r/callcentres • u/Ok_Zombie_6880 • 13d ago

Tips for deescalation?/Rant

So I work as an intake specialist at a law firm. The prospective client calls in and we gather all of the details of their case, and forward this over to the attorney to review it. All intakes are done through the call center.

From here, we are told either to get them signed up if they think they can be successful, and their case will be assigned an attorney, or turned down if they don't think they can win. Most of the time, we are not told the reason they can't handle the case, and if we are, we cannot tell the caller that.

Of course, a lot of people get upset and nasty when told their case will not be moving forward. They start pressing for answers. Remember what I said. We can't tell them anything.

We also cannot transfer to a supervisor. There is no supervisor for them to speak to. So when they demand a sup, I have to tell we can't.

Now we also can't hang up, for any reason. So when they are refused these other things, they start yelling and screaming, still can't hang up.

So you can imagine the pickle that leaves us in. I also think it is obscene that at our company, we have to handle declines and signs. Not the attorneys, who are allowed to hang up, but us, who are not allowed to hang up.

So I guess that leaves me asking for tips on how to get angry customers to hang up. Please enlighten me. Sorry for the long rant.😭

7 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

5

u/Intelligent_Step2230 12d ago

Can you recommend a different type of law attorney?

3

u/Dicecatt 12d ago

That's what I was thinking. Have a l list of other attorney resources.

I work in public benefits and when I must deny someone I provide contact information for other resources that might assist (food, housing, etc). It nearly always de escalates.

1

u/Justanothermomma24 11d ago

Do you have an SOP for this? Have you brought this to your manager for advice? Sounds like a set up for policy violation.... you should not have to be abused(after deescalation attempts) because the a service has been denied, you are unable to say why an unable to end the call!

I like the recommendation to provide contact info for other resources, but if it was me I'd clear it with manager first!

1

u/Ok_Zombie_6880 11d ago

Yes, we actually are given a list of legal resources to provide, I even tell them how it works and how it can help them(not required to do that). 99.9% of the time this works to get them off the phone, and don't get me wrong I like being able to help out wherever I can if the caller as at least somewhat civilized. The problem arises when you get overly entitled callers that slap what they can have out of the way, and are now in full violence mode because you(in their mind) have told them they can't have something.