Handling Difficult Customers On The Telephone (1 day)

One difficult or abusive telephone customer can unsettle you for the rest of your working day, increase your personal stress levels and affect the quality of your work and your own confidence. In many industries customers are becoming more demanding, more challenging and more likely to become angry over the telephone if their demands are not met.

Who should attend?

This high-participative course is designed for people currently dealing with ‘external’ or ‘internal’ customers over the telephone such as call centre employees, customer relationship managers and customer care representatives. It equips participants with alternative and effective strategies to deal with difficult customers, manage conflict and take care of their own personal well-being and stress levels.

Course Overview and Outcomes

At the end of the course you will be able to:

• Understand why people get annoyed, angry and aggressive
• Understand the impact of a telephone call over other methods of communication
• Be aware of what ‘pushes your own buttons’
• Be aware of how words, phrases, responses and timing can lead to callers escalating to aggression
• Know how to deal more effectively with abusive callers.
• Examine your own coping responses to stress
• Use skills to regain composure and control when dealing with an aggressive or upset caller
• Develop strategies for defusing difficult situations and turning them around
• Know how to communicate a point of view in a direct and effective manner
•  Create your own scheduled plan focused on implementing the telephone skills learned