Emotional Cancellation
Artificial Intelligence is your saviour, steadfast and true.
Vanessa Piper, Principal Explorer
26 June, 2024
“I’ve sent you a link”, the conversation started. This is friend-coded for “you’ll have an opinion on this, because I sure do”, for the uninitiated.
Alarmingly titled “AI is coming for our anger”, the Financial Times article was just the latest to jump on the SoftBank announcement from over a month ago, which declared it is developing AI-powered “Emotion Cancelling” solution to protect personnel from “Customer Harassment”.
For anyone who missed this, it was a classic SoftBank statement that spawned a thousand opinion pieces, with all the usual terms. “Dystopian”, they wailed, and even “ORWELLIAN!!”. “AI is coming for our jobs, AND our right to emotional expression!”
If you’ve managed to sensibly block all AI references from your daily substack updates, the TL;DR is that SoftBank is developing what it has called an “EmotionCanceling Voice Conversion Engine”, which changes the pitch and tone of a caller's voice when activated, but not their words. Further to this, if the tool senses that a caller has been on the line for too long or shouted at personnel too much, it can warn them that it will automatically terminate the call, and is empowered to do so.
And the people are unhappy. That said, the people don’t particularly want to come right out and say “It’s our right to express our emotions like flailing toddlers to whomever is unfortunate enough to be paid to provide solutions to us”, subsequently the unhappiness is being couched as a gradual erosion of our RIGHTS, darn it.
We are being silenced. Quelled. Our rage is being subdued, despite our legitimate right to lash out at a fellow human being, because we experienced an emotion.
“Is this the beginning of the end?”, we lament, “The End” apparently being the point at which we have gone “Too Far”, and passed too much power to our AI Overlords.
“Wouldn’t it be better to put that money into improving services instead?!” is also plaintively thrown around, mostly by those who went straight from their Uni tech degree, to their first Analyst or associate Architect job, skipping the old “help” desk phase. They’re pretty easy to spot.
I’ll admit, I read the article with the deceptively calm smile of someone who has spent over a decade in Customer Services, from call centre to ambulance dispatch; someone whose eldest daughter is now working in Customer Service - a traditional starting place for many of our children. I can tell you right now, anyone who doesn’t think this software is needed, has never worked front-line.
Been waiting on your call
In the name of field work, I took the first 5 Call Centre roles advertised on one of New Zealand’s job searching platforms, just to see what the expectations were. It’s a bit facetious, because having worked in customer service and call centre environments, I know exactly what they will ask for, and what sort of people will likely survive in those environments.
But for the sake of feigned ignorance, let’s have a look.
Role 1 - Customer Service Representative
Someone who is resilient and has the ability to "bounce back".The ability to deal with all sorts of people and queries while keeping cool under pressure
Role 2 - Customer Care Specialist
With your naturally empathetic and resilient nature, you’ll be able to stay positive even when the pressure may be on.Role 3 - Customer Service - Service Facilitator
A positive, adaptable, and resilient attitude - must work well under pressure in a fast-paced, ever-evolving environment.Role 4 - Sales Order Management Officer
Empathy and resilience required.Role 5 - Customer Value Team Member
You are flexible, resilient, and remain focused through high pressure situations.
Translating this is something that can be done very easily by anyone who has served their time in Customer Service, Retail, or Hospitality:
“It is your job to deal with verbally aggressive people and hostile situations, and do it with a smile”. Now add a dash of “your KPIs depend on this, and if you wish to avoid being micromanaged to death by the Quality team or your people leader, you will learn to endure abuse on a daily basis while never retaliating, or ending the call early”.
Customer Service personnel tend to be highly emotionally intelligent, as a rule. This is not a skill anyone is born with (and some of us never really get there) however a few years of dealing with angry callers can train employees into recognising volatile situations; from the first intake of breath before the rant begins, to the vocal indicators of the customer who intends to escalate into a full rage regardless of how much their issue has been seen, heard, and competently resolved.
So the good side is that an exceptional Customer Service worker will become adept at human-wrangling, which is a skill that will serve them well regardless of whatever they choose to train in next.
And then, there are the downsides. We’ll discuss this more later on, but in brief; regular exposure to hostility can have severe psychological impacts on customer service personnel.
This includes increased stress hormones like cortisol, which can lead to chronic health issues such as hypertension and heart disease. Psychologically, there's a risk of developing anxiety, depression, and symptoms akin to PTSD. Repeated stress alters the brain's structure and function, potentially leading to long-term emotional and cognitive implications.
I don’t say these things lightly.
I know amazing people who worked in customer service 30 years ago who still get severe anxiety when their mobile phone rings. They have been conditioned to know that they can, without warning, be subject to verbal abuse and harassment, and their brain and body respond instinctively to “shield up”.
30 years later, folks. Something tells me that “resilience required” doesn’t cover the potential risks to your physical and mental health.
Send me dead flowers
Anger is rising, year by year. As of 2023, 23% of respondents to the Gallup Global Emotions Report reported feeling angry every day.
Over 60% of customer service personnel have experienced hostility and abuse in the past year.
Happiness often depends, particularly in Western cultures, on a feeling of optimism and positivity about the future, and in all fairness we haven’t had a lot to feel optimistic about in the last few years.
Some have suggested that the recent rise in customer service abuse can be linked to several factors intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Firstly, increased stress levels due to health fears, job insecurity, and isolation have heightened general irritability and frustration.
Then the shift to online interactions has reduced the humanising face-to-face contact that can temper aggression.
Also, let's not forget the combined risk of these two factors combining to create the dreaded Keyboard Warrior, or its Phone equivalent; where due to the perceived anonymity and lack of accountability in digital communications, angry people just feel safer to let their Pique Flag fly, without ever considering the person on the other end of the line.
I’m aware that there are some of our readers who have never run the gamut of Customer Services experiences from the perspective of the Folk On The Phone.
While I can’t exactly describe what a traditional day or experience would be like, let me start by explaining that the bulk of callers will be perfectly pleasant.
Others, not so much.
I ran twenty red lights in His honour
We do love our car analogies, so let’s think of the Customer experience as akin to .. driving.
Most (let’s say, 70% for the sake of creating statistics) people on the road are going from one place to another.
They might have a myriad of different reasons for it, could be a school pick up, could be work travel, supermarket trips or visiting friends. They know where they’re going, and what they need from other people on the roads is simple awareness, and some merge assistance.
These are the bulk of customers, they need help with a thing, they couldn’t find it on their own, or they wanted an expedited response that required a human. They get a human, they get the response they need, and they’re off again.
25% of people on the road will be driven by stronger reasons, and will need more from those sharing the road with them. Their driving has become an emotional experience, and their behaviour is more erratic due to this.
They may have just experienced a death in the family and be on their way there. Their wife may be in labour in the passenger seat. They might have just had to work while battling a migraine. They might just be processing some serious emotional stuff right now that we have no idea about. In any case, these are also 25% of the callers; they might be sad, angry, frustrated - and they’ve called to get solutions to their problem and can’t hold the emotion in anymore. For these people, we listen, we assist in a timely fashion, and they go away sounding like different people.
And then there are the remaining 5%, I’m going to call them Angry Chads - they drive black Rangers. And yes, I’m making it a gender thing, because Salty Karen’s get a really bad rap and Angry Chad’s just get away with it.
Whatever Angry Chad’s demons are, on the road or off, no longer matter. I don’t say this out of hostility, merely that your feelings stop being important once they supersede the legitimate safety of anyone else on the road.
Angry Chads on a call are much the same. They could have small problems, easily solved, but their method is to personally attack the person on the other side of the phone.
Abuse will fly, names will be called, and nothing gives them greater satisfaction than the feeling they’ve struck a serious blow. If you know people like this, they often gloat about “how they taught that girl on the phone a lesson” or “called up the Blah Company and gave that rep a piece of my mind!”, and even run through what they said, blind and deaf to the cringing of their captive audience.
You may look at the percentages and say “well, if a CS worker takes 50 calls in a day on a busy day, how many of those super angry calls can they be taking?”
Quite simply, too many.
Even by those odds, that’s 2 or more calls a day with callers who are hell bent on abusing them, regardless of what they do to help.
But what’s puzzlin’ you is the nature of my game
One of the questions that does come up time and again is, “Why sink money into the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, rather than the net at the top?” or “Can’t you just improve Services, so that customer solutions don’t have to continually bear the brunt of customer rage?”
Let's just Occam’s Razor that a little, and assume that if it were cheaper to improve services than to employ a person to deal with the issues, the services would be improved. There is, and will likely always be a fundamental challenge in customer service: balancing the improvement of services to reduce customer frustration with managing the inevitable conflicts that arise even under the best circumstances.
There are definitely some areas where improving services (such as streamlining processes, enhancing the quality of products and ensuring clear communication) can reduce the number of frustrated callers, this is because many customer complaints are often due to avoidable issues like system inefficiencies or miscommunications.
I’m pretty sure we’ve all had those experiences where we’ve been bounced back and forth between different CS teams before having that dawning awareness that they’re each on totally different systems that don’t talk to each other, and that each time you call, you’ll have to start your explanation from scratch.
Identifying key problems through data analysis and customer feedback, and then applying practical solutions, can prevent many issues from escalating to the point of a customer service call. For instance, regular updates about service changes, anticipating common inquiries with preemptive communication, and simplifying procedures can enhance overall customer satisfaction and reduce the volume of calls, but this is already something that most contact centres prioritise.
It doesn’t, however, sort out the problem of Angry Chad, who has no intention of reading the FAQs, blocked all communication from the company years ago, and just wants to yell at someone.
I went down to the demonstration to get my fair share of abuse
Let’s talk about abuse.
We’re going to start by calling it what it is; abuse and harassment to those who cannot fight back.
I will acknowledge that any public role will put the humans manning the interactions at the mercy of those who feel entitled to cause mental and emotional stress, those folk who will approach interactions with a baseline of anger or frustration, regardless of the actual service quality.
Their behaviour could be due to external stresses, personality traits, or previous negative experiences that have nothing to do with the current context.
In these cases, the best services in the world won’t necessarily prevent hostile interactions.
So what is the price, for those who have to pay it?
The telephone is ringing
When a customer service worker receives an abusive phone call, several physiological and psychological processes occur. Let’s go through a typical physiological response.
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Adrenaline and Cortisol Release:
The body's immediate response to a perceived threat (in this case, aggressive tone or words) involves the release of adrenaline and cortisol, the primary stress hormones. Adrenaline increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure, and boosts energy supplies, preparing the body for a 'fight-or-flight' response.Increased Alertness:
Neurotransmitters like norepinephrine heighten alertness, focus, and awareness, enabling the worker to manage the call despite the stress. -
Continued Cortisol Production:
Prolonged exposure to stress (like a lengthy abusive call) keeps cortisol levels elevated, maintaining the body in a state of high alert. This hormonal imbalance can affect mood and emotions, often leading to anxiety and irritability.Emotional and Physical Strain: The ongoing stress can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, muscle tension, or stomach discomfort, as well as emotional responses such as feelings of frustration, anger, or helplessness.
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Recovery Phase:
After the call ends, the body begins to regulate and return to normal, but this can take time, especially if cortisol and adrenaline levels are significantly elevated. The recovery phase can involve feelings of fatigue, relief mixed with ongoing stress, or even symptoms of hyperarousal (like difficulty calming down).Anticipatory Anxiety:
If the experience was particularly traumatic, the worker might develop anticipatory anxiety or dread about future calls, worrying they might encounter similar abuse. This can trigger further stress responses even before the next call occurs. -
Chronic Stress:
Repeated exposure to such high-stress situations without adequate recovery can lead to chronic stress, characterised by sustained high levels of cortisol. This can impact overall health, leading to issues like chronic anxiety, depression, weakened immune response, and increased risk of heart disease.Psychological Impact:
On a psychological level, continuous exposure to abuse can lead to emotional exhaustion and burnout, significantly affecting job performance and satisfaction, not to mention self-esteem and confidence. It might also contribute to the development of PTSD-like symptoms in severe cases.
If I don’t get some shelter
So what protection do the Customer Service personnel actually have?
Here it really does become quite telling.
For example, a CS representative takes an abusive call, and regardless of how they might feel, still needs to get their head back in the game, ready to compassionately and competently help the next caller.
However, if their team lead approached them at any time with even a fraction of the harassment they get from customers, “Get back on the lines, you’re useless, what the hell are you doing, you pathetic <add abuse here>”, that employee would be well within their rights to go straight to the HR team and report that team leader for inappropriate behaviour, harassment and abuse.
Their rights as a worker would protect them.
But as a worker, taking a call from a stranger, they are unprotected by their workplace, and by the law. While they are paid to provide solutions to customers, one could argue that they are also being paid to bear the brunt of the verbal harassment of customers.
But I need someone I can cry to
I do believe we have covered the “why” of Emotion Cancelling AI software, given that if you still somehow believe that you have the right to abuse people who can’t fight back, I won’t be catering to your opinion as it doesn’t deserve catering to.
So here we are, safely at the “Abuse bad” and “Customer service personnel protection good” stage, with a small amount of debate remaining as to whether “cancelling the emotions” of irate callers is the answer or not.
I’m going to address one small elephant in the room, seeing as it’s just standing there, looking all awkward. Let’s quickly recap what the “EmotionCanceling Voice Conversion Engine” actually does, or will do when released in 2025/26.
CS staff have access to an AI ‘switch’ that can be used after a caller is identified to be belligerent.
This softens the voices of angry callers. CS staff will still be aware that the caller is upset and no words will be lost; but the tone is made less threatening.
To avoid long calls where customers refuse to hang up, if the EmotionCanceling tool senses that a call has gone on too long and the customer has ignored the solutions provided in order to continue being abusive to the CS personnel, it will warn the customer and then terminate the call.
So do we legitimately need an AI tool for this? Why do we not just empower CS staff to do this?
They are perfectly capable of telling a caller to moderate their tone. Any one of them can identify when a caller is abusive, and anyone barring the complete novices should know the difference between a caller driven to anger or tears by frustration vs an Angry Chad.
All CS personnel should be able to say “My dude. We have now spent 15 minutes going around in circles, I have given you the information required, or an indication as to when this can be sorted for you, however we are now dealing with endless hypotheticals and you still can’t use your indoor voice. I will be ending this call, and following up with an email. Have a great day!”.
(Obviously not quite like that, but there are also very valid reasons why I don’t work in Customer Service these days)
Surely we should be training and trusting personnel to manage and potentially end abusive interactions? If SoftBank wants to put its money where its mouth is, can it foster a more respectful dialogue and affirm the company's commitment to protecting its staff?
Turns out, they already do. SoftBank has strong policies against staff harassment, and already empowers staff to end calls if need be, going so far as to end contracts with customers who routinely breach protocol. For companies like SoftBank, AI EmotionCanceling actually is the net at the top of the cliff, moderating the trauma for its employees while it occurs, and working towards a culture of zero tolerance for bullying.
The CS employees end up with great training, a company culture that protects them, and AI assistance just a switch away to step in, prevent them from hearing anger and abuse, and end the call so they don’t have to.
My back is broad but it's a-hurting
I’ve had the good fortune to work alongside some of the very best Customer Service professionals over the years. The ones who care, genuinely. The ones who will bend over backwards to get a result for a customer. The ones whose kindness and humour is put forward so naturally that you’ll walk away feeling better at the end of that conversation without ever realising that they’d also competently sorted out your problem at the same time.
Those Ones.
I’d say one in ten CS personnel turn into Those Ones, and they move from Customer Service into other roles, blending their awe-inspiring soft skills into their next fields of expertise so seamlessly that you just assume they were born with it.
Alas, no.
That sort of thing is hard taught, and hard won; always through trial by fire.
My final thought was legitimately something this desperate: Will we lose the ability to grow remarkably empathetic competent CS personnel if they are not exposed to constant mental and emotional abuse?
And in the end, yes - I think we will lose some of that skill, particularly the “learned in trauma” aspect that no one should have to know. However with a little less exposure to the truly ugly side of humanity on a regular basis, maybe we won’t need that skill.
By putting barriers in place to reduce stress on our CS personnel, we are not only showing customers that harassment will not be tolerated, we are also showing those developing their soft skills that they are worthy of protection.
If we prioritised the mental health of Customer Services personnel over the rights of customers to speak how they want, we might actually go some way to not just preventing damage, but also starting to reverse a system of privilege that rewards some people for being abrasive, while punishing others for their compassion.
I’m not sure about you, but personally I’d be all for that.
Further Reading:
SoftBank’s new ‘emotion canceling’ AI turns customer screams into soft speech
