Some customers are more difficult to deal with than others. Few customers are inherently rude or mean, although some may be. Usually when a customer is mad, rude, challenging or otherwise difficult to help, there is a reason.

The fact of the matter is that most customers are great. They are friendly, understanding, and tolerant. They are also knowledgeable, demanding, conscious of the value of their time, and hold high expectations for quality of product and service. You as service providers should never take these customers for granted.

Even when customers are wrong or difficult you must respect their perception and treat them with respect.

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

- Identify the different types of customers in order to understand their stance 
- Make the necessary preparation before dealing with the respective customers 
- Utilizing the appropriate techniques in dealing with the different types of customers 
- Apply the communication techniques with the purpose of achieving a win-win situation 
- Handle conflicts with customers objectively towards achieving a common agreement 
- Deal with your own emotions without feeling stressed whenever an unfavourable outcome is reached

Module 1: Classifying the different types of customers 
- The different types of customers 
- characteristics of your customers 
- Reflections of different personalities

Module 2: Preparation when dealing with difficult customers 
- Identifying reasons customers are difficult

Module 3: Techniques in dealing with challenging customers 
- Methods through time, relationship, strengths and weaknesses 
- Trust and empathy 
- Recovery skills 
- Ways to deal with challenging customers

Module 4: Enhancing communication skills 
- Giving and receiving feedback 
- Assertiveness 
- Listening attentively 
- Avoiding trigger words 
- What to really say -scripts for the most difficult situations

Module 5: Ways to confront abusive customers 
- Reasons for being abusive 
- Strategies in dealing with conflicts 
- Steps in dealing with conflicts 
- Calming an upset, hostile, or disruptive customer

Module 6: Taking that one extra service step 
- Filling the gap 
- Techniques in focusing 
- Involving the customers 
- Establishing service systems that work

An interactive approach with lecturette, role-plays, case- studies and activities in relation to topics discussed.

Executive or NON-Executive level of employees that need to deal with customers.