Customer Service Skills: Difficult & Demanding Customer Situations

Course Overview

Successful businesses are built on the quality of product and service that they provide. They strive to achieve excellence, yet there will invariably be occasions when the customer is dissatisfied. Research shows that a negative situation handled well can lead to a more loyal customer. This course has been designed to equip delegates with the skills to handle difficult customer situations in order to develop longterm relationships.

Audience

For staff who are likely to encounter difficult customer situations, either in person or on the telephone.

Skills Gained

Delegates will learn to:

• Identify what makes a customer 'difficult'
• Handle complaints through the development of questioning and listening techniques
• Skills to communicate calmly and professionally
• Skills of assertiveness and how to apply the techniques.

Course Outline

• The consequences of dealing with difficult customers: what can we lose; what can we gain?
• Causes for complaints
• Handling the complaint to the customer's satisfaction
• What makes a customer difficult?
• Overcoming your immediate reaction when confronted with a difficult situation
• The techniques for dealing with emotional situations - using empathy and showing neutral support
• Different communication methods and their impact
• Telephone and face-to-face etiquette
• Active listening skills
• Questioning techniques and when to use them
• The techniques of assertiveness: an assertiveness model
• Use of core phrases; making requests; broken record technique and saying no
• Practice scenarios and case studies to consolidate the learning with constructive feedback.

Customer Service Skills: Difficult & Demanding Customer Situations / CS-CS-MD