Complaints Training
Boost customer satisfaction and repeat business with our complaint handling training
Complaint Handling Training
Improve company reputation and client retention with better complaint handling skills.
How an organisation handles customer complaints is crucial in order to maintain a good reputation and to keep client business.
Complaint handling training teaches the process and methodology needed to create an effective customer complaints handling procedure to improve customer care, satisfaction and complaint resolution rates.
- 1/2 day course
- 1 day course
- Download course PDF
- +44 (0) 1635 890450
This course provides participants with the crucial skills and confidence to improve their handling of customer complaints, with the goal of reaching a satisfactory solution that increases customer retention and loyalty.
For managers and staff who are responsible for dealing with customer complaints. Call centre staff, for example. Participants may handle complaints over the telephone, face to face or in writing.
We will adapt the complaint training to meet the most frequently used method of complaint handling by the participants.
By the end of this one-day complaint handling training course, participants will have:
- Recognised 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
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 summarising
- 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 organisation
- Being clear on the authority/power you have
- Escalating complaints with a defined complaint management process
- Making commitments and honouring promises
- Small group exercise with written scenarios, group feedback and discussion
Handling work based complaints
- Tips on applying skills and techniques to written complaints
- Practising work based complaint scenarios
- Feedback and review of learning in small groups
- Review of how to apply in practice
- Presentation, practice sessions in small groups and facilitated whole group review
Review and next steps
- Review of learning and action planning
- Course feedback
The complaint handling training will be supported with:
- An optional participant pre-course questionnaire and/or pre-course reading on complaint management
- A colour printed workbook with tips, complaint resolution techniques and space for personal notes
Download our latest price list (PDF):
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All articles are subject to our terms of use.
Testimonials from previous attendees
Excellent. Apply how I respond to complaints. Put myself in their shoes.
Excellent. Adjust and acknowledge my strengths and use them correctly.
I thoroughly enjoyed the course and learnt a lot more than I thought.
Absolutely lovely and charismatic training delivered by Sharon. She is very knowledgeable, engaging and the day flew by.
The session was very informative and has certainly changed my view on complaints handling.
Extremely useful, will be able to respond accordingly to any complaint and its specific needs.