What are the best ways to support a customer experiencing anxiety?

1 Listen actively

One of the most important ways to support a customer experiencing anxiety is to listen actively to their concerns. Active listening means paying attention to what they are saying, showing interest and empathy, and asking open-ended questions to clarify and confirm your understanding. Active listening can help you build rapport, identify the root cause of the issue, and reassure the customer that you care and want to help.

2 Validate their feelings

Another way to support a customer experiencing anxiety is to validate their feelings. Validation means acknowledging and accepting how the customer feels, without judging, minimizing, or dismissing their emotions. Validation can help the customer feel heard, understood, and respected. You can validate their feelings by using phrases such as "I can see how this situation is stressful for you" or "I appreciate how frustrated you must be feeling right now".

3 Provide clear and consistent information

A third way to support a customer experiencing anxiety is to provide clear and consistent information. Anxiety can make it hard for customers to process and remember information, especially if it is complex, ambiguous, or contradictory. Providing clear and consistent information can help the customer feel more confident, informed, and in control. You can provide clear and consistent information by using simple and direct language, repeating key points, summarizing the main steps, and confirming the customer's understanding.

4 Offer choices and alternatives

A fourth way to support a customer experiencing anxiety is to offer choices and alternatives. Anxiety can make customers feel trapped, helpless, or hopeless. Offering choices and alternatives can help the customer feel more empowered, optimistic, and satisfied. You can offer choices and alternatives by presenting different options, explaining the pros and cons, and letting the customer decide what works best for them.

5 Follow up and follow through

A fifth way to support a customer experiencing anxiety is to follow up and follow through. Anxiety can make customers worry about the outcome, the status, or the quality of the service. Following up and following through can help the customer feel more reassured, valued, and loyal. You can follow up and follow through by keeping the customer updated, delivering on your promises, checking on their satisfaction, and thanking them for their feedback.

6 Seek support for yourself

A sixth way to support a customer experiencing anxiety is to seek support for yourself. Dealing with anxious customers can be stressful, draining, or challenging for you as a customer service representative. Seeking support for yourself can help you cope, learn, and grow. You can seek support for yourself by debriefing with your colleagues or manager, taking breaks, practicing self-care, and accessing professional resources if needed.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?