I got my first management title when I was twenty-six years old. The person I’d beat out for the position had been with the company 26 years, and in one hiring decision, this woman, who wanted my job, become my direct report.

She’d been with the company since before I was in kindergarten. And now I...

Are you tired of your employees feeling overwhelmed and stressed when dealing with angry customers? Enroll your team in my De-escalation Academy, and I’ll teach them the tactics to bring down the temperature in interactions, redirect conversations, and easily handle even the most challenging situati...

I pulled out my Afro pick and fluffed out my curls to teach psychological priming in De-escalation Academy! My students learned how to nudge customers to accept their words as final with psychological word choice! Get your team enrolled in the next De-escalation Academy!

Here's a transparent and great question from one of my subscribers.

Question

How do I keep calm and maintain the right tone when a caller uses foul language and puts me on the defensive?

My answer 

First, it's entirely normal to feel defensive when we're disrespected. I love that you're aw...

Welcome to the world of call center excellence! In this fast-paced, customer-centric era, businesses must strive to offer unparalleled client support. Call centers are crucial in achieving this feat, as they are often the primary point of contact between a company and its customers. Therefore, ca...

There may be moments of silence or dead air during customer calls while you are looking up information or waiting for a response. To avoid awkwardness during silence, try these three approaches.

Tell your customer what you're doing:

• "I am currently looking up the information you requested....

What can you do to get an angry customer to listen to you? I have a few tips and tactics for preempting escalations and getting customers to accept your words as final.

I have divided this post into challenging situations you will likely encounter. With my phrases, you can feel confident, talk asse...

In today's globalized world, businesses are increasingly catering to customers from diverse backgrounds and cultures. As a result, they must be able to provide top-notch customer support in multiple languages. This is where multilingual customer support comes in. It involves offering assistance to c...

As a seasoned professional in any industry, you've likely encountered your fair share of difficult customers. These challenging interactions can overwhelm you, frustrated, and sometimes downright exhausted. However, handling a difficult customer is a crucial skill for success in any customer-facing ...

• "How do you pronounce your name?"
• "Can you spell your name for me?" (Sometimes, the spelling can help you correctly pronounce the person's name.)
• "I apologize if I mispronounced your name--could you please help me understand how to pronounce it correctly?"
• "I want to make sure I address you cor...

It can be emotionally draining to deal with challenging customer interactions. I cannot overstate the importance of debriefing and decompressing after a difficult interaction. Here are my suggestions for leaders and frontline employees on how to process and learn from these experiences:

For lead...

In our increasingly globalized world, businesses must cater to a diverse clientele to stay competitive. Providing excellent customer support across languages is more important than ever. As a customer service representative, your ability to effectively communicate with customers who speak different ...