A customer calls to cancel an insurance policy. Another demands an immediate solution to a problem that requires approval from another department. In both situations, the person on the other end of the line is expected to remain calm, explain company policies, and find a way forward.
But what happens when the customer has a genuine reason to be angry, the company's processes make a solution difficult, or the representative disagrees with the decision they have to explain?
For Customer Service Week 2026, Adomokhai Eshiebor and Irene Maiki, customer service representatives at NorthStar Insurance Advisory (NSIA), share their experiences handling difficult conversations, managing customer expectations, and navigating workplace policies. Their responses offer two perspectives on a job that requires patience, product knowledge, and empathy, while raising questions about how companies support the people responsible for serving their customers.
1. What is the most difficult thing customers do that they probably don't realise makes your job harder?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
In my job, we call clients to make payments because we have their account details on file but would need their consent to draft them. When they make a payment, we get a save, which is how our metrics are measured. But some clients will tell you they will go online to make payments themselves, so call in later to pay. The chances of me picking their call later are slim, as I might be on a call myself and my colleague would pick and get the save.
Because of this, a four-minute call ends up being a 15- to 20-minute call of me trying to convince them to allow me to make a payment drafting arrangement.
Irene Maiki:
I think one of the most difficult things is when a customer is already angry or upset before I even have the opportunity to understand what happened. Sometimes, they come into the conversation with a lot of frustration, and before I can ask questions, they are already explaining how terrible the company is or saying that nobody knows what they are doing in the company. Most times, these customers find it hard to listen.
I completely understand why they react that way because, at the end of the day, customers are usually contacting you because something has gone wrong. But sometimes that anger can make it difficult to actually get to the root of the problem.
What I've learned is not to take it personally. I allow the customer to express themselves, I listen carefully, and then I try to bring the conversation back to, “Okay, I understand what has happened. Let's see what we can actually do about it.” Once customers realise I'm genuinely trying to help them, the conversation usually becomes much easier. But most customers do this without even knowing they're being difficult.
2. Have you ever had to apologise to a customer even when you knew the company was not actually at fault? What happened?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
Yes, I have. The monthly premium payments of the clients are processed two days before the draft date. For example, if someone is to pay on the fifth, the payment will begin processing on the third, and once that process has begun, nothing can be done until the client is drafted on the fifth. Now, all clients know this because it's in their file.
A customer called in saying she couldn't make a payment at the moment because she was going through a lot and would like to delay her payment by two weeks. But this woman called in a day before her draft date, when nothing could be done, and her money would most definitely be sent to us for her monthly premium.
I let the client know I wouldn't be able to do anything due to our protocol, which she was aware of. Then she got mad, threatened to cancel her policy, and I had to apologise and assist her in convincing her to continue as is.
Irene Maiki:
Yes, definitely. I think one of the biggest lessons in customer service is understanding that an apology doesn't necessarily mean you're admitting that the company was wrong.
There was a time a customer called in furious and was yelling about a lower coverage policy amount for her life insurance. This same customer had health issues, and these health issues are what determine the coverage amount a customer can get. This customer said she applied for $10,000 coverage but got $5,000. She was so furious she wanted to cancel the policy, and she even cursed at me.
I had to take her back to when she was signing up for the policy. I asked her if she was aware it worked with health status. She said yes. Then I asked again if she answered yes to having some illness while filling out her application. She still said yes. Then, gradually, she began realising why she had the lower coverage amount. She understood it was all because of the selections she made during her application, and she apologised for cursing at me earlier and said she'd keep her policy.
This is why product knowledge is also very important and can't be overemphasised as a customer service representative.
3. What is the one thing customers say or do that immediately tells you a conversation is going to be difficult?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
When a client calls in and says they want to cancel their policy. This happens a lot, and they can be saved. But when I politely ask a client why she wants to cancel her policy, they refuse to give me a reason and keeps saying I should just cancel it.
This is difficult because now I have to build rapport with the client to make them feel at ease well enough to open up to me. In some cases, it works. In others, I just get yelled at, insulted, or they hang up on me.
Irene Maiki:
When a customer calls in yelling, using curse words and won't even give me the chance to say a thing, or when they say they've heard the same thing again and again, I immediately know the conversation will be a bit difficult because, at that point, they don't want to listen.
And most of these types of customers hang up the line without even getting a solution to why they called in.
4. Have you ever dealt with a customer who was so angry that you genuinely understood why they were angry? What did you do?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
Yes, I have. I work with a life insurance company. Apparently, the client got a life insurance policy from an agent. The client told the agent he did not want his payment to start that month but the next. Having said that, he said the agent agreed. Only to find out he was drafted that month.
The client called in really angry. When he had explained all that happened, I apologised on the agent's behalf and let him know that because he had already made a payment, his life insurance was now active. God forbid, if anything happened to him and he passed away, his family would get the coverage of his policy, all because he had made a single payment. I also let him know about the benefits he had for starting life insurance with us.
Irene Maiki:
I've dealt with customers who were extremely angry, and initially, you might think, “Wow, this person is really difficult.” But once you listen to the full story, you realise that their frustration actually makes sense.
When that happens, I don't try to match their energy. If they're shouting, I don't shout back. If they're frustrated, I remain calm and allow them to explain what happened.
I acknowledge their feelings first and then focus on the solution. Sometimes, I'll say, “Honestly, I understand why you're upset. If I were in your position and had experienced the same thing, I'd probably be frustrated too. Let me see what I can do to help.”
That approach can completely change the conversation because the customer realises that you're not fighting against them. You're actually trying to help them.
5. What is one thing companies need to change about customer service that they rarely talk about publicly?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
Honestly, it's only customer service when it profits or protects the company. The moment a client wants to do something that will not benefit the company, it becomes challenging to them because, for some reason, the same people who assisted them to set up something in the company will now not want to get involved with them when the issue becomes too much. This makes clients feel even more angry, and they end up venting their spleen on an innocent employee.
Irene Maiki:
I think companies need to talk more about the people behind customer service.
A lot of companies say they want excellent customer service, but sometimes they don't give their customer service teams the resources, training, authority, or support they need to actually deliver it.
You can't constantly have employees dealing with angry customers, huge workloads, unrealistic targets, and complicated processes, and then expect them to sound cheerful and patient every single minute of the day.
Customer service representatives are human beings too.
I think when companies take better care of their customer service teams, it reflects directly on the customers. If your employees feel supported, trained, and empowered to solve problems, they're much more likely to give customers a positive experience.
6. Do companies really listen to customer complaints, or do most complaints simply get closed and forgotten?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
Companies do, when the complaints become too much. At work, when a client gets a policy with us, their monthly premium usually starts three weeks after they sign. Within those three weeks, they must have gotten a copy of the policy in the mail.
But in some cases, clients don't get them, and we end up drafting them, so they call in angry because we have started drafting them for a policy they have not yet seen.
The company heard and decided to make calls to these policyholders to ensure they have received their policy in the mail before drafting commences.
Irene Maiki:
I think it depends on the organisation.
Some companies genuinely listen because they understand that complaints can reveal problems within their systems. If 20 customers are complaining about the same thing, that's probably not 20 separate customer problems. It may actually be one company problem showing up 20 times.
Unfortunately, some companies focus more on closing the complaint than understanding why the complaint happened in the first place.
For me, a complaint should have two outcomes: first, solve the customer's immediate problem, and second, ask, “What can we learn from this so that another customer doesn't experience the same thing?”
That's where customer service becomes more than just answering calls or responding to messages. It becomes a source of information that can help the entire business improve.
7. What is the biggest misconception Nigerians have about customer service representatives?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
They think we are gods and that once they lay their complaints, with a snap of my finger, it will be resolved. Many don't know that a good number of complaints are assigned to other departments to follow up on or sometimes escalated due to the complex issue. But people feel I've called, and so it should be within 12 hours.
Irene Maiki:
I believe one misconception of Nigerians is that if we're not able to give the customer the answer they want, it means we don't care. Nigerians see customer service as a joke, which is not supposed to be that way.
Most Nigerians don't even give value to that department. Some don't even know what it is for.
8. How often are you expected to defend a company decision you personally disagree with?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
This is my honest opinion: always. Because as much as I don't agree with the company's decision, they are the ones paying me. The best I can do is to avoid such confrontation with a client.
A small example: a client called in saying she was drafted triple the payment and wanted to know why. I let her know it was because she was owing for three months, and she was angry about why the company would just draft her three times at once.
I had to build rapport and value in her policy, reminding her of the reason she got life insurance in the first place. I also had to make up excuses as to why that happened, saying she was on automatic drafting plus, which ensures her premium gets paid up so it doesn't get deleted after 90 days
Irene Maiki:
It happens, and I think it's one of the more challenging parts of customer service.
You may personally look at a situation and think, “If I were the customer, I wouldn't be happy about this either.” But when you're representing a company, you still have to communicate its policies professionally.
For me, there's a difference between defending a company decision and blindly defending something you don't believe in.
My job is to explain the decision clearly and respectfully, while still making the customer feel heard. If I genuinely believe a policy is creating unnecessary problems for customers, I can also give that feedback internally.
I don't think customer service should be about pretending that everything is perfect. It's about representing the company professionally while also being honest about the customer's experience.
9. What is the worst customer service experience you've ever witnessed from another company, and what should they have done differently?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
I had downtime with my account on an app I use for work as a side hustle. I messaged customer care concerning this, and all they kept on saying was, “We are looking into it, please exercise patience.” They said this for two months.
I had to pay for a new account and get a new plan. Then they messaged me after two months, saying they were ready to fix it.
A lot could have been done differently because the issue wasn't one that needed that much time to fix. I see customer service representatives like nurses. Most of the time, you've seen a similar case multiple times in your workspace, so much so that now, when an issue arises, it looks nothing out of the ordinary to you, but the customer is panicking. That needs to change.
Irene Maiki:
One of the worst things I've seen is when a customer has a problem and gets passed from one person to another without anyone actually taking ownership.
You call customer service, explain your problem, someone transfers you, you explain it again, then you're told to contact another department. Eventually, you're exhausted, and you're still no closer to a solution.
That's one of the quickest ways to make a customer lose trust in a company.
Even if the representative doesn't have the immediate solution, they should take ownership of the next step. They should explain what's happening, tell the customer what to expect, and, where possible, follow up.
Sometimes the problem itself isn't even what makes the customer angry. It's the feeling that nobody cares enough to take responsibility for helping them.
10. If you could change one rule or policy in your workplace to make customers happier, what would you change?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
One rule: keep it real with the customers. Don't fake numbers or make fake promises just to make them feel happy at the time or to go with your plan.
Respect them and make sure you're doing your best. You are paid to do so in most cases. So, if you can't do it well because you don't want to, then quit. There are a lot of people in this country looking for your job and will never take it for granted.
Irene Maiki:
I would give frontline customer service representatives more reasonable authority to resolve simple issues without having to go through several levels of approval.
Sometimes, you have a customer with a very small issue, and the representative knows exactly how to solve it, but because of company procedures, they have to send an email, wait for approval, escalate it, and then wait again.
By the time the issue is resolved, something that could have taken five minutes has taken several hours or even days.
11. What's one customer service experience you will never forget, either because the customer completely surprised you or because it changed the way you see this job?
Adomokhai Eshiebor:
I was on the phone with a customer for almost two hours. She called in to cancel her policy, and I took it as a normal day at work where I try to conserve by convincing her not to cancel.
But we spoke for so long concerning why she could no longer afford it and the things going on in her life. I was so touched that, for the first time in a long time, I wasn't just talking to her based on company scripts I had memorised. I was genuinely talking, caring, and trying to see what could be done.
In the end, I was able to assist her. I got a save at work, and I believe I saved her that day as well.
Customers are humans as well. Like I said, just because you have heard or seen similar situations before doesn't mean you should treat everyone the same.
Irene Maiki:
One experience that really stayed with me was dealing with a customer who initially seemed extremely difficult.
At first, I thought, “This is going to be a very long conversation.” The customer was frustrated, upset, and wasn't really interested in hearing explanations.
But instead of immediately trying to defend the company, I decided to listen properly. I allowed the customer to explain everything that had happened from their perspective.
And when I heard the full story, I understood why they were angry.
The interesting thing was that once the customer realised I was genuinely listening and trying to help, their attitude changed completely. By the end of the conversation, they were actually thanking me for taking the time to listen.
That experience taught me something important about customer service: sometimes people don't expect you to perform miracles. Sometimes they just want to know that someone has heard them and genuinely cares about resolving the problem.
It changed the way I approach difficult customers because now, instead of thinking, “This customer is difficult,” I try to think, “What has happened to this customer that has brought them to this point?”
That little change in perspective can make a huge difference.
Now over to you, reading… Whether you're a customer service representative, a business owner, or someone who deals with customers and clients frequently, you've probably had a difficult moment at work.
How did you handle it, and what did you learn from the experience? Share your thoughts in the comments. Galaxy TV would like to hear from you too.
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