When You’re being Pushed

Effective Communication with Frustrated Customers

A switchboard operator at one of my customer service seminars asked me for a suggestion on what to say when she’s put in the awkward position of being asked by a frustrated customer, “Gerald isn’t in and I need to hear back from him. When will he return my call?” If you say that your co-worker will return the customer’s call by a certain time, you’ve made a promise that may not be kept. If you simply state you don’t know when Gerald will return the call, you may appear to be non caring and unhelpful. My advice: offset what you can’t commit to with something you can. For example, “I can’t say exactly when Gerald will return your call – usually he’s very reliable. What I can promise is I will give him your message as soon as he returns.”

Today’s chuckle:

May your life be long and useful like a roll of toilet paper.

Written By Jeff Mowatt (original content – not AI generated)

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Jeff Mowatt is a customer service speaker, customer service & sales trainer, a business communication strategist, award-winning speaker, and best-selling author.