customers on a typical work day. 

Most are pleasant – a few can be difficult, but you tolerate it. 

A single demanding customer doesn’t push you over the edge but…

Imagine that all the queries and complaints your staff field in a day go into a mental “bucket” 

Drip, drip, drip…

Slowly, steadily, that bucket fills up. One more drop of water and then…

Splash.

The bucket overflows, there’s water all over the floor…tempers flare and now your calm agent is suddenly angry and confrontational. 

Their head will kick into a destructive “Fight or Flight” mentality and customer service will plummet.

What you control (and what you don’t)

A few scenarios are possible on the customer-service spectrum:

Apathy

They’ll just stop caring if your customer ends the call happy or irate and tune out until the customer gives up and hangs up.

Lack of courtesy

They’ll take satisfaction matching the rudeness they’re experiencing from your customer.

Hostility

They’ll match your customer’s anger and escalate.

Retaliation

They’ll find a way to make things even more unpleasant for your customer so they’re worse off than when the made the call in the first place.

Here’s what your agent has forgotten:

1: There are things they can’t control for your customer:

• Weather
• Traffic
• Equipment failure
• Whatever has happened to the customer that day before they called your company

2: There are things they can control:

• Their reaction to your customer’s frustration
• The course of action they choose to fix the problem
• How calm they remain despite the fact that their bucket is overflowing

The Split-Second Response compels your agent to PAUSE & BREATHE. 

Then LISTEN. https://www.coscia.com/listen60seconds

Getting to Resolution

If they take time to hear your customer’s concerns – and ignore the noise from all the things they can’t control – they’ll have an open mind, ready to find a creative solution to the problem.

It should come as no surprise that our best ideas come to us when we’re relaxed and don’t feel cornered. 

Give your Call Center staff the tools they need so they don’t end up feeling cornered. Encourage them to practice the Split-Second Response. And watch your business thrive.

If you want to take your customer service even farther, check out this Call Center Bundle that has easy-to-learn, easy-to-use tools and techniques for you and your staff.

Want to learn more? Contact me  to book a site visit, or check out my calendar  to find a date when I’m in your area.

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