Managing Difficult and Demanding Customers

Duration

1 day

  

What is this course about?

Providing customer service can be challenging. Customers often have heightened and unreasonable expectations of service. Both customers and service providers are experiencing higher levels of pressure from work and life in general so we have a potentially explosive mixture. This course helps staff to manage difficult situations with confidence.

 

Who would benefit?

Anyone who has to deal with challenging situations at work - with either internal or external customers.

 

Course objectives

At the end of the workshop, those who have attended will be able to:

• Identify what causes customers to be demanding or difficult - and the consequences

• See the benefits of transforming situations

• Minimise taking things personally and becoming emotionally involved

• Recognise and manage their own responses, engaging the appropriate parts of the brain

• Develop strategies for handling different types of situation

• Say 'no' professionally without offending

• Give bad news, minimising bad reactions

• Take appropriate action when behaviour is unacceptable

 

Key topics covered

1. Sources of difficulties

• Who is the customer?

• What makes customers difficult or demanding?

• What makes dealing with them difficult for us?

• What is the extent of the problem?

• The customer is always ...what?

  
  

2. Dealing with behaviour

• The behaviour 'iceberg' - theirs and ours

• The thinking brain and the emotional brain

• Emotional hi-jacking and taking things personally

• Keeping ourselves in good condition

  
  

3. Handling problems competently

• What influences customers - three areas to target

• Telephone communication - its advantages and problems

• Reviewing best practice

• Active / reflective listening

• Assertive and positive communication

• Saying 'no' without offending

• Referring appropriately to agreements / warranties

• Dealing with challenges and forceful points

• Promises - how to make them

  
  

4. When the customer goes too far

• Dealing with put downs

• Dealing with extremes

• When to call in reinforcements

• What to do when behaviour is totally unacceptable and persistent(swearing, shouting, belittling language)

 

Other areas of interest

Delegates who have attended this training course have also been interested in the following other areas:

Handling Complaints Training                                         Excellence in Customer Service

The Written Skills of Customer Service                           Customer Service on the phone

 

In-Company Training

This managing difficult customers training course can be delivered on an in-company basis for up to 12 delegates focusing on the types of challenging situations faced by your organisation. 

To discuss your requirements in more detail please call 0845 130 5714, email info@ga-training.com or use our short online contact form and one of the team will be delighted to take a more detailed brief from you.

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We are sure that we will have the right customer service training course to meet your requirements. If the exact solution does not already exist in our portfolio we will design something specifically for you.