Top Five Most Difficult Call Centre Calls

From THC Zine V.03
BY: Ivy MG

Call centre agents handling tech Support and customer service have good days and BAD days. Most of the time, calls consist of ordinary stuff such as activation, inquiries, general questions, payments, AKA routine ordinary stuff… This is generally when things go smoothly and there are no real worries to speak of. The day goes by uneventfully just like any ordinary day, everything is processed without any problems, no real issues arise, and phone lines on both ends are at peace.

There is that, and then there is this: a serious turn of events that brings out the worst in people—critical/complicated/recurring/serious customer service or tech issues that seem to have been unluckily tailor-made for that customer or subscriber. And they unfortunately bring out the worst in everyone.

Before the problems further escalate, here are five top migraine-inducing issues that agents have dealt with over the years. Don’t lose your cool!

Unannounced Changes / Sudden Outages

well, there’s just nothing worse than anything unexpected on the service provider company’s end—short notice changes of all kinds, or maybe unannounced outages and unavoidable technical issues that arise all of a sudden. These are call queue drivers that send most contact centres into overdrive with overloaded number of calls.

Not all customers under the same company can be directly informed of these changes. For these short term changes, it means days or even a few weeks of spiked number of calls.

Usually, a preparation plan will be implemented to get out the information to all concerned customers, but it doesn’t cover everyone, and as fast as possible. The result: more calls. And it often results in the same information explained over and over again to different callers. And this type of repetition for the next hundred or so calls can be quite exhausting.

Billing Statement Blues

Billing is a special case because it involves money, or money paid in advance for a service. A billing statement that’s vague will be an issue of contention for a customer. Often, issues arise for unclear items on the bill, coverage periods, discrepancies, adjustments, and other billing technicalities that some customers and subscribers do not fully understand.

Billing entails thorough knowledge, proper explanation, what they are for, how much is the correct amount, and the complete details. It is important to get this right, be consistent, and explain everything in layman’s terms. This is not only to clear any misunderstandings, but also to educate the customer in the proper way.

Special Customers

They are the subscribers and consumers who don’t fall into the category of irate or callers with complex/recurring issues. They also need patience and assurance, but of a different level.

Special customers have to be assisted with more care. They fall into these subcategories: relay calls in behalf of a disabled or unable-to-talk customer on the line with an assistant, foreigners with a limited grasp of English and won’t be able to articulate well, older people who need extra care and assistance, and all other types of customers who have limitations in conversing over the phone.

For these, you need specially trained or super patient agents. These types of calls need appropriate steps to assist them. This includes foreign language line assistance, extended call assistance, special call handling techniques, and simplifying conversations to suit the caller on the line.

They are still the company’s customers, and we need extra care and patience with some customers who have certain limitations; It is the company’s duty to offer our full assistance while adjusting to their special conditions.

Super Irate Customers

Customers who have had it, have lost their patience, will report to the Ombudsman, or will file a complaint, and have gone through so many calls and have experienced the bad stuff. They won’t call sounding like flowers and sunshine. This is in no way a pun against angry customers over the phone. The company must understand and offer help despite hostility. Understand that they have become irate due to issues affecting their service, not a grudge against the company or the agents.

Dealing with super pissed off customers requires extra patience and assurance. Most of the time, specialists and upper level agents handle these types of calls. Customers like them do not need to go through the usual queue. And upon initial contact, they need higher agents, managers, or supervisors directly.

Usually, these callers are just looking to resolve the issue or issues without repeating themselves, or being given inconsistent answers. They also don’t need to be further made irate. For this they only need to be listened to thoroughly, understood, and given clear answers when it can be done, when it’s not a same-call resolution. Something must be done for their situation, in exchange for all the hassle, time, and extra expenses they had to go through.

Recurring or Complex Issues Outside Normal Operations

All companies have their customers’ best interests in mind. And despite having efficient facilities and services in place, a few customers will still encounter some complex and time consuming issues that either directly affect their service, or prevent their service from functioning 100%. Theirs are special cases that might need direct and individual attention, depending on the case.

For example, subscribers might call in regarding continuous broadband connection problems outside of their area of responsibility. Sometimes, a payment related issue or discrepancy might become a recurring problem. Other times, it might be hardware or device issues or compatibility problems that are causing it. These types of issues fall outside their “normal operation issues”, and will be outside the skill or level of most frontline agents.

Sometimes, the issue is not easily seen, and would need an investigation or a technician’s visit. In these cases, escalation to higher levels and closely-monitored follow ups are required until the problems have been taken care of.