Customer Service Skills Knowledge Base and Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Escalation Cycle, and How Does It Apply To Angry Customers?
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Getting caught in the escalation cycle with a customer is one of the worst things that can occur during interactions with customers, particularly if the customer is already difficult or angry.
The escalation cycle occurs when something a customer does or says "triggers" an emotional reaction from the employee. The employee, somewhat miffed, responds in a way that escalates the customer's anger and frustration, which, in turn results in their behavior becoming more aggressive. You may be familiar with the term "getting your buttons pushed", and that's exactly what happens. They push your buttons, you push theirs.
The result is that the customer interaction gets out of control. In a worst case scenario, the escalation cycle can result in physical violence or threats.
There are a number of ways to "not take things personally", or to break out of the escalation cycle. These practical techniques are described in Defusing Hostile Customers Workbook
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.