Call handlers may experience more verbal abuse than the typical office workers, because they spend more time on the telephone.  The Health and Safety Executive's definition of work-related violence, 'any incident in which a person is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances relating to their work', explicitly states it includes verbal abuse.  There are no clear criteria as to what constitutes an abusive call, as some call handlers may feel less threatened than others by callers shouting, swearing and making insulting and aggressive comments.  Individuals may also vary over time as to how they cope with these kinds of calls and how long it takes them to recover.  All these factors should be given careful consideration in a risk assessment.        

Training: Training call handlers so they are fully competent to take calls from the public is the first step in avoiding abusive calls.  This includes training existing staff in any new products, offers or campaigns.  Customers are less likely to become frustrated if their calls are taken efficiently and all their questions answered satisfactorily.  At induction, newly recruited call handlers should be made aware of some of the common reasons for verbal abuse, and they should be trained how to handle abusive callers.  This should include the procedures for passing those calls to more experienced colleagues or supervisors or for terminating the call.  The planning and organisation of training should be done in consultation with employees.  Call handlers should also be consulted about the information on the risk of verbal abuse and the procedure for dealing with it.  The training and information may include the following advice.

• Try not to panic or put the receiver down immediately.
• Try not to lose your temper or be tempted to react with a similar response.
• Try not to take the remarks personally and become upset.
• Be patient as the abuse may stop shortly.
• If the caller does not calm down, clearly advise them that unless they are able to continue the discussion in a civil manner, the call will be terminated.
• If the caller is not satisfied with the answers to their questions, offer to pass them to a colleague or a supervisor, or to take their number and return the call when further investigations have been made.
• If, despite a warning, behaviour does not improve, then you may terminate the call.
• Take a short break or speak to a colleague or supervisor about the call if this would help you to recover.
• All calls of this nature should be logged with your supervisor.
• Listening to the recording of the abusive call with a more experienced colleague or s pervisor may help you identify alternative ways of dealing with similar calls in the future.

Policy: Company policies on work-related violence should have a section dedicated to the verbal abuse experienced by call handlers.  It should state clearly when call handlers can terminate an abusive call or pass it to their supervisor and the procedure for doing so.  The roles and responsibilities of call handlers, supervisors and managers should be clearly defined.  There should be a clear and simple procedure for reporting all incidents of verbal abuse, no matter how minor, and call handlers should be actively encouraged to report incidents.  Call handlers must be assured that terminating a call will not be viewed by managers as a lack of ability nor will they be penalised for terminating such calls.  The introduction of a policy on verbal abuse should be done in consultation with call handlers or their representatives.

Guidance: 'Violence at work.  A guide for employers'  gives practical advice to help employers find out if violence is a potential risk for their employees.   

User Comments: Many comments were made about verbal abuse from callers. 

Good practice:

• Allow call handlers who have just taken an abusive call time to recover and discuss it with a colleague or their supervisor if they so choose.
• Customers who have been abusive could have this noted on their files by a warning flashing on screen when a call handler accesses their details. However, all personal information in customers' files is covered by the Data Protection Act 1998, and arrangements for using warning markers will need to be carefully defined in company policy.
• Provide awareness training and information on personal safety.  (HSE)