How I acknowledged what the client was experiencing and then queried the client to confirm the root cause of their difficulty and then clarified how I could assist the client. You might consider it a classic customer service technique: step #1: empathize with the client (without accepting fault since you do not know what their exact issue is) -- this usually breaks down barriers so you can get to step #2 work with the client (maybe this broke the ice enough, and you can now work with the client.-- if not, then you execute probing questions until you can get down to the root cause of the client's difficulty. step #3: solve the problem (if possible, you solve the client's problem. of course, if it's something you're not allowed to do, then you make sure the client is aware that you cannot work this issue for them, and explain to the client how to have the issue resolved. ... if there is a higher management tier, you can rope them in to deal with an issue if you are not authorized to perform a certain fix for a client.)