Protip: What Is the Root Cause?

by Sanya Weathers

Whenever you’re faced with a very angry user, ask yourself one simple question before responding: What is the root cause of his anger?

It could be frustration. Deal with the frustration, and the anger will take care of itself. It could be he doesn’t feel heard. All he wants is a response. It could be that he’s been waiting for three days for customer service to address an account hacking issue, and he’s freaking out. Find out what’s taking so long for him.

And it could be he’s just a jerk acting up on a message board because nobody ever taught him how to act in public. Teach him how with a brief suspension. But a top quality moderator makes this the last resort, not the first.