Specific Problems - This Happened
The Customer Is Angry
Most angry customers calm down once they feel heard. Listen first, then decide: fix it, or pass it on.
Quick Answer - 30 Seconds
Customer yelling right now?
- Let them talk. Don't interrupt.
- Say: "I understand this is frustrating. I'm here to help."
- Ask: "Can you tell me what happened, so I get it right?"
- Then decide: can you fix it? Fix it. If not, pass it on:
- OnePath agent: Escalate to someone else → Complaint → Details → Escalate.
- Account team: Assign teammate → the person who decides.
Passing it on is normal. Refunds, prices and complaints are the business's to decide, not yours.
The customer is yelling: calm them down in 4 steps
1. Listen. Let them finish. Click Add note and jot down the facts while they talk.
2. Acknowledge.
"I hear you. That sounds really frustrating."
3. Apologize for the situation.
"I'm sorry this happened. Let me see what I can do."
4. Say what you'll do, then do it.
"Here's what I'm going to do right now…"
Avoid these:
| Don't say | Why |
|---|---|
| "Calm down" | It makes them angrier |
| "That's not my department" | It sounds like you don't care |
| "I'm sorry you feel that way" | It isn't a real apology |
Can you fix it?
Yes, usually, when they want to:
- Book, move or cancel a visit
- Know when the technician arrives, or what was booked
- Be called back at a better time
Fix it, then close with Resolve & close. See Finishing a Task.
No, when they want:
- A refund, a credit or a billing change
- A price or a discount you can't give
- A manager or the owner
- To complain about work already done
Then pass it on.
Pass it on
If you're a OnePath agent
- Tell the customer: "I'm passing this to the team at [business name]. They'll have everything we talked about."
- Click Escalate to someone else.
- Under What is it about, pick the type. Upset customer → Complaint, even if they also want a manager or a price; write every ask in Details. Only a price, refund or bill → Other. Can't book → Follow-up.
- In Details, write what happened and what the customer wants.
- Click Escalate.
Full steps: Passing a Task On.
If you're on the account's team
You are the business. If settling it is yours to decide, do it. If not:
- Click Add note, write what happened and what the customer wants, then Save note.
- If a call is still on, click Hang up.
- Click Assign teammate and pick the person who decides. Is that your manager, and they're not on the account? Assign it to the account owner.
- Tell the customer: "I'll have [name] call you back."
They open it from their Task assigned email. Hand back works too, where you see it: the task goes back to your team's To Do list.
Full steps: Assigning a Teammate.
After the call
- Add a note with what happened and what you promised.
- Take a breath before your next task. The anger was about the situation, not you.
Quick Tips
- ✅ Write notes while they talk - the next person won't have to ask again.
- ✅ Repeat their problem back to them - it shows you listened.
- ✅ Say what happens next - uncertainty makes people angrier.
- ❌ Don't argue - you won't win, and the call gets longer.
- ❌ Don't promise refunds or prices - the business decides those.