How do you run a customer complaint role-play?

Give the agent the situation, including the limits of what they can offer. Give the customer the private brief and ask them to stay in character. Run the call for ten minutes, then ask the agent how they think it went before you share your view.

How angry should the person playing the customer be?

Start at the level in the brief and no higher. Raise the heat only in a second round, once the agent has had one go. Anger that is too sharp too early teaches agents to freeze, not to listen.

What should you score in a complaint role-play?

Pick one or two skills and tell the agent which before they start. Good ones are whether the agent stayed inside the limits and whether the customer agreed to the next step.

Customer complaint role-play scenarios

Two customer complaint scenarios you can run in your next session. Each has a situation with clear limits, a private brief for the customer and a short scoring guide. Judge the answers by your own method.

The customer who was promised a fix
The refund you cannot give

A customer service agent listening to a caller and taking notes

What is a customer complaint role-play?

A customer complaint role-play is a practice service conversation. One person plays an upset customer with a hidden brief. The agent has to show they understand, say what they can do and keep the customer, without giving more than the limits allow.

Where it fits in a programme

Run these after you have taught your approach to upset customers and before agents take live calls. Anger is hard to rehearse alone, and the limits of the job are where agents tend to freeze.

What good looks like

Shows the customer they have been heard before offering a fix.
Says plainly what they can do, and what they cannot.
Ends with a next step the customer trusts and agrees to.

Scenario 1

The customer who was promised a fix

10 minutes
Starter

The situation

The learner works in support for a software subscription service. A customer was charged twice, two months in a row. Another agent told him the refund would arrive in five days. It has been twelve. The learner can send the refund today. It takes three to five working days to reach his account, and that cannot be made faster.

The learner’s goal

Marcus accepts the refund timeline and stays a customer.

Private brief for the customer

Marcus, who runs a small business.

You are angry and tired. You have chased this twice already, and you feel you have been brushed off.
Money is tight this week because you pay your staff on Friday. You are embarrassed by that, and you only say so if you are asked how the delay affects you. What hurts most is that you were told something untrue.
Calm down if the agent owns the broken promise, says exactly what happens next and when, and says what they will do if the money does not arrive. If they blame the system or the earlier colleague, say you will cancel and write a review.

The customer’s opening line

"I was told five days. It’s been twelve. Are you going to lie to me as well?"

What to look for

1 Owns the broken promise without blaming a colleague or the system.
2 Asks how the delay has affected him before explaining the fix.
3 Gives a clear date for the refund and a plan if it does not arrive.

Debrief questions

What did Marcus say that told you what he cared about most?
Where did you want to explain, and what happened when you did?

Make it harder

Have Marcus say he has already found another supplier. The learner has to own the mistake without bargaining to keep him.

Scenario 2

The refund you cannot give

10 minutes
Intermediate

The situation

The learner works for an online furniture shop. A customer’s dining table delivery has been missed twice, and she took two days off work to wait in. She wants a full refund and pay for the lost days. The learner can offer a fixed delivery slot and a £40 credit, or cancel the order with a full refund. The learner cannot pay for lost time.

The learner’s goal

Keep the order and agree a delivery Helen trusts, without promising anything outside the limits.

Private brief for the customer

Helen, a customer of an online furniture shop.

You are furious and worn out. This is your third call, and you have already lost two days’ pay.
What you want most is the table before Saturday, when your family is coming. You do not really want to cancel, but you will threaten to if you feel ignored.
Calm down if the agent names the two wasted days plainly, makes no excuses and offers a slot you can rely on. If they lead with policy or a stock line such as "I understand your frustration", ask for a manager.

The customer’s opening line

"This is the third time I’ve called. I’ve lost two days’ pay waiting in for you."

What to look for

1 Names the two lost days in plain words, with no excuse.
2 Asks what Helen needs and by when.
3 Offers only what is inside the limits, and says clearly what is not.

Debrief questions

What did Helen want that she did not say at first?
Which words did you use that she may have heard as a script?

Make it harder

Tell the learner that no delivery slot is free before Monday. The learner has to give bad news to a customer who needs the table by Saturday.

Common questions

How do you run a customer complaint role-play?: Give the agent the situation, including the limits of what they can offer. Give the customer the private brief and ask them to stay in character. Run the call for ten minutes, then ask the agent how they think it went before you share your view.
How angry should the person playing the customer be?: Start at the level in the brief and no higher. Raise the heat only in a second round, once the agent has had one go. Anger that is too sharp too early teaches agents to freeze, not to listen.
What should you score in a complaint role-play?: Pick one or two skills and tell the agent which before they start. Good ones are whether the agent stayed inside the limits and whether the customer agreed to the next step.

Build these scenarios on your method

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