How to Get Good Customer Service when Talking to a Customer Service Representative

17 effective tips to help you resolve your complaints

Co-authored by Patrick Muñoz

Last Updated: October 20, 2024 Fact Checked

Dealing with customer service for a specific company or service can often be a very frustrating experience. While some companies are more customer-friendly and pride themselves on making their customers happy, other companies don’t care as much and often take their customers for granted. As a result of this, it’s a little tricky dealing with customer service and customer service representatives. Luckily, there are a number of things you can do to improve your chances of receiving quality customer service.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Preparing Yourself for Battle

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1
Know exactly what it is you want and be able to explain it fully. If you don’t know exactly what you need or want, and if you don’t have a clear statement of how they can help you and of what your position is, it is less likely that you’ll hang up feeling satisfied.
- If you have a technical issue with an electronic or online service, make sure you can clearly state what it is. Technical support usually needs as much information as possible to help provide you a solution.
- If you are disputing a charge, make sure you’ve gone over the bill and come up with a rationalization for why you think the bill is wrong.
- In any event, make sure to have it clear in your mind what resolution will make you happy, and what resolution is reasonable.
2
Reserve a sizable chunk of time to deal with your issue. Chances are, dealing with customer service will probably take a substantial amount of time. So you need to think about this before you call or visit them. There are a number of things you should consider:
- Waiting 10-20 minutes to talk to an agent.
- Speaking with the agent for 10 minutes.
- Being transferred to another department and re-explaining your issue.
- Escalating your issue to a supervisor, waiting for the supervisor, and then explaining your issue to the supervisor.
- Keep in mind the time of day you are visiting or calling, as some times are busier than others.
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3
Make sure to make your call in an environment free from distractions, if you choose to call. Once you get through, you want to be able to give the call your complete attention. In addition, you won’t be able to communicate properly if you’re distracted or if there is noise preventing you and the representative from talking.^{[1]
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- Be prepared to give the call your full attention.
- Don't call while you are driving.
- Don't call from a distracting environment.
- Try to avoid making the call while your walking around a busy road.
4
Prepare yourself to navigate through many voice prompts and be prepared to wait on hold, if calling. While this process is certainly frustrating, it will ensure you are placed into the correct queue for the service you require.
- Be prepared to enter or say your account number, ticket number, or the last four of your social security number.
- Talk clearly.
- Sometimes you’ll actually be able to get directly to a representative if you press “0.”
5
Have all of the information and supplies you’ll need to talk to the representative. This includes information related to your account, your transaction, or your reservation. This is to ensure that you are the owner of the account. This is often a required information. In addition, have:^{[2]
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- A sheet of paper.
- A functional pen/pencil and paper at hand so you can write down important information.
- Your wallet and credit card information in case they need to make an adjustment or credit your account.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Speaking to the Customer Service Representative

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The most coveted shifts are those with start times of between 7am-10am and are usually filled by tenured agents who have the most knowledge and can assist you in a timely manner. These agents will be able to give you the best service and hopefully resolve any issues you have.^{[3]
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2
Speak in a friendly tone of voice and have a positive attitude. Even if your issue is very frustrating, do not become abusive or belligerent. It is extremely frustrating to an agent to have somebody on the phone who is screaming, yelling, and swearing at them. It is less likely the agent will go out of their way to help you if you’re belligerent.^{[4]
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- Maintain a professional attitude and tone of voice that is conducive to business no matter how frustrated you are.
- Say “please” and “thank you” when appropriate.
- Avoid getting snappy if you don’t like what they’re saying.
3
Make statements that demonstrate your dissatisfaction. While being polite, you need to be assertive and confident. You should articulate your dissatisfaction in a forceful way and communicate that you want the best service possible. Consider statements such as:
- "I believe that my business is being taken for granted."
- "As a loyal customer, I deserve the best customer service."
- "I'm sure that you [the customer service representative] will go above and beyond in order to make me a satisfied customer."
4
Explain your problem to the agent. This is perhaps the most important part of the phone call. If you don’t properly explain your issue, it can’t be resolved. In a very clear and concise way, explain the problem or your issue to the agent.
- Talk slowly and clearly.
- Don’t make assumptions about what they know or don’t know.
- Include specific examples about your issue.
- Ask them to restate your issue after you’re done explaining it.
5
Understand the limits of the customer service representative. Customer service representatives are just that, representatives. They represent the company and are there to engage with you and to work within the policies set forth in order to, hopefully, achieve a fair result for both parties.
- Customer service representatives cannot typically overturn company policy or make “exceptions.”
- Most representatives have rules that they need to adhere to.
- Agents have metrics that they need to adhere to, which means they may have specific scripts they must read to you, or they may have a specific call time they must maintain.
- An agent cannot spend hours dealing with your problem. They must maintain an average handle time.
- They may be required to pitch certain new services/items to you.
6
Escalate your issue to a supervisor, if you feel you’re not getting the service you deserve. If the agent you are speaking with seems unwilling or unable to help, ask to speak to their supervisor. Often times, only the supervisors are made to make “exceptions” to company policies. But remember:
- Supervisors are not employed just to deal with customers all the time.
- You might have to restate your situation to the supervisor.
- The supervisor might fall back on the same policies that the initial representative did, and you might not be happy with this.
- Be polite. Supervisors are people, too.
- Set the tone of the conversation by telling the supervisor that you are confident that they will leave you completely satisfied.
- If you’re not happy with how that supervisor is treating you, thank them, and call back or revisit the office later. You might wind up getting someone else who can be more helpful.
7
Get details about the agent. This is important for both if you’re happy with the agent’s resolution or if you’re unhappy with how they treated you. If you’re satisfied, this is your insurance that the agent’s promise will actually be implemented. If you’re unsatisfied, you’ll be able to refer to the agent or supervisor when you further escalate your complaint. Try to get the following information:
- Ask politely for the agent’s name or employee ID: "May I please have your name and employee ID?"
- Similarly, politely ask for the call center location, if you choose to call.
- Make sure to get a case number or ticket number.
- Write down the date and time of day you called or visited.
Before hanging up, make sure to ask your agent to make a detailed note in your account about your dissatisfaction. The better you treat them, the more accurately and fully they might represent your position. This could help later agents or supervisors in their effort to provide you with satisfaction.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Taking Care of Business Afterward

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1
Escalate your complaint further. If you’re still unhappy or your issue is not resolved, write the corporate office. You can usually get the corporate office number and address by asking an agent or visiting the company's website. Oftentimes, companies that deal with many customer complaints, like cable and internet companies, will have specific departments reserved for resolving problems with customers who have already gone through normal customer service steps. Chances are, you’ll have more luck with this route.^{[5]
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- Write the president of the company.
- Write the president or director of customer service for the company.
- Email customer service or an executive with the company.
- Locate a special department that is dedicated to dealing with unresolved problems. Often times, the normal customer service department will not give you the contact information for this department. You’ll have to dig around the internet or call the corporate office for it.
If you’ve had a bad customer service experience, don’t be afraid to write a bad review or lodge a complaint with the appropriate organization or website. While this might have little impact, if a lot of customers do the same thing, the company or organization might take notice and improve their customer service approach. There is also a chance that the company might be watching these review sites, and might respond directly to you there.
Often times, major companies will have social media accounts or pages. Consider sharing your dissatisfaction with the company's customer service on their social media page. Make sure to do so in a polite way. You might just get a response that will give you satisfaction.
If the agent has provided excellent service, ask for an email address you can use to send a thank you email or ask to speak to their supervisor. Some employees may receive special recognition for this or possibly even bonuses. In addition, you can also complete voice or internet surveys the company might send you.^{[6]
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Tips

Follow up on your resolution. This is how you'll make sure that whatever the resolution was is actually implemented by the company or organization.

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Always ask for the resolution you believe you deserve; some agents are prohibited from initiating offers to transfer you to a supervisor, or write off an error, or give you a refund, but can do so if you request the action.

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If you are happy, make sure to thank the customer service representative and tell them you hope they have a good day.

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Warnings

Using a tone of voice or having an attitude that is abusive or belligerent will likely cause you to either be hung up on or the agent and their supervisor will be less willing to speak to you or help you with issues.

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