Call centre communication

If you call your local bank or insurance company in the UK, the chances are that you will speak to someone in a call centre, rather than someone in your local bank branch. Companies regularly outsource their customer relations department to call centres, to cut costs and to centralise their customer service operations. But it's not always easy to have your enquiry answered immediately and effectively, and call centre employees often have to deal with rude or angry customers. This guide shows you how to make the most of call centres, whether you are the one making the call, or the one receiving the call.

Making a call

1. Make sure you have all the necessary information to hand to help the person dealing with your call.

Typical phrases to expect are:

Can I have your account number, please.
What is your name?
Can you give my your post code (zip code) please.
What is the nature of your enquiry?

2. If you are making a complaint, try not to get angry. Prepare in advance how to explain the problem, and work out what solution would be acceptable to you.

I'd like to complain about …….
I'd like a refund, please.

3. Don't be afraid to ask for clarification, or to correct the other person if necessary.

Sorry, I didn't understand the last part of what you were saying.
Sorry, could you repeat that, please?
Actually, I didn't say X. I said Y.
Sorry, but that's not what I meant. I meant to say…

4. Be sure that you know what the next step is.

So, who do I need to contact about a refund?
What happens next?
When will the insurance company call me?

5. Thank the person for their help. It's only good manners!

Thank you for your help in this.
I appreciate your help. Thank you.

Handling calls

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of working in a call centre is having to handle a rude or angry customer. There's a lot you can do and say to defuse a difficult situation and to help the customer. Here are some tips and useful phrases.

1. First of all, let the caller explain the problem in full, and try not to interrupt.

If the customer becomes angry, respond with a phrase to show you are listening, such as:

I can understand that you are angry, and I also want to resolve the situation.
I realize this is frustrating for you. Please accept my apologies for any inconvenience to you.
Thank you for taking the time to tell me about this.
We appreciate customers who let us know when there's a problem.
I'm sorry to hear about…

2. Use checking phrases to make sure you have understood each point the caller has made.

So, if I understand the situation correctly, you..
Right, so what happened was that…
OK. Firstly you…. then we…. Is that right?

3. Explain what you will do to resolve the problem.

The first thing we need to do is…
What I'm going to do is… Then….
This is what I can do to solve the immediate problem.

3. Thank the person for calling.

It's important to remain calm during difficult phone conversations. If you sound impatient or upset, the customer will probably become even angrier. Keep your voice low-pitched to make you sound more authoritative and in control and avoid arguing with the customer - even if they are wrong!

If it is not possible to resolve the problem with the customer, end the conversation with a phrase such as:

I will have to take this matter further. I will speak to my manager about it and call you back on…

It’s obvious that I have not been able to help you. I would like to get my manager to try and resolve the problem.

See also our article on making telephone calls, using a mobile phone, managing a phone call. and phrasal verbs in phone calls.