Overview:

Clients and customers who are the hardest to please can also be the most satisfying. However, we need the right techniques and coping strategies to avoid problems, and solve crises. With the right skills, techniques, and understanding we can deal with the more demanding and difficult customer behaviours in positive, professional, and constructive ways whilst maintaining dignity and self esteem.

One-day course outline:

• Welcome and introductions.
• Course objectives, group objectives.
• In what ways are customers’ behaviours difficult or challenging? – Angry, rude, non stop talkers?
• What demanding customers really want.
• Why people complain.
• As a customer, how do you like to be treated?
• Customer needs and expectations (normal service v. problems / faults).
• Qualities of the telephone.
• Communication mix – telephone compared with face-to-face.
• Words; voice; body language and facial expression.
• Communication techniques for tricky situations.
• Effective questioning.
• Listening skills for accuracy (quiz).
• Four levels of listening; benefits of active listening.
• Anger management curve.
• Assertive responses to difficult situations.
• Gracious ways to say “no”.
• Staying calm under pressure.
• Taking things professionally rather than personally.
• Summary, review and questions.
• Personal action plan.

Benefits of the training:

• The ability to see beyond the difficulty.
• Understanding why people may be demanding.
• Techniques and key words to soothe and calm difficult customers.
• Improved communication skills.
• Staying serene when confronted with outbursts of anger.