October 18, 2019
Ending a call politely should always be your goal, whether it’s a routine call, a long winded caller on the other line or an upset customer who is becoming aggressive.
Ending a call politely is easy enough when it’s a routine call – once the matter is resolved, a simple “Is there anything else I can assist you with today?” and a friendly sign-off are all it takes to end the call politely.
But what about the more difficult scenarios, when the caller doesn’t necessarily want to end the call but is eating up your time for other customers? When the caller is shouting at you and refuses to calm down enough to look for a solution? That’s when ending a call politely becomes a challenge.
This post will help you navigate the uncertain waters of ending a call politely when the caller isn’t quite being polite.
Ending a Call Politely
Don’t wait for a window – create a window
If your caller is particularly long-winded and is eating up your time after being assisted, it’s your job to know how to politely end the call without letting on that you’re not so much hanging up as escaping the conversation.
In this scenario, don’t wait for a window to escape – create a window by carefully choosing your words.
Some ways to escape a long-winded conversation politely:
“Listen to me, rambling on. I get off track when talking about (__), you’ll have to excuse me! Thanks so much for your call, glad we got that resolved. If that’s everything, have a wonderful day!”
“It’s been great getting a chance to chat with you, (name)! If there’s anything else we can help you with, just give us a call. Thank you and enjoy your afternoon!”
“Thank you again for letting us know about that. I just noticed that my call queue is starting to stack up – is there anything else I can help with before I go?”
“You know, I’ve enjoyed talking to you so much that I didn’t realize I’d kept you on the phone for almost 20 minutes! So sorry. It was great chatting with you and I’m happy we found a solution that worked. Have a great day!”
Act according to policy
You should have some sort of policy in place that tells employees what to do when they are met with harassment, aggression, or threats on the phone. Act according to your company’s policy, and if one does not exist, create a temporary policy for yourself.
We recommend ending the exchange immediately if a caller is continuing to threaten you, shout at you, curse, harass, or otherwise intimidate you – after you’ve given the caller one or two verbal warnings.
Don’t hang up the moment a caller raises his or her voice, calls you a name, drops the F-bomb or insults the company. Let the caller know you’re bound to act according to company policy and that you will be forced to hang up if they continue their behavior.
