I didn’t know where else to post this. Perhaps a “professional development” or “continuing education” topic would have been better…
After getting screamed at over the phone by a user for 30 minutes a couple of years ago I decided to get some customer service training. We are a niche audience in the customer service game. There aren’t may resources for the IT industry. I found Don Crawley, author of the “Compassionate Geek.” I was lucky to attend one of his sessions where I learned all of the mistakes I’d made during the user’s tirade in my desperation to get off the phone.
I regularly listen to Don’s podcast. Today I discovered he is offering free training. If you are interested, the link is: https://www.doncrawley.com/free-book/
I feel more confident because of the training although I continue to listen to the podcast because I’m not sure I’ll ever trust my new found skills. (Later that year, I also learned some skills for staying calm in stressful situations from the most unlikely of sources – an episode of the Dog Whisperer. There is not much difference between a screaming user and a barking dog. Eventually they both tire themselves out if you wait patiently and calmly.)
As for my relationship with this user, she hasn’t changed but I’m working on changing my reaction to her. For the longest time her name on my caller ID would make me physically shake. Now I’m calmer but also prepared.
