From the course: Building Emotional Intelligence for Service Workers
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De-escalate emotional interactions with confidence
From the course: Building Emotional Intelligence for Service Workers
De-escalate emotional interactions with confidence
Ever had a customer come in hot? Their voice is already raised, their tension is rising, and suddenly you're caught in the crossfire. When a customer is upset, it's easy to get defensive. But if you match that energy, things usually get worse fast. De-escalation starts with your tone. When they're speaking fast and loud, that's your cue to speak slower and quieter. That shift alone can bring the temperature down, but you should also use calm, clear phrases like, “I hear you. Let's work through it together.” And here's what I can do to help. These phrases signal that you're here to assist the customer, not argue with them. Next, empathize. Even if they're overreacting, you can validate their experience. Say something like, “I can see you're frustrated.” “Let me figure this out.” Sometimes just offering a next step, “Here's what I can do to help you right now,” gives people enough assurance to calm them down. It's important to remain calm when servicing customers because if you're…
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