Try These Simple Changes to Help Customers Who Stammer

For many people, making a phone call is an everyday task. While some may feel anxious about the topic of the call, the physical act of speaking is usually not a major concern. For people who stammer, however, speaking on the phone can be a significant challenge.

To put the spotlight on how agents can help, Kirsten Howells from STAMMA explores the experiences of callers who stammer, the barriers they commonly face, and the simple changes contact centres can make to ensure those callers get the support they need.

What Is Stammering?

Stammering is a neurologically based speech difference, meaning that people who stammer experience intermittent disruption to the flow of their speech. They generally know exactly what they want to say, but the disruption occurs in the moment of saying a particular sound or word.

This can lead to a sound or word being repeated or stretched out, or to moments of silence whilst the person works hard to get that sound or word out.

Some people stammer very openly, whilst others try to get around a moment of stammering in a range of ways, such as finding alternative words, taking a run-up at a word, or putting in extra ‘um’s and ‘er’s to try to lead into the stammered word.

Here’s a quick 2-minute video showing you some of the different ways that stammering can look and sound:

Unfortunately, people who stammer often face negative or unhelpful responses from others, leading some to try to hide their stammering by talking less.

Common Barriers for Callers Who Stammer

A report published by STAMMA in 2025 examined the experiences of hundreds of people who stammer during their most recent call to an organization. Alarmingly, 65% of those calls were mishandled in some way.

The findings revealed widespread gaps in both call design and staff or volunteer training when it comes to supporting people with speech disabilities.

These experiences are distressing, but they’re also unlikely to be unique to stammering. Millions of adults live with speech or communication difficulties, including dysarthria, aphasia, dyspraxia, ataxia, voice conditions, or speech changes linked to illness, injury, fatigue or ageing. Many of the same barriers apply across these groups.

Interestingly, in summer 2025, the Vulnerability Registration Service (VRS) introduced a vulnerability flag for “Speech, Language and Communication Differences”.

In just 6 months, 4% of self-registered consumers with the VRS have selected that flag, demonstrating that there is a real demand for the needs of these customers to be taken into account when planning service delivery.

How Can Your Agents Better Support Callers Who Stammer?

Small changes can make a big difference at key points during an interaction:

At the Start of the Call

Many people who stammer need extra time to get their speech going at the beginning of a call. In STAMMA’s survey, respondents frequently described being hung up on at this stage or having their stammer mistaken for silence or a bad line. Standard procedures for handling silence can unintentionally increase the challenge.

“Take the Time You Need. I’m Listening.”

If you encounter unexpected silence or a potential bad line, rather than filling the space with repeated “hellos” or questions like “Can you hear me?”, try saying:

“If You’d Like Me to Stay on the Line, Can You Tap on Your Phone Twice?”

After 30 seconds, if you’re still feeling unsure and want to try something else, say this: 

“I’m Not Sure You Can Hear Me, So I’m Going to Finish the Call Now…”

If you do not get a response and genuinely cannot hear anything, it’s reasonable to move towards ending the call – but how you do this matters, so try this:

Approaches like this are already working well in organizations such as the debt support agency Money Wellness, where callers who stammer report being given the space they need.

And they can also function as a ‘dropped kerb’, creating space for people with a range of neurodivergence or communication differences to move into the call.

ID Procedures and Specific Information

Many people who stammer find saying specific words on demand particularly difficult.

In STAMMA’s survey, 94% of respondents said they struggle with saying keywords such as their account number, their digit of their PIN code, date of birth, postcode – and especially their name.

Recognize That Stammering on Keywords Is Really Normal for People Who Stammer

It’s essential that both AI systems and human call handlers recognize that stammering on keywords like this is really normal for people who stammer.

They may even have spoken fluently up to that point and then find this moment particularly challenging.

Allow Time for the Caller to Move Through the ID Process

This does not mean they are unsure, nervous, or attempting to impersonate someone else – it simply means that they stammer.

So, agents need to allow time for the caller to move through the ID process. Avoid rushing or interrupting. Allow space for stammering.

If you want to improve your caller identity process, read our article: 7 Methods to Verify the Identity of Your Callers

Technology and Call Systems

Technology can create barriers, but it can also offer effective solutions.

Allow Callers to Flag That Speaking Isn’t Straightforward for Them

Automated menus can include an early option allowing callers to flag that speaking isn’t straightforward for them.

Callers who select option 2 receive the same service, but both caller and agent are primed to allow more time and space.

This simple adjustment has proven effective, and call handlers report feeling much more comfortable when greeted with what feels like silence at the beginning of the call but may actually be somebody trying to start talking.

Allow Callers to Speak Directly to a Human If the System Struggles to Understand Their Speech

For organizations using more complex interactive voice response (IVR) systems, this flag allows those callers to be transferred into a parallel route with shorter response times, or offers callers early escape routes or to bypass the IVR entirely and speak directly to a human if the system struggles to understand their speech.

Measure Crosstalk to Understand If Agents Are Guessing Callers’ Words

Companies already using conversation analytics can also measure crosstalk to understand to what extent their agents are guessing their callers’ words or talking over the top of them.

This helps to build a better picture of how far you’re really creating space for callers who stammer and if you need to do something about it.

People Who Stammer Make More Than 43 Million Calls Each Year

At least 1% of adults stammer, and around 8% of children stammer for at least a while, making it far more common than many people realize.

In the UK alone, people who stammer make more than 43 million calls each year to organizations. These figures clearly show that people who stammer want to use phone services and want to speak to real people when resolving issues or asking for help.

However, when calls go wrong, people who stammer often report frustration, shame, anger and a loss of confidence. Some abandon calls altogether, delay essential tasks, or rely on others to speak on their behalf.

Combined with organizations hanging up on callers who stammer, talking over them, and laughing at them during ID procedures, all of this serves to limit the potential for first contact resolution, reduce independence and privacy, and impact on customer loyalty.

However, when callers are given time and treated with dignity, the emotional impact can be transformative. One respondent described a positive call experience as “Triumphant”.

Ending phone call nightmares is possible. With thoughtful design, staff awareness and simple adjustments, contact centres can ensure that speaking differently does not mean being excluded from vital conversations.

For more information, you can download STAMMA’s full report, watch their 30-second film Don’t Hang Up, Hang On, or attend one of their free online workshops on talking with callers who stammer.

Written by: Kirsten Howells, Deputy CEO and Services Director from STAMMA, creating a better world for people who stammer

If you are looking for more information to help customers, read these articles next:

• Expert-Led Strategies for Supporting Vulnerable Customers
• Customer Service Skills: How to Improve Empathy, Active Listening and Knowledge
• How Worcester Bosch Keep Their NPS Above 80

Author: Kirsten Howells
Reviewed by: Jo Robinson