What's the ideal conflict resolution style for customer support reps?

Faith Ocampo Published on February 9, 2017

call center team with manager at work

How well can your call center agents handle conflicts with customers?

Conflicts are unavoidable during customer service interactions. Agents may encounter irate and frustrated customers, or they may run into unreasonable complaints and requests. In these cases, they must be able to communicate clearly with customers so they can reach a common understanding.
To do this, support reps must be adept in conflict management. Here are the five most common approaches that agents use when handling disagreements.
 

1.     Accommodating (a.k.a. giving in to all customers’ requests)

call center agent smiling coyly

Agents with this conflict resolution style tend to be pushovers. They’re passive communicators who always let customers have their way in fear of irritating them further.

Sure enough, when this approach is used, customers walk away satisfied and happy with the services they received. So at first glance, this may seem like the ideal conflict management technique for customer support.

However, constantly granting everything your customers want can come at a cost. In the process, agents may end up violating your policies or making unreasonable exceptions just to appease a customer, and this won’t be sustainable in the long run.

Ideally, you should only adopt this technique when:

•     your brand made a grave mistake and you want to make it up to your customers
•     customers’ requests are reasonable and won’t cause policy violations

 

2.     Avoiding (a.k.a. pretending everything is okay)

unsure call center agent looking confused

Perhaps because they have a natural tendency to dodge negative situations, some agents avoid conflicts by pretending that everything is going well. They may reassure customers that their issues are being handled properly even when no actions are being taken to address them. This gets customers’ hopes up needlessly, which means they’ll be even more disappointed later on.

Obviously, you don’t want your call center reps to handle conflicts this way, as it can harm the customer experience and even your brand’s reputation.

By equipping your agents with the right communication skills, you can discourage them from adopting this technique. During customer service training, make sure to orient them on the right ways to deal with difficult clients and address complex issues.

 

3.     Collaborating (a.k.a. striving for a win-win scenario)

smiling call center agent at work

This conflict resolution style is probably the ideal one, especially for customer support interactions. However, it’s also the most difficult to carry out.

Under this technique, agents and customers work together as a team to identify the best solutions to an issue. But before this can happen, brands should’ve been able to develop a strong bond with their customers. When people trust an organization, they’d be more willing to communicate with them in a professional and constructive manner.

The key, therefore, is to deliver consistently high-quality services to all your clients. This can help you form meaningful customer relationships in the long run.

 

4.     Competing (a.k.a. refusing to cooperate)

sarcastic call center agent looking away

When agents “compete” with customers, they assert their stand over an issue without considering the customer’s feelings. This approach results in a poor customer experience, as clients may feel the need to abandon brands that refuse to recognize their needs.

There are instances, however, when this conflict management style may be needed. For instance, some customers may have impossible requests while others may ask you to make exceptions for them. In these cases, agents have to stand their ground and firmly uphold the brand’s policies. Just make sure to include these topics during your customer service training sessions so agents will be able to recognize when this approach would be appropriate.

 

5.     Compromising (a.k.a. finding a middle ground)

serious call center agent using laptop

When agents and customers make compromises to reach an agreement, they obtain a bit of what they want and lose other things that may be less important. This approach can be used when agents have to find temporary or partial solutions to a problem. To make this possible, support reps and customers must openly communicate their conditions, wants, and expectations from the other.

 
 

Join us on facebook
Open Access BPO 6 days ago
Open Access BPO recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Davao site, marking 10 years of operational excellence and continued partnership with global brands.

From its early beginnings, our Davao site has grown into a strategic hub for English-language back office support, our team of experts delivering reliable and high-quality solutions for critical business functions.

This milestone reflects our commitment to building sustainable partnerships and supporting clients as they scale and adapt to evolving business needs.

——————————
𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘴 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸 #TeamOABPO Davao 𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘵 𝘉𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘬 𝘉𝘶𝘬𝘪𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘳𝘮 & 𝘒𝘪𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 70𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰-𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘣𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵.

#WeAreOABPO
#TeamOABPO
Open Access BPO 13 days ago
#TeamOABPO Davao marked #CustomerServiceWeek with a full week of engaging and fun activities. The celebrations brought everyone together through friendly competitions, shared meals, and moments that recognized the people who deliver excellent support to our clients every day.

It was a meaningful way to show appreciation for the teams who help us build lasting partnerships and deliver dependable customer experiences.

#OABPOCSWeek2025
#CSWeek2025 #MissionPossible
#CSWeek #WeAreOABPO
Open Access BPO 14 days ago
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗦 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱:
𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 #TeamOABPO, 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗲𝘀

We recently wrapped up another awesome #CSWeek filled with fun activities, laughter, and appreciation for our amazing #CustomerService teams!

From games and challenges to team bonding and well-deserved treats, the week was all about celebrating the people who make Open Access BPO shine every single day.

At the heart of everything we do is our people. Our success comes from their dedication, passion, and commitment to providing world-class service. That's why we're proud to be an employee-first company, where hard work is recognized, and everyone's contribution truly matters.

We had a blast celebrating our #CustomerServiceWeek champions, and we're already looking forward to making CS Week 2026 even bigger and better!

#OABPOCSWeek2025
#CSWeek2025 #MissionPossible
#WeAreOABPO
Open Access BPO 22 days ago
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗕𝗣𝗢 𝗞𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗢𝗳𝗳 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱

Open Access BPO launched its #CustomerServiceWeek 2025 celebration with an event honoring its #CustomerSupport teams.

This year's theme, Mission: Possible, celebrates how #TeamOABPO turns every #CustomerExperience challenge into success through skill, dedication, and teamwork.

A special highlight was a client video thanking employees for their commitment and excellence. Throughout the week, team members across all sites will enjoy themed games and activities leading up to a grand finale recognizing top performers.

#CSWeek remains one of Open Access BPO's most anticipated traditions, celebrating teamwork, recognition, and fun at work.

#CSWeek2025
#OABPOCSWeek2025
#WeAreOABPO #MissionPossible