More than likely Child Support Specialist will interact with customers who are upset about something having to do with child support. Sometimes customers are angry and they blame you, or child support, or OKDHS for the wrong they are perceiving that they are dealing with.
This article offers advice on how to handle customers who are annoyed, angry, and belligerent.
LEADS is a good start
LEADS is an acronym making it easier to remember what to do in conversation with customers.
The first letter of this acronym stands for Listen. Hear the customer out, do not judge, let the customer finish their thought or vent their frustration, and clarify facts. Do not jump in to “fix it” mode.
Empathize with the person. Validate their feelings and their right to be upset. Talk with not at the person. Do not use “but” or “however” as in “… yes, but…” Use appropriate body language and facial expressions. If you are on a call with an upset customer, not face-to-face, body language and facial expressions affect your tone of voice. To find out more about body language see the CS Quest article “Body Language, Vocal Patterns and Word Choice in Interviews or Conferences.”
Apologize is the next item in LEADS. You are not to blame for what has happened, but, you can be sorry the person is having difficulty or problems. Apologize immediately after you find out the customer is upset. Remember, it is not always what you say, but how you say it that matters.
Don’t personalize – This means do not accuse the upset person or attempt to tell your personal story or opinion. This is about them and that they are upset at the situation – not at you. Stay relaxed, keep your voice low and calm, do not engage in a power struggle. And, importantly, do not escalate the encounter by getting upset yourself. The interaction is not about who is right or wrong. It is about finding the best solution for the customer.
This brings us to S in LEADS – Solutions. Stay concentrated and focused on what you can do, not what you cannot do. Tell the customer that you want to resolve their concerns and how can you help them. You are the knowledge expert in the interaction. This means you can educate the customer about the CS system. You can set realistic expectations abut timeframes, and you can take time to provide general information. Let the customer know you are noting the case and that workers review notes before taking any action.
Feedback is a final step in the process. After the encounter you can ask yourself how the problem started. Identify what was the root of the problem and correct it now. If you think you need it, ask for additional training. You can always focus on improving yourself.
What to do if LEADS does not work
Unfortunately, LEADS does not work in all situations, and some interactions with customers may get highly unpleasant. They may call you names, belittle you, even yell or curse at you. They may become abusive or threaten you. Here is some advice for how to handle this.
If one or more of these happen, stop the interaction. If you are on a call, or if the customer is there with you, there are things you can do to protect yourself and rapidly de-escalate the interaction and end the encounter.
First off, if you are threatened, call security.
Next, do not tolerate racial slurs, derogatory names, verbal abuse, or offensive language. We have to keep in mind that speech is protected by the constitution and when someone uses curse words in their frustration we cannot end the conversation. We cannot force our ethics onto customers. But, when cursing is specifically directed at you then, you can stop the encounter.
If you have followed LEADS, you only need to give one warning. A warning will usually calm people down. You can say something like this:
“If you will please lower your voice I will be happy to help you.”
“If you continue yelling and disrupting like that, I will have to (call security) (ask you to leave) (disconnect the call).”
“If you continue to use racial slurs I will have (call security) (ask you to leave) (disconnect the call).”
“If you continue to call me derogatory names, I will have to (call security) (ask you to leave) (disconnect the call).”
If you continue being verbally abusive I will have to (call security and have you escorted out) (disconnect the call).”
If your customer does not stop and continues to be belligerent, you can say something like, “I apologize, but at this time it appears we will not be able to continue this discussion. I am (calling security) (asking you to leave) (disconnecting the call) at this time. When you think you can continue this discussion calmly, please feel free to come back (or call again). Thank you.”
Case Log the interaction
Be sure to case log the incident, including sufficient details so that anyone will understand what happened. Do not include direct quotes of what the customer said in LOGI. Logs must contain only professional language.
If you are threatened, use the Messaging Script
Finally, this recap of strategies to de-escalate an upset customer comes from LinkedIn. As already stated, listen – actively listen; be calm and sincere; breakdown the problem if the customer’s issue is complex; offer realistic solutions; thank them for their patience.
You may also be interested in these CS Quest articles: How to be a good listener, Start Strong-Finish Stronger, Handling Questions and Your Answers Effectively.
De-escalating an upset customer is not always easy, but, employing these strategies will promote trust and provide the customer hope for resolution.