CHAPTER 8

Grounding anAngry Outburst

ANGER IS ONE OF OUR most powerful emotions. It is part of our survival instincts to defend ourselves and our loved ones against harm. But when a customer uses anger against you, it is one of the most uncomfortable experiences you will ever encounter in serving the public.

It is also a nearly universal experience in customer service. Each and every one of us has probably been an angry customer ourselves at some point, and if you serve customers long enough, some of them will be angry with you too. Yet it happens rarely enough that we are often completely unprepared for it, and this in turn leads us to respond counterproductively.

No one likes to be on the receiving end of an angry outburst. But anger can be ...

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