You have an angry customer standing before you demanding your fix their problem – what do you do? After completing this one-day instructor-led course you will have a full suite of techniques that will assist you to calm the person down, quickly establish the nature of the problem and determine an appropriate course of action. You will specifically look at techniques that work over the phone, face to face and when corresponding in writing.
Upon course completion, participants will be able to:
• Describe why customers can appear difficult
• Describe how diversity and differences can be harnessed
• Effectively deal with difficult customers over the phone
• Effectively deal with difficult customers face to face
• Use their voice to calm difficult customers
• Respond appropriately in writing to customers
• Review work policies and practices to ensure continual improvement
• Manage your own stress levels
Why people present as difficult
• Expectations versus reality of the customer experience
• Causes of complaint
• Why people can seem difficult
• Differences, diversity and opportunity
Communication skills for handling difficult people over the phone
• Answering the call
• Voice techniques
• Active listening
• Effective questioning
• Re-affirming
• Determining your plan of action
• Escalating the call
• Closing the call
• Calling back
Communication skills for handling difficult people face to face
• Rapport building
• 3 perspectives
• Saying ‘No’
• Assertive behaviour
• Effective promising
Win-win negotiating
• 10 tips for negotiating
• Aligning conflicting or competing outcomes
• Effective behaviour for successful negotiating
Write back
• Appropriate letter correspondence
• Effective email correspondence
Turn conflict into compliment
• Review work policies and practices
• Making work place change
• Working as a team
• Managing stress
• Identifying signs of stress
• Keeping your cool
• Venting appropriately
Planning into Action
• Putting planning into action
