Build rapport. To engage the customer, build rapport. To build rapport, modify your tone, tempo, vocabulary, and volume to suit the customer's speech patterns. If the caller is an executive, short, direct language may be needed. If the caller is a disgruntled consumer, a warm, friendly approach using simple language may be best.

Be an optimist. How you phrase what may be received as bad news can really make a difference in the mind of the caller. Cushion the blow by focusing on the bright side of things. The following response will end the conversation: "I'm so sorry. We no longer carry that item." Try this approach instead: "Our product line has recently been upgraded. The item you requested is now available in a new and improved format. Would you like it shipped ground or next-day air?"

Listen actively. Before call center agents can effectively assist customers, they have to find out what a particular customer wants. This requires listening to what is and isn't said. Agents should use confirmations such as "yes," "I see," and "I understand" as verbal substitutes for the eye contact or head nods of ordinary conversation. Agents should also listen "between the lines" for what is left unsaid. Perhaps there is a special offer or an additional product of which the customer is unaware. Through active listening, agents can create a conversational connection that reassures the caller that someone cares.

Offer an apology. No one is perfect, and no organization faultless. Mistakes happen, and when they do a sincere and unconditional apology helps defuse an angry caller. What's interesting is that a genuine apology and proper handling of the complaint can increase customer loyalty. In fact, research indicates that if customers feel their concerns are addressed appropriately, 85 percent will continue doing business with the organization. That's even better than the rate for satisfied customers, only 65 percent of which will return for repeat business.

Stay positive. Listening day in and day out to people you don't even know gripe and complain can be emotionally corrosive. Customers can be, and often are, difficult. They rarely hold back. They think nothing of directing their disappointment, dissatisfaction, and displeasure at you. What can you do to stay upbeat in the face of phone rage? First, avoid the tendency toward "fight or flight." Be proactive. Listen. Put yourself in your customer's shoes. And if the customer continues to be unreasonable, involve your supervisor. Just the thought that someone higher up is now involved will calm many a frustrated customer. Finally, take a break from time to time to blow off steam. A little lunchtime walk or a jog around the track can help you re-center and get back to a positive place.

Take greater responsibility. All too often, call center agents hide behind the limitations of their computer scripts as a way to avoid dealing with the unusual. For the anticipated, scripts provide an efficient way to conduct customer conversations. It's when the caller has a concern that deviates from the planned that differentiates the A-plus rep from the "robo-agent." A-plus customer service reps can think outside the script. They take the initiative. They assume responsibility for doing whatever it takes to resolve the case.

Solve the problem. Customers contact call centers because they need help to do something they can't do for themselves. They have a problem. Superior call center agents have been trained in problem solving. They know how to assess need. They know what resources are available for addressing that need. They put together people and resources to get the job done. They involve customers throughout the process by asking, "How can I help solve this problem? What would you like me to do? Is there anything else I can try for you?"