Dealing with Difficult People and Situations Training Course
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.
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
- Recognize 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)
