Gastroneterology Call Center Customer Service Excellence - Handling the Difficult Caller

Take a few moments to tell us about your customer service skills related to handling the difficult caller.
Name: 


  1. What, in your opinion, makes a call difficult? Rate on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the most difficult.
        1 2 3 4 5
    Language/hearing barrier  
    Unable to accommodate scheduling preference  
    Crying/overly emotional caller  
    Mentally ill caller  
    'That's not good enough no matter what' caller  


  1. Review each of the following phrases and decide if it is an appropriate phrase to use when assisting customers with problems or complaints.

            1 2 3 4 5      
      "I apologize for the inconvenience." Excellent  Poor  
      "That's against our policy." Excellent  Poor  
      "How can we make this right for you?" Excellent  Poor  
      "There's nothing I can do." Excellent  Poor  
      "We'll do everything possible." Excellent  Poor  
      "We're out of options." Excellent  Poor  
      "This was your fault." Excellent  Poor  
      "Let's try this." Excellent  Poor  
      "Your satisfaction is important to us." Excellent  Poor  
      "I'd be happy to." Excellent  Poor  
      "This is the best I can do for you." Excellent  Poor  


  1. When assisting a difficult caller, the first thing I normally do is...
    Offer to connect to my supervisor
    Provide options
    Explain our policy/procedure


  1. When a customer with a complaint becomes abusive, what I do most often is...
    Give it right back to them in no uncertain terms.
    Laugh it off and change the subject.
    Remain calm and say, "I know you're upset, but I can't help you when you're talking this way."
    Disconnect the caller...our policy says we don't have to accept verbal abuse from customers.





Mary Shures