Complaint Handling and Escalation Flashcards
7 cards from real Call Center practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Complaint Handling and Escalation flashcards as text
An angry customer uses profanity directed at the agent personally and refuses to stop after a polite warning. Per standard call center policy, the agent should:
Answer: Give a final calm warning that the call will end, then disconnect and document it
Most policies require a documented warning before ending an abusive call, protecting both agent and company.
What does the 'A' stand for in the LAST complaint-handling model (Listen, Apologize, Solve, Thank)?
Answer: Apologize
In the LAST model, agents Listen, Apologize, Solve, and Thank the customer.
A customer complains that a promised callback from a supervisor never happened. The best immediate action is to:
Answer: Own the failure, apologize, and arrange a specific new callback time while documenting the miss
Owning the broken commitment and setting a concrete new time restores credibility after a service failure.
Which of the following is an example of a functional (or hierarchical vs. functional) escalation rather than a hierarchical one?
Answer: Routing a billing dispute to the billing department's specialist team
Functional escalation routes an issue to a team with the right expertise, while hierarchical escalation moves it up the management chain.
Why should an agent avoid saying 'That's not my department' to a complaining customer?
Answer: It deflects ownership; the agent should instead connect the customer to the right resource
The phrase signals refusal of ownership; agents should take responsibility for guiding the customer to a resolution.
A customer is upset about a policy the company will not change. The most effective de-escalation approach is to:
Answer: Acknowledge the frustration, explain the reason for the policy, and offer any available alternatives
Empathy plus explanation plus alternatives keeps the customer engaged even when the answer is no.
What is the main risk of an agent escalating every difficult call instead of attempting resolution?
Answer: Supervisors become overloaded and customers face longer resolution times
Over-escalation burdens supervisors, delays resolutions, and prevents agents from developing resolution skills.