Hot take: Should you let angry customers vent or cut them off? I found a middle ground that works

Ngl, I used to let customers scream at me for 10 minutes straight thinking it would calm them down. But after one guy in Phoenix went on for 25 minutes about a late delivery, I started trying to interrupt politely. Turns out, cutting them off after 2 minutes and saying "I hear you, here's what I can do" actually saved me 15 minutes per call. The problem is, some of them got more pissed when I didn't let them finish. Has anyone else tried this approach or do you just let them rant until they're done?

3 comments

3 Comments

rodriguez.diana2mo ago

Huh, I gotta disagree. Letting them vent for a couple minutes builds trust. Cutting them off early just makes them think you're trying to shut them up.

king.stella2mo ago

What about when their venting just spirals into blaming you, @rodriguez.diana?

alice_kim1mo ago

Tried the full vent approach once and it backfired on me big time. Letting someone spiral for ten minutes just gave them more time to dig their heels in and repeat themselves. A quick "I hear you, let's figure this out" cut things off before it turned into a full blame session.