Customer Service Training: Handling Difficult and Demanding Customers

This is a 2-day customer service training skill improvement program that focuses on handling difficult and demanding customers. It includes understanding customer needs and expectations, handling customers on the phone and complaints, psychology of customer complaints, solving customer’s problems and more. All employees that deal with customers are encouraged to attend this training.

To request in-house training, click on the Request for In-house Training link as displayed above for quotation. For complete course content and more information about this customer service training course, feel free to contact the training provider as shown above. If the public program is available, you can request a registration online by clicking on the Register for Public Training link. If the link is disabled, it simply means it has yet to be available to the public. You can contact the customer service training provider for further inquiries.

After attending this one-day customer service training program, participants will be able to learn:

• Improve their customer service skills
• Use some of the techniques to achieve excellence in customer service
• Work on improving their relationships with other employees
• Understand their customer needs and expectations
• Understand effective ways to handle customers’ complaints
• Improve their problem-solving skills
• Understand the important roles they play in their respective organizations

1. CUSTOMER SERVICE PHILOSOPHY

• Defining customer service
• The two most important criteria in customer service
• The elements of good customer service
• Three great ways to satisfy customers
• Who does it involve
• The great poem of customer service

2. CUSTOMER SERVICE AS A CULTURE

• Defining culture in the service industry
• The vision of your organization
• Threshold values & Differentiator culture

3. ELEMENTS OF QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Defining quality in customer service
• 2 vital attributes of quality customer service
• 5 attributes to great service

4. MANAGING YOURSELF AND SHAPING YOUR ATTITUDE

• What is attitude
• What shapes your attitude in service delivery
• 5 important things about human attitude
• 4 golden rules to keep our attitude in check

5. THE INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CUSTOMER

• Where do your customers come from
• Determining the internal & external customer
• The process that relates the internal & external customers

6. UNDERSTANDING CUSTOMER NEEDS & EXPECTATIONS

• Who are your customers
• The customer – supplier chain in your organization
• How do you rate your current customer – supplier relationship

7. ASSESSING THE CUSTOMER’S BEHAVIOR TRIGGERS

• What actually make customers behave the way they do
• 12 important needs that motivate customers
• 3 golden techniques to gauge these customer needs

8. HANDLING CUSTOMERS ON THE PHONE

• Positive versus negative elements
• Building goodwill and trust
• The 4 step formula of telling the simple truth

9. THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COMPLAINTS AND ANGER

• What research has proven on complaining customers
• The complaining and whining caller
• 5 types of typical complaints calls

10. HANDLING OF COMPLAINTS

• 6 steps to control a complaining caller
• Dealing with difficult situations
• 8 rules to avoid customer service errors
• How to stop the abusive caller

11. CALMING YOURSELF AND THE CUSTOMER

• 5 steps to calm yourself and the customer
• 5 forbidden points when attending to a complaint

12. PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS

• Simple problems solving techniques
• Stimulating the mind to be creative in solving problems on the spot.

13. SELF ASSESSMENT ON CUSTOMER SERVICE

• How well do you know your organization
• How well do you know your role as a customer service provider

Why Customer Service Training is Essential for Handling Difficult Customers

Customer service training sharpens employees’ skills to handle tough customer situations. It helps them stay calm and act professionally during tense moments. Training teaches staff to understand customers’ feelings, calm down conflicts, and solve problems quickly. Well-trained teams can predict customer needs, handle complaints fast, and keep a positive company image. This raises customer happiness and keeps them coming back. Regular training keeps employees updated with new ways to talk to customers. A skilled team lowers stress for everyone, making work smoother and reducing big problems.

Top Customer Service Training Tips for Managing Challenging Situations

• Listen actively: Pay close attention to the customer’s words and understand their concerns. Let them finish speaking without interrupting. If something is unclear, ask questions and repeat what they said to show you understand.
• Stay calm: Steady your emotions, even if the customer is upset. Overreacting can make the situation worse. Take a deep breath, speak softly, and remember their frustration is with the problem, not you.
• Empathize: Show that you truly understand how the customer feels. Use phrases like “I see why you’re upset” or “That sounds really frustrating.” This makes the customer feel respected and more likely to cooperate.
• Use positive language: Speak in a way that calms and reassures the customer. Instead of saying, “I can’t do that,” say, “Let me find the best way to help you.” Using positive words makes customers feel supported and understood.
• Stay solution-focused: Lead the conversation toward fixing the problem. Avoid talking too much about what went wrong. Keep moving the discussion toward how to solve the issue quickly.
• Set boundaries: Know when you need to ask for help if the problem is bigger than you can handle. Tell the customer you will involve the right person or team to solve their issue. This keeps things professional and gets the customer the right help.
• Practice patience: Let the customer talk without hurrying them. Give them time to explain everything. After they’re done, calmly offer your solution and explain how you’ll help.
• Follow up: Check in with the customer after you solve the issue. Following up shows you care about their experience and want to ensure they’re satisfied. It also prevents future problems from happening again.