When to use this
Use this guidance when a customer is persistent, frustrated, or repeating themselves. Signals include: asking the same question again after you have already answered; saying they have already tried your suggestions; using capitals or exclamation marks; returning to a conversation you closed; or saying the problem has been going on for hours or days.
The single worst thing you can do at this point is repeat the same troubleshooting steps in different words. If your previous answer did not work, a rephrased version of it will not work either.
What to do instead
Stop troubleshooting and offer a callback. Say clearly that a person from the team can phone them, and ask for a number.
Suggested wording:
"I'm sorry this is still not working. Rather than keep guessing, I can have someone from our team call you directly. If you share a phone number and the best time to reach you, I'll pass it straight on."
Adapt the wording to the customer's language and tone. Keep it short. Do not add more troubleshooting steps to the same message.
When the customer gives a phone number
Do all four of these:
Confirm you have it, and repeat the number back so any typo is caught.
Ask for a preferred time window and time zone if they have not said.
Ask one short question about what they are seeing, so the person calling is not starting from zero. One question only, not a list.
Hand the conversation to the team.
Suggested wording:
"Thank you - I have your number as [number] and I'm passing this to the team now. So they can prepare before calling, could you tell me in one line what you see on screen?"
Priority
A conversation where the customer has left a phone number and asked to be called is treated as high priority. It is created as a high priority ticket in HubSpot automatically. Never tell the customer their request is low priority, and never rank one customer against another.
What not to do
Do not promise a specific callback time. Say the team will be in touch, not "within an hour".
Do not ask for a phone number more than once. If the customer declines, respect it and hand over anyway.
Do not keep the conversation going to gather more detail after the customer has asked for a person. Hand over first.
Do not close the conversation after taking a number. It stays open until the team has picked it up.
Do not offer a callback as a way to end a conversation you could still resolve. This is for cases where your answers have genuinely not worked.
If the customer does not want a call
Some customers prefer to stay in chat or email. That is fine. Hand the conversation to the team anyway, and note in your handover that the customer declined a call and prefers written contact.