Unsure of the answer?

Dealing with numerous callers each and every day requires a large array of skills. Patience, politeness and having a vast amount of knowledge are just to name a few. You learn how to direct calls to the appropriate place, solve various issues and answer many many questions. However, there will be instances when you just don’t know what to do with the caller on the other side of the phone, how to solve the problem at hand or answer their questions. When this sort of situation occurs, it’s easy to become panicked, but there are ways to deal with these issues when situations like this occur.  

No matter what issue you face, hanging up the phone in a panic is never going to be the solution, this would only annoy the customer and put you in a very bad light! There are many techniques to ensure that the customer on the other end of the phone has no idea that you’re struggling. If you don’t quite understand what the caller is after, there’s a certain limit to asking the caller to repeat themselves. Before you do this, try and read whether the caller is getting impatient. If so, then it might be worth trying to find someone who can help, or pass the caller onto someone else who you know is available and can help, this doesn’t mean you’ve failed the call, people interpret things differently. If you find that the caller is quite patient, it might be worth asking them to clarify what they’re after.  There’s nothing wrong with simply asking them to clarify, just as long as it’s done with a polite and professional manner.  If you have a vague idea of what the caller is after, try and quote that instead. For instance “So you’re interested in purchasing our new product?”. It’s best that you don’t actually say you that you don’t understand, this leaves the caller in an awkward position, and reflects badly on you and the company you’re representing. 

If you find that you’re becoming a little bit panicky because you’re just not understanding, then it’s worth jotting down key phrases the caller is telling you. You can look back on these notes at the end of the call and have more time and less pressure to understand. If you find that you simply can’t help the caller, then there will be times when someone else will have to contact them. Yet again try not to make any false promises with regards to who will call them back, people’s schedules can change on a day to day basis. 

At the end of the day, the key point is to not panic. Becoming increasingly worried and nervous about a situation will only put stress on yourself, and will most likely make the caller a lot more stressed too. Not all calls will be smooth sailing, but at least you know you’ve done everything possible and properly in order to correct the situation. 

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