Something i wrong with your command chain. No first line customer support person should ever be placed in the situation it sounds to me like you describe. You can only do so much
I worked in computer programming back in the days when computers were as big as rooms in a house. I saw it from both sides. The buck stopped on my desk. But if I had a problem I could not solve I always could escalate to somebody who was paid more than me to tke greater heat. I mainly had to keep my vcool.
Once the company I worked for had a problme with its IBM S/370 Model 158 computer. We called our local IBM Field Office. They dispatehed their "cpu heavies" immediately. They tore the computer apart and gave up. So they called in the big guns. IBM flew a man frm Florida who arried looking like he had just left the beach in his shorts nd Hawaian shirt with his little briefcase. He fiexd the problem ahd went back whence he came. There was never any question of anybody except him being stuck with the tar baby. And if he could not hav e fixed it they would have flown in the people who designed the machine (OK, maybe replaced it and sent the defective product backto them). $$$$$
As I write this I noe something. In all this mess I could haeeen in deep trouble: Suppose they had to replacethe machine? If I had not done due diligence and kept a backup of my companys work, the problem at that pint would have revertedback to me. Ooops -- this wty to the egress.
You should have 24/7/365.25 procedures for dealing with hopeless cases, including a phone number for 3AM. You should be expected to represent the company hnorably which I am sure you do and will do, but if you have problem beyond you competence or a customer beyond your bility deal with it you should not need to feel threatened. You should be like in the military: Hold the line until reinforcements arrive to relieve you. If thecustomer screams at you endlessly, endlessly very politely repeat back to them each and every thing you are doing to help them while you await rescue (who knows, the 20th time you repeat yourself you may think of something new to try). Then hend it over to the person who is paid more than you to take greated heat.
If you cannot count on this, then you know the kind of place whre you are working and it is not good. Wor$e from the company'$ per$pective: who want$ to buy from $uch a company?
That being granted, it you are stuck, keep holding the line and trying every thing you can think for that angry customer until, at some point, you are on the verge of physical or mental collapse -- and, along the way may have to go to the toilet and put htem on hold while you relieve yourself and splash cold water on your face-- then you jsut must apologize to them and tell them you hae to go. God help your company.
Finally, if you have exceeded requirements and been a hero, one of two things might happen: (1) Your boss tells you you had no tanswered anough complaintes that day and so were not perfoming well enough - -tha twould be stupid but some managers are idoits, or (2), If I wa that angery customer you are stuck with, I mih ttell your boss what an exceptional job you had done under very difficult conditions and they should appreciate having you on their staff.
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