Managing Difficult Customers Professionally

Category:

Description

As service providers, we sometimes find ourselves handling “difficult customers.” Delivering “bad news,” saying “no” to customers, or even to people in positions of power can often tempt us to respond with a placating “yes.” Balancing a service-oriented approach with the need to communicate difficult messages is indeed challenging.

This one-day course equips service providers with leadership skills to manage challenging customer interactions effectively, focusing on strategies for clear communication and collaborative problem-solving. Participants will learn techniques to turn difficult situations into opportunities for joint problem-solving and mutual agreement, enhancing both service quality and customer satisfaction.

This course is HRD Corp (HRDC / HRDF) claimable. 

Additional information

Mode

Online, 1-day
In-House

✓

Course Details

Learning Outcomes

  • Determine the underlying factors that lead to demanding or challenging customer behaviour, along with its consequences
  • Acknowledge and effectively regulate personal reactions in customer interactions
  • Formulate approaches to address various categories of difficult customers
  • Cultivate assurance in handling customer interactions with appropriateness and professionalism
  • Enhance communication proficiency in empathetic listening, de-escalating conflicts, and assertive expression

 Suitable for:

  • Individuals engaged in direct customer interactions, whether in-person, online or via phone, seeking to enhance their proficiency in providing exceptional customer service

Course Outline

Module 1: Understanding Difficult Customers

  • Who are Difficult Customers?
  • What makes your Customers Difficult?
  • Differentiating between Upset Customers and Difficult Customers

Module 2: Effective Communication with Difficult Customers

  •  Understanding Different Communication Channels and Their Effect
    • Face-to-face vs Telephone Interaction
  • The Importance of Assertive Communication
  • Ways of relating to others: being passive, assertive, and aggressive
  • Goal of Assertive Communication

Module 3: Developing Assertive Communication Skills

  • Types of Assertion
  • Assertive Communication Skills
  • Effective Approaches to Managing Customer Dissatisfaction
  • Understanding Customer Issues and Emotions
  • Self-Management in Customer Interactions

Module 4: Practical Approaches to Handling Difficult Customers

  • Confidence and composure
  • Listening and Responding with Empathy
  • The Art of Saying No
  • Avoiding Words that Escalate Tension
  • Mastering Defusing Phrases 
  • Managing the Extremes: When and how to address what is unacceptable
  • Addressing extreme cases: recognising and responding to unacceptable behaviour

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