Overview

Support agents are typically considered to be the first point of interaction for a customer with a business. They are supposed to be the start of a great customer experience journey and are supposed to strengthen the relationships between the customer and the business.  

But the truth is, support agents are often the last point of interaction for customers in a chain of negative experiences.  They are the last stop, after which unhappy customers  give up on the business entirely. So when customers come to your support portal, more often than not, they tend to be angry, or disappointed. And it is your duty as a support agent to turn their negative experiences into a positive one. 

It can be challenging to handle such conversations. That’s why in this guide, we'll show you how to handle difficult conversations better, why tackling tough subjects is actually good for you and instrumental in building better relationships.

Handling Difficult Conversations 

As a support lead at Freshworks, Bharghavi KKA, has handled more than her fair share of difficult conversations - both with customers as well as internally with her teams. This topic was originally presented by her at the Support Driven conference in 2018. In this talk, she gives some tips on how to handle difficult conversations, steer discussions in the right direction and how to overcome challenges in the support field.  

In this presentation, you will hear our Support Lead, Bhargavi, speak about:

  • How to identify difficult conversations
  • Examining why people avoid difficult conversations
  • Knowing the cost of avoiding tough conversations
  • Learning how to handle difficult conversations