Customer Service Skills Knowledge Base and Frequently Asked Questions
What are possible consequences if I lose my cool and lose self-control with an angry customer?
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When you "lose your cool" when dealing with an angry or rude customer (we call it getting triggered), you respond either defensively or aggressively, and both types of responses will almost certainly result in your spending more time with the rude or hostile customer. Is that what you want? Do you like being abused by a customer to the extent that you'd like it to continue? Then being triggered, or losing your cool is likely to increase the time you spend with that person.
Of course, when you get triggered, it's not good for you company either, since you are less likely to keep a customer (rude or not) when you direct anger at the person.
Perhaps most important is that if you lose your self control you also lose control over the situation, and in the worst case scenario, the situation can escalate into verbal threats, or even personal violence. Physical violence from customers occurs when things get out of control, and the best way to protect yourself is not to lose control of your self.
It may not be fair that you have to endure abuse from customers, and not fight back, but it's in your best interests not to direct anger back to the rude or aggressive customer.
Robert Bacal is the author of two books on customer service: Perfect Phrases for Customer Service: Hundreds of Tools, Techniques, and Scripts for Handling Any Situation, and Defusing Hostile Customers Workbook. Most of the questions and answers in the Customer Service Knowledgebase (which you are reading now) is based on the material in these books.