Whether in person or on a call, customer impatience and retaliatory behaviors create difficulties for frontline employees and affect positive customer experiences. A survey by Perceptyx found more than half of public-facing workers have recently encountered customers who were verbally abusive, threatening or otherwise unruly. The report shares how frontline personnel are perceived and data on the negative consequences of untoward interactions with customers:
- 81 percent report feeling burned out.
- 40 percent say their manager rarely or never checks in on their stress levels or emotional well-being.
Source: Human Resources Director, February 5, 2025. Link.
INSIGHTS: The recommendations in this article do not cover the likelihood of misguided staff planning, especially during peak traffic periods. Frontline employees who prioritize the next phone call ahead of someone waiting in line add further frustration. It is as frustrating as having to negotiate call menus only to be put on hold while being directed to some online tool which didn’t help in the first place.
As we increase our use of technology, managing customer interactions is paramount. People do business with people. Technology provides tools that must streamline those interactions, not create more hurdles to obtaining services.