How to get results and avoid stress during customer service calls

For most consumers, having to contact customer service can cause a lot of stress. Many worry about having to spend too much time over the phone, being transferred from one department to another, and after all these, end up with their concerns still unresolved.

In their bid to provide their consumers with the best customer experience, many companies retooled their phone systems, and have begun training their call center representatives to focus on efficiency.

A highly efficient phone system and diligent, empathic agents, however, can only go so far. The customers themselves should take a proactive approach towards reaching out to companies and their customer care departments.

Here are a few tips you should consider if you want your concerns to quickly be resolved with the least amount of stress possible.

Analyze your concerns

While contacting the company's hotline may seem like the obvious thing to do, it's important to first understand if you should even call at all. A lot of concerns can be remedied without having to call customer service.

A simple problem with a product's instructions or parts can be resolved by leafing through the included manual, a quick Google search, or a quick visit to the neighborhood hardware store. Contact the company only when absolutely necessary, such as when you need to settle a payment dispute, need proprietary repair parts, or when you received the wrong item in the mail.

Choose your channel

When you're absolutely sure that you need to reach the company, you may want to consider other channels. Given the amount of time you're willing to invest in getting your issues resolved, contacting them over the phone may not be the best course of action for you.

Many businesses have implemented various ways customers may choose to reach them including chat, email, and via their social media profiles. Each of these customer service platforms offers its own pros and cons, so find out which one works for you and your schedule.

Schedule your calls

It's common for call centers to receive an anticipated sizable volume of calls on any given day, and it can spike every now and then. Understandably, customer care representatives may not be able to answer all incoming calls immediately. As such, it would be best for you to pick a good time and date to make that call, preferably at a time when you have no important appointments to attend to.

Review transactions before paying up

Many customer care problems arise and can be prevented during point-of-sales scenarios. Whether you're placing an order on the company's e-commerce site, over the phone, or within a retail store, review your order and transaction details before giving your credit card number or handing over your cash. This will prevent any problems from materializing, so you don't have to call customer service later on.

By simply scanning your transaction forms for any errors, you can prevent problems like being overcharged for your monthly phone subscription, or receiving that expensive pair of glasses in the wrong grade and color.

Keep your anger in check

No matter how annoyed you are, try your best to keep your anger in check. Customer care representatives are highly trained to understand your predicaments, sympathize with you, and do whatever they can to help you. As such, starting the call with an infuriated tone, shouting, and hurling expletives are definitely counterproductive, and you'll be thoroughly offending the call representative at the other end of the line. 

Understand that the customer care representative did not cause your problem, and they're there to help you. The customer service representative will still try to help and ask you to stop shouting. If you, however, continue being irate, he or she may be forced to either terminate the call or they may transfer you to a team trained to deal with callers of your disposition. In either case, you will have to explain your concern all over again.

Many companies are taking proactive initiatives to provide their consumers with an excellent customer experience every time they call their hotlines. The customers' cooperation and understanding are valuable in helping resolve any kind of concerns as efficiently as possible.

Customer service is among the many outsourcing services Open Access BPO is offering companies of all sizes. Learn more about the company and its variety of solutions by visiting the website or via its Google+ page.