Dealing with Customer Complaints and Grievances

Objectives

• Recognized the key skills and qualities needed to handle customer complaints effectively
• Built skills in building rapport and engaging with the customer
• Demonstrated empathy whilst maintaining control of the conversation
• Established the customer’s needs through questions and listening
• Defused difficult customer emotional responses
• Resolved typical work based complaints effectively

Outline

Key skills and qualities for handling complaints :-
• Model for handling complaints
• Benefits of handling complaints effectively
• Pairs exercise ‘in your customer’s shoes’ and participant introductions, facilitated group discussion

Communication, building rapport :-
• Breakdown of communication
• Building customer rapport
• Impact of telephone and written communication
• Verbal handshake
• Communication styles
• Paired practice, small group exercise, facilitated group discussion, self awareness questionnaire

Maintaining control and empathy in complaint handling :-
• Using positive language
• Remaining assertive when under pressure
• Small group written exercise, facilitation and presentation

Establishing customer needs :-
• Asking open questions
• Introduce questioning funnel
• Listening and summarizing
• Demonstration, small group practical exercises and facilitated group review

Defusing difficult customer emotional responses :-
• Managing personal response – 6 Step Approach
• Complaint handling techniques to defuse anger and other emotional responses
• Presentation, individual and small group exercise, and facilitated group discussion

Agreeing an appropriate course of action with customers :-
• Achieving a win/win outcome for the customer and the organization
• Being clear on the authority/power you have
• Escalating complaints with a defined complaint management process
• Making commitments and honoring promises
• Small group exercise with written scenarios, group feedback and discussion

Handling work based complaints
• Tips on applying skills and techniques to written complaints
• Practicing work based complaint scenarios
• Feedback and review of learning in small groups
• Review of how to apply in practice

Who Should Attend ?

Our complaint handling courses are designed for those who are responsible for dealing with customer complaints. Participants may handle complaints over the telephone, face to face or in writing. We will adapt the course to meet the most frequently used method of complaint handling by the participants