Dealing with Difficult People
Transform customers with unrealistic expectations and requests into allies
Who is it for?
If your team have faced difficult customer situations in the past, or are likely to in the future either face-to-face or on the telephone – this course will give them the ability and confidence to deal with them. Don’t allow awkward customers to sap the energy from your people.
What does it cover?
This course gives front-line personnel the skills to react calmly and positively to difficult customers by giving them an understanding of the causes of difficult behaviours and techniques to diffuse them. Delegates will learn how to distance themselves from any personal remarks and respond professionally without entering into arguments. (The course covers verbal not physical aggression or violence.)
What will delegates be able to do differently?
- Better understand what causes customers to be demanding or difficult
- Not take remarks personally or emotionally
- Recognise the best way to manage responses and deal with things professionally
- Employ strategies for handling different types of difficult situations
- Stand their ground when unable to say “yes”
- Confidently deal with unacceptable behaviour
Programme overview
- The ‘stress volcano’ – factors that contribute to difficult behaviours
- Different communication channels and their effect
- How to respond and not react
- Manage difficult situations using the HELP framework
- Learn how to say “no” when you can’t say “yes”
- How to prepare people for unwelcome news
- Handle criticism, put-downs, arrogance, persistence or patronising behaviours
- Professional guidelines for handling extreme and unacceptable behaviours
