Handling a Difficult Customer Course

Duration: 1 day

Introduction

We like to call this course the Advanced Course in Communication, because dealing with difficult people requires an advanced skill set sometimes. Understanding the personalities of difficult people is an asset in any business but particularly in the customer service area of business.

Handling a Difficult Customer Course

Course Outline

Effective customer service is indispensable in modern business. In a previous workshop managers were taught the difference in advertising costs between gaining new customers versus the lower cost of retaining return customers. It also has a knock on effect, if customers are perpetually unhappy with the product or the service the employees will become negative and cost the company money in poor customer service or the company will experience a high turnover in staff, and there goes the budget again.

Added to this is modern technology where the customer might never come in to the store or offices because everything is available online and can be delivered at their door. Customer complaints in these companies tend to be sorted out by telephone or email, sloppy etiquette in either department will cost the company customers. In this workshop we invite participants to learn how to deal with a difficult or challenging customer and how to keep that customer coming back. We begin with the employee and their mental and physical well-being.

If a company looks after its employees, the employees will take better care of the customers. Branson’s Virgin companies are a good example of this relationship between employer and employee.

Key outcomes of the course include:

Component 1: Starting Out
• Housekeeping matters and administration
• Pre-Assignment Assessment
• program Objectives
• The Parking Area
• activity Plan

Component 2: The Right Attitude Starts with You
• Be Grateful
• Keep Your Body Healthy
• Concentrate On Positive Thoughts
• Invoke Inner Peace
• Training Example
• Component 2: Assessment Queries

Component 3: Internal Dealing With Stress
• Irritability
• Unhappiness with Your Job
• Feeling Underappreciated
• Not Well-Rested
• Training Example
• Component 3: Assessment Queries

Component 4: External Dealing With Stress
• Office Furniture Not Ergonomically Sound
• High Noise Volume in the Office
• Rift with Co-Workers
• Demanding Supervisor
• Training Example
• Component 4: Assessment Queries

Component 5: Transactional Analysis
• Exactly What is Transactional Analysis?
• Parent
• Adult
• Child
• Training Example
• Component 5: Assessment Queries

Component 6: Why are Some Customers Challenging?
• They Have Truly Had a Bad Experience as well as Want to Vent
• They Have Truly Had a Bad Experience as well as Want Someone to be Held Accountable
• They Have Truly Had a Bad Experience as well as Want Resolution
• They Are Generally Unhappy
• Training Example
• Component 6: Assessment Queries

Component 7: Working with the Customer Over the Phone
• Pay Attention to the Customer’s Complaint
• Build Rapport
• Do Not Respond with Negative Words or Emotion
• Offer a Verbal Solution to Customer
• Training Example
• Component 7: Assessment Queries

Component 8: Working with the Customer In Person
• Pay Attention to the Customer’s Complaint
• Build Rapport
• Responding with Positive Words as well as Body Language
• Besides Words, Exactly What to Look For?
• Training Example
• Component 8: Assessment Queries

Component 9: Sensitivity in Working with Customers
• With Different Cultural Values
• Who are Angry
• Who Cannot Be Satisfied
• Who Are Rude
• Training Example
• Component 9: Assessment Queries

Component 10: Scenarios of Working with a Challenging Customer
• Culturally Diverse Customer
• Angry Customer
• Rude Customer
• Impossible to Please Customer
• Training Example
• Component 10: Assessment Queries

Component 11: Following up With a Customer Once You Have Addressed their particular Complaint
• Send the Customer an Email
• Handwritten or Typed Letter
• Call the Customer
• Mail the Customer a Small Token
• Training Example
Concluding• Component 11: Assessment Queries

Component 12: Concluding

Who should attend this course?

This course is intended for anyone who works in client services or customer support.