Customer Service Management (CSM1)

How to deal with difficult customers: One Day Workshop with Abdul-Aziz Barazi
Overview and Objectives

To equip candidates with the required skills to deal confidently with all types of customers and the ways in which they behave and make them more customer focused. The objectives of this workshop are:
1- Better understanding of customers and their requirements
2- Better use of language which initiates positive response from customers.
3- Ensure that people provide internal and external customers with the right amount of information that fully satisfy their requirements.
4- Listen to the customer and establish a good rapport to ensure customer’s loyalty.
5- Turning every difficult situation into a positive outcome.
6- Finally to become more confident in dealing with customers complaints and effective in problem solving.

Introduction (9:15 - 9:45)

Session details
Participants are asked to introduce each other spending no more than 5 minutes each to find out about each other so splitting themselves into pairs.
What will follow is stating their expectations and objectives of attending this workshop. These are collected and posted on a flip chart around the room to serve as a reminder.

Outcome
Participants put at ease.
Communications lines are open for receiving and sending information.
Listening skills in practice
Measures established for course success.

Who is the Customer? (9:45- 10:15)

Session Details.
Definition Internal /External Customer
Participants are asked for feedback . Posing the question to the attendees to come up with their own definitions and writing all on the flip chart across the room. Arriving at a common understanding of who is the "customer" and identifying internal and external customers.

Outcome
Participants will start building a picture in their mind about Customers requirements They will start understanding the impact of customers in their daily life.

Comfort Break ( 10:15- 10:25)

Customer Satisfaction & Cost of customer service (10:25 - 12:00)

Session Details
Interactive discussions about Why Customers Quit ? discussions with attendees. With research results at the end Listening to the candidates debate and arguments about the meaning of Customer Satisfaction. Examples of bad/good customer service. Merits of using a tested process to achieve satisfactory resolution.

Outcome
Candidates will start realising the impact of Customer Expectations and satisfaction, on their businesses. Participants will start thinking about better ways of handling customers complaints and handling difficult customers.

Lunch Break : 12:00 - 12:45

Handling Difficult Customers (12:45- 15:15)

Session Details
We start the afternoon with a lively discussion reviewing the morning session as a reminder and moving on to discuss ways of handling difficult customers.

Outcome
Participants will gain analytical skills, and learn how to spot the difficult customer through series of indications

Role Play Difficult customers

Session Details
Interactive discussions of ways to deal with a difficult situation with role playing scenarios, splitting candidates into working groups. Examples taken from the participants’ historical experience. Using “listening, questioning, empathising, confirming and taking actions techniques.

Outcome
Participants will be able to use positive language and vocabulary to pacify customers’ anger by reflective thinking and using this in arriving at mutually agreed result.

Comfort Break ( 15:15- 15:30)

Processes Helping/Hindering (15:30- 17:00 )

Session Details
Discussion of systems; helping / hindering customer expectations. How to set these and how to compromise to arrive at mutually agreed outcome. Is the customer always right ? Participants are asked their feedback on the course of the day.

Outcome
Participants practice their analytical skills . At the end of the day individuals feel more confident about handling difficult customers, and more effective in problem solving.

Summary

The course approach allows the participants to get involved inter-actively in the learning process, and gives them the opportunity to use their own experience in arriving at practical solution to handling difficult customer service issues. The participants will be able by using reflective thinking, listening , empathising , questioning and testing their understanding, to solve problems more effectively and gain the confidence of dealing with difficult customer situations, turning them into positive ones and benefiting from more satisfied customers.

The training will be delivered in a style that ensures the participants enjoy the learning experience but are able to see key applications in their work environment. The interactive skills help develop an open climate of trust.