• Understand the impact of good/bad service

• Create and maintain a professional customer-led image

• Learn how to develop customer empathy

• Remain calm even when under pressure

• Adapt your style to meet the needs of different types of customers

• Use effective questioning techniques to assess buyer needs, while building customer commitment towards buying

• Deal with customers complaints professionally

• Develop specific strategies for conflict resolution

• Recognise classic profiles of difficult people and strategies for handling them

• Pre-empt challenging situations and avoid escalating them further

• Develop communication skills designed to improve your delivery of bad or unpleasant news

• Recognise personality types with which you may clash

• Develop assertive skills and behaviours

• Handle aggressive behaviour

•  Calm angry, upset and unresponsive individuals

RECOGNISING WHAT CUSTOMER SERVICE EXCELLENCE REALLY MEANS TO YOU AND YOUR CUSTOMERS
• The consequences of good/bad service
• Looking to exceed customer expectations
• Managing customer's heightened expectations

THE CUSTOMER-LED APPROACH
• Managing first impressions face-to-face/ telephone
• Putting customer needs first
• Making the customer feel special and valued
• Ensuring there is a 'no pressure' relationship

IDENTIFYING 'BEST PRACTICE' IN MANAGING DIFFERENT CUSTOMER SITUATIONS
• Prioritize and focus on the top expectations of
customers
• Identify one’s own personality style and the person
ality styles of customers
• Practice a three step system for maintaining
professionalism and composure when dealing with
irate customers

COMMUNICATING POSITIVELY
• Improving verbal skill-use of appropriate language,
understanding what not to say
• Vocal skill - understanding the key elements for
developing the voice effectively
• Visual skill - body language
• Establishing rapport
• Ending on a positive note

QUESTIONING TECHNIQUES
• Recognising different types of questions
• Technique for asking and answering questions
• Purposeful Questioning

LISTENING SKILLS
• What is active listening
• Techniques to improve active listening
• Checking and demonstrating understanding\

ASSESSING AND QUALIFYING THE CUSTOMER NEED
• Identifying Customer’s Needs
• Building/developing customer relationships
• Developing customer loyalty programmes
• Identifying customer value/providing satisfactory solutions

OBJECTION HANDLING
• Effective Response Methods

IDENTIFYING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF DIFFICULT CUSTOMERS
• Recognising classic profiles of difficult people
• Recognising the personality types with which you
may clash unconsciously

UNDERSTANDING ANGRY OR DISSATISFIED CUSTOMERS
• Identifying the reasons why external customers
become angry
• Responding appropriately to the needs of angry
customers

DEFUSING THE SITUATION
• Specific phrases you can say to calm different types
of customers
• Convincing customers you can and will do some
thing to solve their problems
• Cutting through emotions to get the facts you need
to solve the problem
• Ensuring the customer feels "heard" and why it's
essential for resolving the complaint

RESOLVING THE COMPLAINT
• Defining the problem and its complexity
• How optioning can help you solve their problems
and retain them as customers
• Dealing with customers who only want to talk to
management
• Tactfully handling a situation when the customer
caused the problem
• How to avoid getting drawn into an argument

OPERATION RECOVERY
• Step-by-step actions you must take to regain a
customer's trust and dedication
• Show customers you sincerely value their business
• Phrases that let customers know their satisfaction is
and remains your top priority
• Why complaining customers are valuable resources
and how to reward them