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Customer Service Foundations Training Course in Australia

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February 2027 Phone Customer Service Foundations
The Phone Customer Service Foundations (February 2027 class) runs live online via Zoom on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 February 2027, 1:00pm – 4:00pm AEDT (Melbourne and Sydney time).
$ 485.00 AUD ex GST
Unlimited

Live online public course with Simon Blair

Phone Customer Service FoundationsThursday 11 and Friday 12 February 2027

Six hours of live training that gives your team a proven structure for every call, plus the confidence to handle difficult customers, with more practice so the skills stick.

Two live 3-hour sessions with Simon Blair, plus a certificate. Book one ticket or several for your team.

  • 5.0/5 from verified reviews
  • ACXPA certified course
  • Built from 50,000+ assessed calls
  • Certificate included

Trusted by leading organisationsHundreds of businesses, from local councils to national brands, have chosen CX Skills to upskill their teams. See who we’ve trained

  • Australia Post logo
  • City of Casey logo
  • Federal Circuit Court of Australia logo
  • I-MED Radiology logo
  • MECCA logo
  • Taronga Zoo logo
  • Viking Cruises logo
  • Ultra Tune logo

What’s in it for you

Immediate impact, with skills that stick

Your team can use the Session 1 skills on real calls straight away, and the gap before Session 2 lets them try the skills and come back with questions.

Session 2 is a full session on difficult customers, with more role plays, coaching and feedback, so complaints are handled calmly and escalate less.

  • Consistent structure on every call
  • More confident handling of complaints
  • Fewer escalations and repeat contacts
Smiling customer service team member wearing a headset

Know what customers want

What customers want and need from a call, based on decades of research.

Start every call well

Ownership, intent and clear expectations that build trust from the first words.

Find the need fast

Three discovery techniques that uncover what the customer actually needs.

Explain clearly

Present information simply, with checks for questions and understanding.

Close with confidence

Final checks and clear next steps that avoid clunky finishes and repeat calls.

Handle difficult callers

A simple two-step method to calm frustrated customers and de-escalate.

The course

Two sessions: great calls, then difficult customers

Phone Customer Service Foundations runs over two live 3-hour sessions. Session 1 covers the call framework, and Session 2 is all about handling frustrated and difficult customers.

Role plays, live demonstrations, group work and expert feedback run through both sessions, aligned to the standards ACXPA uses to assess customer service.

Onsite, it can run as a half-day workshop.

  • 2 × 3 hoursOr a half day onsite
  • Online or onsitePublic online; private either way
  • Public or privateOne ticket or your whole team
  • CertificateFor everyone who completes

What’s covered: nine modules over two sessions

Session 1 builds the call framework. Session 2 builds confidence with difficult customers.

Session 1The call framework
Module 1

The Psychology of Customers

What customers want and need, and why great service matters.

  • What customers want and need
  • Why service drives results
  • The “why” behind the skills
Module 2

How to Engage

A strong first impression at the start of every call.

  • Ownership and intent
  • Managing expectations
  • Building trust early
Module 3

Better Needs Discovery

Techniques used by the FBI to find the real need, fast.

  • Uncovering root causes
  • Confirming the need
  • Efficient conversations
Module 4

How to Educate

Proactively inform customers, with checks along the way.

  • Checks for understanding
  • Checks for comfort
  • Clear solutions
Module 5

How to Close

Avoid awkward endings with a simple, warm close.

  • Strong final checks
  • Thanks and gratitude
  • A warm farewell
Session 2Difficult customers
Module 6

The Psychology of Complaints

The types of difficult customers, and what they need.

  • Types of difficult customers
  • How emotions affect the brain
  • What complainants need
Module 7

Empathy and Intent

Meet emotional and practical needs with a two-step response.

  • Validating with empathy
  • Taking ownership
  • The two-step method
Module 8

Handling the Most Difficult Customers

Calm heightened emotions and respond to inappropriate behaviour.

  • Vocal techniques
  • Staying professional
  • Responding to poor behaviour
Module 9

Group Practice

Put it all together in fun, practical role plays.

  • Realistic scenarios
  • Service and complaint skills
  • Feedback from the trainer

Training a whole team? Talk to us about a private course

Compare phone courses

Compare the three phone courses

All three courses teach the same proven framework. Essentials is a fast 3-hour version, Foundations adds practice and difficult customers, and PRO goes further again for teams who want to master the phone.

ComparePublic or privatePhone Customer ServiceEssentialsThis coursePhone Customer ServiceFoundationsPrivate onlyPhone Customer ServicePRO
Length1 × 3-hour sessionlive online or onsite2 × 3-hour sessionsor a half day onsite3 × 3-hour sessionsor a full day onsite
Price$315per person, ex GST$485per person, ex GST$645per person, ex GST
AvailabilityPublic or privatePublic or privatePrivate only
Best forNew starters, or a fast refresh for experienced staff.Anyone who wants skills to stick through practice.Teams who want to master phone service.
Includes
  • Rapport and first impressions
  • A clear structure for every call
  • Questioning and active listening
  • Professional, positive language
  • Everything in Essentials
  • More role plays with live coaching
  • Handling difficult customers
  • Fewer repeat contacts
  • Everything in Foundations
  • Advanced call control
  • De-escalation and service recovery
  • Consistent, measurable call quality
LinkView EssentialsYou’re on this pageView PRO

Not sure which course suits your team? Ask for a recommendation

Getting sign-off?

Everything your manager needs, in one PDF

Download a two-page fact sheet for Phone Customer Service Foundations: outcomes, modules, format, price and options, plus how it compares with our other phone courses.

Course fact sheet (PDF)

Outcomes, modules, format, price and how to book, ready to forward or attach to an approval.

Download the fact sheet

Prefer to talk it through?

Not sure which course or format suits your team? Get in touch and we’ll help you choose.

Talk to us

Who it’s for

Who is phone customer service training for?

Anyone who speaks with customers on the phone, from new starters to experienced staff who want sharper skills.

Customer service teams

Phone-based support and account management in any industry.

Reception and office staff

Managing incoming calls for businesses, practices and service desks.

Call centre agents

Inbound enquiries, complaints and support calls in contact centres of any size.

Small business teams

Anyone taking customer calls who wants to sound more professional.

Healthcare and professional services

Patient and client calls that need care, clarity and discretion.

Retail and ecommerce support

Product enquiries, orders and complaints handled by phone.

Looking for the full range of phone training? See all phone customer service courses

Reviews

What participants say

Verified reviews from people who’ve completed our phone customer service courses, including Foundations.

4.9

374 verified reviews across all CX Skills courses

Read every review
4.9

Phone customer service courses · 73 reviews

5.0

On Google · 39 reviews
Independently verified

View all testimonials

Pricing

Pricing and payment options

Six hours of live training with Simon Blair and a certificate, for $485 per person ex GST. Book one ticket or your whole team, and pay by card or invoice at checkout.

Places are limited to keep the sessions interactive, so book early to secure your place.

  • Save 15% when you book 3 or more tickets in one transaction
  • ACXPA members pay $363.75 per person, a 25% saving (see below)
  • Card or invoice: choose how to pay at checkout
  • Certificate for everyone who completes
  • Training a whole team? Private courses run live online or onsite for groups of 5 or more

Official ACXPA training partner

Want to save $121.25 on this course? ACXPA members pay $363.75, not $485, plus a year of self-paced courses, tools and live expert support

  • 50+hours of live expert access a year
  • 65+tools, templates and resources
  • 18calculators
  • 25%off CX Skills live public courses

ACXPA members save 25% on this course and every CX Skills live public course.

ACXPA membership is a practitioner-built toolkit for anyone who looks after customers on the phone: self-paced courses, a complaints framework, coaching tools and live expert access every fortnight, for a full year.

What your phone team gets, all year round

  • Self-paced courses on phone skills, service excellence, difficult customers and complaints, each with a workbook, quiz and certificate, plus one-minute refreshers for team huddles
  • The ACXPA Global Contact Centre CX Standards: the phone behaviours ACXPA uses to assess customer service calls
  • The Complaints Handling Hub: a 7-step framework, staff cheat sheets and logging tools
  • The Customer Service Health Check: see where your service stands across 17 dimensions, with a full diagnostic and action plan
  • Coaching tools, including the Agent Performance Matrix, which plots each person on quality versus productivity
  • Live expert access: monthly Roundtables and a fortnightly Open Mic with ACXPA’s founder

FAQs

Phone Customer Service Foundations FAQs

Format, pricing, content and who the course suits.

Still have questions? Get in touch
Who should attend?
Anyone who speaks with customers on the phone, from new starters to experienced staff. It’s ideal when you want more practice time than Essentials, and when your team handles frustrated or difficult callers.
What’s covered?
Nine modules over two sessions. Session 1: The Psychology of Customers, How to Engage, Better Needs Discovery, How to Educate and How to Close. Session 2: The Psychology of Complaints, Empathy and Intent, Handling the Most Difficult Customers, and Group Practice.
When are the sessions?
Thursday 11 and Friday 12 February 2027, from 1:00pm to 4:00pm AEDT (Melbourne and Sydney time) on both days. You’ll receive your Zoom link before the course starts.
What if I can’t make these dates?
See the other upcoming dates, or talk to us about a private course for your team on dates that suit you.
How is it different from Essentials and PRO?
All three teach the same framework. Essentials covers it in one 3-hour session. Foundations runs over 2 × 3 hours with more practice and a full session on difficult customers. PRO runs over 3 × 3 hours (or a full day onsite) and is private only.
How much does it cost?
Public courses are $485 per person (ex GST) for six hours of live training. Save 15% when you book three or more people in the same transaction, and ACXPA members save 25%. Private training is quoted for your team.
How is it delivered?
Public courses run live online via Zoom over two 3-hour sessions. Private courses can be live online, or onsite at your workplace as a half-day workshop anywhere in Australia, New Zealand or the Asia Pacific (travel costs apply).
Can it be tailored for our team?
Yes. Private courses can use examples, scenarios and role plays drawn from your own calls, systems and customers.
Will the course definitely go ahead?
Public courses need a minimum number of participants to run, so we reserve the right to reschedule or cancel a date if too few people book. It rarely happens, and if it does we’ll let you know as early as possible and you can move to another date or get a full refund.
Do participants receive a certificate?
Yes. Everyone who completes the course receives a digital certificate of completion.
Is the course ACXPA certified?
Yes. Phone Customer Service Foundations is ACXPA certified and built on the standards ACXPA uses to assess customer service.
Is there a lower-cost or self-paced option?
Yes. Our self-paced library is a much cheaper way to build phone skills at your own pace, from $9.15 per person a month, with short courses and 1-minute videos your team can fit around their shifts.

An ACXPA membership is another option: members save 25% on live public courses and get 12 months of tools, templates and live sessions.
Can I get something to share with my manager?
Yes. Download the fact sheet (PDF) for the outcomes, modules, format and price in one short document. Public courses can also be paid by invoice at checkout.
How do I book?
Choose how many tickets you need in the ticket box at the top of this page, then check out by card or invoice. To train a whole team privately, talk to us or call +61 3 9008 7287.

Talk to us

Questions about training your team?

Book a call to talk it through, or send us a message and we’ll get back to you.

Book a callDownload the fact sheet

Prefer the phone? Call +61 3 9008 7287 (Mon–Fri, 8:30–17:30 Melbourne time) or email hello@cxskills.com.au.

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Ready to book your place?

Secure your tickets for 11 and 12 February, or talk to us about a private course for your team.