I think this is a big one. When I am upset and calling Comcast (as an example that I think most people can relate to) it's always a frustrating customer experience. When I catch myself getting angry, I always try to tell the tech I'm talking to: "Listen, I'm sorry I'm snappy. It's obviously not you, it's your company's process that is making me angry" and try to make sure they understand that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but as a customer, I try really hard to make that difference clear.
> You've described their entire day. I'm sure they know it's not them
It's more about demonstrating that you (the customer) don't blame them (the agent of XYZ faceless corporation) that you know where the blame lies. They know they didn't create company policy, but they deal with a lot of people who don't appear to realize that. I find that showing empathy for the person on the other side of the dialogue while politely reiterating my frustration with the situation goes a long way toward them going the extra mile to try to help me out rather than trying to end the interaction as quickly as possible.
I began operating this way after my own observations working in a support position and it works a lot more often than not. Also, as an aside, remember to use the name of the company when stating an issue rather than saying "you." For example: "Comcast over billed me," and not "You over billed me."
I think this is a big one. When I am upset and calling Comcast (as an example that I think most people can relate to) it's always a frustrating customer experience. When I catch myself getting angry, I always try to tell the tech I'm talking to: "Listen, I'm sorry I'm snappy. It's obviously not you, it's your company's process that is making me angry" and try to make sure they understand that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, but as a customer, I try really hard to make that difference clear.