Experienced a tough client over the phone @ gov call center who got upset when I provided them the information requested, stating that no one wanted to help them and everyone was throwing them around and telling them to contact someone else but not getting them the help they wanted so they blew up on me. They started blaming me when I referred them to the correct contact and then hung up. it has shaken me and I can’t imagine having multiple back to back upset, angry clients on the phone.

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That's not uncommon in modern life. All we can do is try to develop a thick skin and remind ourselves it's nothing personal. There are times when I don't blame people for being frustrated. What I used to do to calm people down was just assure them, in a friendly way, I was trying to assist them, or route them to someone who could. A lot of times they would calm down, they just needed to blow off steam at first.

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I take these moments to try and help change the perspective of the caller.

If you have the ability, I would have transferred the caller to the appropriate place and spoke with the person who picked up to explain the situation. Hopefully, the caller would've gotten what they need and they would've witnessed you taking the extra step.

At a time when gov workers are being vilified, actions like this can go a long way.

And it feels good to do it, too!

Word of mouth on how someone is treated goes a long way, for positive AND negative references.

Doing more than what the previous people they talked to did, can help the caller not have a bad taste in their mouth when they call the next time. Either you or your coworkers will have to deal with that.

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That has happened to me more times than I can count. Try not to take it personal. People get frustrated and take it out on the next person they talk to.

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Unfortunately we dont have a way to accept written messages so the only way is for them to call in or come into one of our in person offices. There is no chat support option

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It wasn't appropriate or in any way constructive for the person to chew you out. I know there are some de-escalating techniques and ways to manage your stress but we are only human.

You might want to prepare for a different job that doesn't involve dealing with upset people if you figure it isn't for you

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This type of job isnt for me but people have been telling me not to quit even tho it’s giving me headaches and stress. I could return to my old school gig which had no stress, only issue is figuring out healthcare with ACA premiums going up

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