Managing Difficult Customers course
$497 per person
The ‘Gold Standard’ of courses on how to manage difficult customer situations!
Encountering difficult customer situations is an intrinsic part of dealing with customers & clients – whether they are internal or external to your business.
And with the ongoing frustrations and increasing pressures with the rising cost of living, stock shortages, employee shortages and so on, there has been a noticeable increase in the stress levels of both customers and employees who are all learning to navigate through life with their own personal and work challenges.
So it’s inevitable that this is manifesting in more complaints by customers, and employees are feeling under more pressure than ever.
But how many of your employees are truly equipped and have been specifically trained to handle those situations?
Managing angry or upset customers effectively takes a lot of confidence and skill, yet most employees have never had any skills training in this area. They are often left to learn by trial and error, which often results in a poor outcome for your employee, the customer and ultimately, your business.
It’s also not uncommon for staff to fall back on their own internal viewpoints and belief systems and take things personally, which again, leads to a poor outcome for all stakeholders.
Whilst equipping your employees with the right skills to handle these situations and taking care of their mental health has always been important, there has never been a more critical time to ensure your staff has the skills and confidence they need to handle a range of difficult customer situations.
The Managing Difficult Customers course does just that – empowering your employees with the skills and confidence to handle any difficult customer situation with proven strategies that have been refined and taught over decades.
The training is facilitated live by global expert Daniel Ord in a highly engaging and interactive session to ensure your employees absorb the training and can put their skills to immediate use.
The BEST course I've ever done!
In all my years of customer service, and we are now in the 4th decade of customer service, I have never done a course that answered so many questions I didn’t know I even needed an answer to.
Without a shadow of doubt, hands down, dead set – this was the BEST course I have ever taken about how to do my job. EVER.
Meeting Daniel and drinking up his enthusiasm for his work has re-sparked my desire for my job. I now have the tools and the understanding that I never had before, or if I had been given the tools, they were not explained very well, because now I get it. I get it, I never did before.
The TED talk, which I watched a couple of times over already, was perfection and I think everyone should watch it. Brilliant. I could go on.
The four of us from Dulux think this was amazing and to quote one of us, “Daniel is in the right profession.” Thank you.
Learn more about the course (video)
We recorded a short video with the Founder of CX Skills, Justin Tippett and course facilitator Daniel Ord providing some additional insight about the course and enabling you to hear and learn directly from the person conducting the training for your employees.
Learn how to handle any difficult customer situation
The Managing Difficult Customers training course teaches staff how to identify the different types of difficult customers and situations and then how to confidently identify and apply the correct solutions.
This course isn’t just a few words and phrases to use or some basic concepts scraped off Google.
It’s a comprehensive, high-quality program that has been developed and refined over decades and is delivered over 2 x 4-hour online/virtual sessions by a genuine industry expert who will make a lasting impact on your employees.
From learning how to negotiate or how to say NO! effectively and with professionalism, the Managing Difficult Customers Training Course is the ideal training course to help you or your team members handle difficult situations with grace, style and confidence.
As with all our CX Skills courses, this online course involves workshop exercises, quizzes, role-plays, videos, examples and more to make the course both interactive and engaging and, of course, to enable the learnings to be absorbed.
With an average rating of 4.9/5, it’s easy to understand why this is one of our most popular courses, as you’ll notice in the customer reviews and testimonials.
Private and Public Options
This course is run publicly meaning there will be others on the course in similar roles and situations, providing a great opportunity to share stories and ideas and make your employees feel that they are not alone in their challenges.
If you need to train larger groups, or need more flexibility in the timing of the sessions and would like to keep all the discussions ‘in-house’, this course is also available for private training (refer to information further down the page).
Managing Difficult Customers Course Quick Highlights
Course Suitability
The Managing Difficult Customers course is designed to equip employees with the skills and confidence to manage any difficult situation when dealing with customers or colleagues regardless of the industries, products or services.
As such, it’s suitable for anyone who deals with internal or external customers on a regular basis either over the phone or in-person with typical roles including:
- Contact Centre agents (sales or service)
- Customer service staff
- Retail/counter staff
- Administration/Office staff
- Hospitality staff
- Receptionists/personal assistants
- Health practitioners and support staff
- Education/Teachers
- Small Business Owners
- Sales/Account Management
- Complaints teams
- Team Leaders
- Managers
Please note this entire course is specifically focused on dealing with difficult customers and situations.
If you also need to learn more generic customer service skills, check out our customer service training programs (which can include a short module on managing difficult customers).
If you need to help your employees build their resilience skills, please refer to our Workplace Mental Health courses.
Made me excited about my least favourite responsibility in my role at work
Dan was so friendly, informative, knowledgeable and engaging as an instructor and very funny to boot. He made a scary and daunting part of my role at work interesting & funny.
I’m excited to put his suggested approaches into action and see what kind of results I get with customers. And I have a heightened enthusiasm for trying to help our customers as best I can.
Very appreciative that my employer enrolled me in the course and would love the opportunity to do another and maybe even get to meet Dan in person!
Cannot recommend this course any more highly for any professionals who deal with customers.
Optimised for Online/Virtual Training!
Whilst we’d been teaching this course for over 20 years face to face in a classroom setting, we have now fully adapted this course to be delivered online/virtually, and as you’ll read in the customer testimonials, it’s had no impact at all on the effectiveness of the training.
In fact, even with onsite training now an option again after Covid, most of our customers now prefer online training because of its numerous benefits, such as flexible timing, lower costs, better learning outcomes, etc.
Being online, it is easily accessible to anyone with an internet browser, whether they are in an office, call centre, retail store, staff room, or working remotely from home or across different locations.
So rest assured, our online/virtual managing Difficult Customers course will teach your employees how to identify and manage difficult customers and situations with confidence.
This isn’t just boring textbook and video training – this course is live and highly engaging and interactive, delivered over 2 x 4-hour sessions with a total of 8 hours of live facilitated training by world-renowned customer experience trainer Daniel Ord.
Short breaks are included to ensure our training is delivered effectively.
Four Powerful Customer Complaint Handling Modules
The Managing Difficult Customers course comprises four key modules delivered over two 4-hour sessions on separate days that will equip your employees with the skills to handle difficult customers.
Session 1 (3 hours)
Module 1. Considering Human Behaviour
We open the workshop by helping your employees consider their own behaviours.
Your employees will learn about the different ways people can interpret difficult situations based on their own internal belief systems – it’s a powerful introduction that sets the scene for the entire course!
Your employees will learn:
- What it means to choose.
- Behaviour choices that are incompatible with Customer Service.
- What it means to pause.
- Why empathy isn’t as easy as it seems, but it remains a worthwhile goal.
We’re often told this module is a game-changer for your employees, and many former students still contact us about the impact this had on their professional and personal lives!
Module 2. Classifying the Classic Types of Difficult Situations
Difficult customers can often be grouped into different ‘buckets’ so in this module; your employees will learn the differences between the different types of difficult customers and how to handle them, including:
- The Abusive Customer
- The Irritating Customer
- The Unhappy Customer
- The eye-opening differences in how to approach each of these situations.
Module 3. Service Skills Requirements
While the basics of communication will always have their place when dealing with customers, in this module, we deep-dive into communication techniques, teaching your employees advanced patterns & techniques they can readily use every day.
Specifically, your employees will be taught some of the leading global practices on service, including:
- The changing face of global service – and how that manifests in the life as a customer service employee.
- What listening actually sounds like.
- The role of enquiry reconfirmation.
- The five levels of empathy, including when they apply and when they don’t.
- What humanity sounds like.
- What you must do when interacting with someone who is upset.
Session 2 (3 hours)
Module 4. Understanding your solution options
In this final module, we transition from the classic ‘Listen’ phase to the ‘Solution’ phase of the conversation.
While there are many solution types in Customer Service, these six have been chosen because they come up often in dealing with difficult situations:
- How to Say YES – and how that ties into the ‘Extra Mile’.
- How to say NO – and when you have to.
- How to explain WHY – and why being ready helps.
- How to provide a Conditional or Creative YES.
- How and when to Escalate – and how to turn escalations into learnings.
There’ll be plenty of time for some practice so your employees can test out the process in a safe and welcoming environment and be prepared to put their new skills into action immediately following the course with real customers.
Managing Difficult Situations Workshop - Exceptional!
I recently had the privilege of attending Daniel Ord’s workshop on “Managing Difficult Situations”, and it was nothing short of outstanding. Daniel’s expertise and passion for the subject matter truly shine through in his teaching style, making it a transformative experience for all participants.
From the moment the workshop began, Daniel’s enthusiasm was infectious. He has an exceptional ability to convey complex concepts in an understandable and relatable way. I left the workshop with a profound understanding of how to navigate challenging scenarios, both in my professional and personal life.
What truly sets Daniel apart is his commitment to engagement. Throughout the session, he encouraged active participation and created an inclusive atmosphere where questions and discussions were not just welcome but encouraged. It’s evident that he genuinely cares about each participant’s learning journey.
The real-world examples and practical strategies shared during the workshop were invaluable. Daniel’s ability to connect theory to practical application made the content highly relevant and actionable.
The workshop was impeccably organized, and Daniel’s presentation skills were top-notch. He kept the audience engaged and motivated throughout, making the entire experience enjoyable and enlightening.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend Daniel Ord’s workshops enough. If you’re looking to enhance your skills in managing difficult situations, he is the go-to expert. Thank you, Daniel, for an enriching and eye-opening workshop. I eagerly look forward to attending more of your sessions in the future.
If you’re considering attending one of Daniel’s workshops, don’t hesitate – you won’t be disappointed!
About Your Trainer, Daniel Ord
The trainer for the Managing Difficult Customers training course is Daniel Ord from OmniTouch International, who is recognised as one of the leading customer experience and contact centre trainers in the world.
Daniel has trained over 50,000 participants across over 40 countries and is regularly featured in leading customer management publications and presenting keynote speeches across the world.
Credentials-wise, Dan is a Certified Customer Experience Professional (CCXP), an International Customer Management Institute (ICMI) Certified Associate, a Call Centre Industry Advisory Council Training Partner (CIAC) and is Net Promoter Certified.
Daniel is consistently regarded as the best trainer in the industry with his incredible subject matter expertise, excellent storytelling with real-world examples, a great sense of humour and a clear passion for the industry and helping people achieve success.
So it's not surprising to note that despite all the numerous industry accolades and recognition, it's the Customer Testimonials Daniel is most proud of and you can read a selection of his recent testimonials below.
Recent Customer Testimonials for this Course
We can write the best course descriptions in the world, but ultimately, what matters the most is the customer testimonials and reviews from real people who have completed the course.
Just read some of the recent customer testimonials below to see how much the training was valued and why this is one of our most popular courses
Highly recommend!
My Team Leads and I got so much practical knowledge out of this course that we can take back to our team.
It really made us rethink the way in which we communicate with our customers and how we can make some small adjustments that can make a big difference.
The course is very interactive and engaging – Daniel is a great trainer and I loved his energy.
Response from CX Skills
Thanks Michelle; 8 hours seems like a lot for a course on Managing Difficult Customers on the surface, but I’m glad you found the course so interactive and engaging and that it’s going to make a big difference in how you communicate with your customers!
Fantastic and Informative!
Thank you Daniel for an incredible course. The content was fantastic and really informative.
I got so much value from everything you spoke about and the techniques we can all use to enhance the customer’s experience.
I loved how engaging you were and it made the two days of training fun and enlightening.
I know my team and I will be able to utilise much of the learning you provided to ensure our team manages our interactions in a better way!
Response from CX Skills
Wow! Thanks Georgette, always great to hear how much people enjoy the course and how the skills learned will be put to good use!
Great course!
Our team got so much value out of this course. It is concise, engaging and practical. Dan’s education style is amazing!
Thank you for all the lessons.
Response from CX Skills
Thanks Julieta, thrilled to hear the team enjoyed the course and we agree, the way Dan explains things is very engaging!
Inspiring & Enjoyable!
I found the course very interesting and inspiring! Daniel was excellent in articulating the skills and knowledge to communicate with customers in a more effective manner.
I admired Daniel’s style and humour as well!
Response from CX Skills
Thanks Veronica, we’re thrilled you enjoyed the course and learned some new skills whilst also having a laugh or two along the way!
Great information and practical advice!
Such a practical way to listen and respond to our customers. Some useful and easy-to-follow guidelines and skills/tips.
Daniel is so approachable and easy to listen to and learn from 👍 Thank you!
Response from CX Skills
Thanks Kathleen, appreciate you taking the time to leave a review and we agree, Daniel is awesome to listen to, must be his great accent 🤔
Very Informative and Great Pace
Very informative, well presented, set a a great pace, easy to understand and follow, I picked up a few hints/tips, happy for you to use my photo from the end of the session if you can!
Response from CX Skills
Thanks Margaret for the feedback! We were going to crop your photo out of the class photo, but it made you look a little blurry, so we decided against it!
A plethora of Information in a short period
Thanks to Dan and Marcus for the two day workshop. Although some concepts were a refresher, there were many aspects I can take into my Customer Service role and continue to develop over time.
Thanks for your enthusiasm Dan, and for the smooth running of the presentations.
My only suggestion would be that when you intend to leave a slide available when we are in break out rooms, that you attach that slide (otherwise it disappears).
Response from CX Skills
Thanks Meg, glad you enjoyed the course and great suggestion which Daniel will take on board!
Managing Difficult Situations Workshop - Exceptional!
I recently had the privilege of attending Daniel Ord’s workshop on “Managing Difficult Situations”, and it was nothing short of outstanding. Daniel’s expertise and passion for the subject matter truly shine through in his teaching style, making it a transformative experience for all participants.
From the moment the workshop began, Daniel’s enthusiasm was infectious. He has an exceptional ability to convey complex concepts in an understandable and relatable way. I left the workshop with a profound understanding of how to navigate challenging scenarios, both in my professional and personal life.
What truly sets Daniel apart is his commitment to engagement. Throughout the session, he encouraged active participation and created an inclusive atmosphere where questions and discussions were not just welcome but encouraged. It’s evident that he genuinely cares about each participant’s learning journey.
The real-world examples and practical strategies shared during the workshop were invaluable. Daniel’s ability to connect theory to practical application made the content highly relevant and actionable.
The workshop was impeccably organized, and Daniel’s presentation skills were top-notch. He kept the audience engaged and motivated throughout, making the entire experience enjoyable and enlightening.
In conclusion, I cannot recommend Daniel Ord’s workshops enough. If you’re looking to enhance your skills in managing difficult situations, he is the go-to expert. Thank you, Daniel, for an enriching and eye-opening workshop. I eagerly look forward to attending more of your sessions in the future.
If you’re considering attending one of Daniel’s workshops, don’t hesitate – you won’t be disappointed!
Response from CX Skills
Thanks Trisha, what a wonderful review! We’re super lucky to have Daniel run a number of courses for us, and with over 30 years of experience, it’s easy to see why he is genuinely regarded as one of the best trainers in the world!
Very engaging and fun.
The trainer was very supportive and informative. It can be challenging to encourage interaction in virtual training sessions between participants. Daniel demonstrated patience, encouragement and enthusiasm during the course, and made it less daunting to interact.
I enjoyed the mix of videos, visual diagrams and examples of situations. I will definitely be using such strategies in my current work. Thank you!
High quality course for beginners and as a refresher
Our trainer Daniel was phenomenal, such an incredibly warm and intelligent trainer with an unbelievable ability to recall the names of his doubtlessly high volume of trainees.
The course itself was very easy to follow and stay engaged with, and would be very helpful to those who are new to customer service and those who might just need a refresher on some fundamental skills.
Thought provoking!
The course is well paced and provides insight to how customers and customer service staff interact, and how to improve those interactions.
Dan is an excellent presenter.
Really enjoyed it
It has been great to learn new techniques, and the tools I learned are really helpful to handle the difficult clientele.
Most valuable training I have attended
Daniel is an excellent trainer, the training was engaging, informative and provided practical skills to put into place. The course was run at a great pace and for the first time, I did not feel brain drained at the end of the training (like has been my experience with other organisations). It wasn’t information overload, it was thought provoking, practical and down to earth.
This was the most valuable training I have ever done. I have 31 years in customer service and was not sure how much value I would get out of the course. From the first session the information was powerful, thought provoking and It created a huge paradigm shift in how I view ‘abusive customers’.
While a lot of the skills I already have gained over the years, I have still walked away with some new, some refined skills.
Would highly recommend this to anyone dealing with customers or considering a career in customer service.
Thank you so much.
Brilliant course to participate in
This course was so informative, easy to follow and enjoyable. Would highly recommend
Made me excited about my least favourite responsibility in my role at work
Dan was so friendly, informative, knowledgeable and engaging as an instructor and very funny to boot. He made a scary and daunting part of my role at work interesting & funny.
I’m excited to put his suggested approaches into action and see what kind of results I get with customers. And I have a heightened enthusiasm for trying to help our customers as best I can.
Very appreciative that my employer enrolled me in the course and would love the opportunity to do another and maybe even get to meet Dan in person!
Cannot recommend this course any more highly for any professionals who deal with customers.
Very well presented
Really enjoyed it and getting to know other peoples stories and share our experiences.
Great Course!
Daniel made the course enjoyable and fun. Learnt a lot and will use these new techniques at work.
Excellent
Informative, engaging, and enjoyable. A course for anyone in the customer service field. Thank You, Daniel & Marcus I have left this course with a wealth of information that can easily be put into practice.
Excellent presentation
Course was fantastic. Really practical techniques to use with customers. The chairs scenario is great and also how to identify how the customer is feeling. Had great fun with this group of CX employees.
The BEST course I've ever done!
In all my years of customer service, and we are now in the 4th decade of customer service, I have never done a course that answered so many questions I didn’t know I even needed an answer to.
Without a shadow of doubt, hands down, dead set – this was the BEST course I have ever taken about how to do my job. EVER.
Meeting Daniel and drinking up his enthusiasm for his work has re-sparked my desire for my job. I now have the tools and the understanding that I never had before, or if I had been given the tools, they were not explained very well, because now I get it. I get it, I never did before.
The TED talk, which I watched a couple of times over already, was perfection and I think everyone should watch it. Brilliant. I could go on.
The four of us from Dulux think this was amazing and to quote one of us, “Daniel is in the right profession.” Thank you.
More Customer Testimonials
“This course was really engaging and very well organised. Daniel was amazing, and I didn’t ‘zone out’ once, a sign of an excellent trainer. Really enjoyed the course and learnt lots, particularly liked the examples of situations where certain vocabulary is acceptable. Made the course sink in.”
“I just wanted to email you in thanks as I have found your recent training session very helpful! I have been able to use UNER(R) very effectively, where previously I had problems saying ‘no’, generally going into far too much detail on my explanation. This has helped stop at least two complaints and I‘ve also been using the Human Touch in more of my emails ? .”
“Hi Daniel, just wanted to say thanks for the brilliant workshop. Was lovely to meet you and it’s always a pleasure to learn new techniques, perspectives and ways of working.”
“It was a really fun and exciting training course and I will be able to apply all these methods now and in my future career. Loved the tips on how to deal with the especially fussy guests!”.
“Very good and interactive – fun but full of knowledge.”
“The training was really fun but more importantly I learned a lot of techniques that I’ve been able to use on lots of my calls which has made my job a lot easier – thanks!”
About CX Skills
CX Skills is a specialist training business that only delivers customer service, customer experience (CX), contact centre, workforce optimisation (WFM/WFO) and workplace wellness courses designed and facilitated exclusively by industry professionals.
We're the official training partner of the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA), and we are proudly Australian-owned and operated.
We’re grateful to have been trusted by hundreds of customers, and we’re proud of the amazing customer testimonials we’ve received, so you can rest assured that when you book a training course with CX Skills, your training is in good hands.
Our Recent Customers Include:
We're grateful to the following companies who have trusted CX Skills with their training. View our full customer list here >
Private and Public Training Options
The Managing Difficult Customers training courses are delivered live/virtually via Zoom and participants will be sent an electronic workbook prior to the course commencing.
This course is available both publicly and privately with the differences outlined below:
Public Courses
The public Managing Difficult Customers training courses have the dates and times fixed to enable you to plan ahead for rosters, annual leave, induction dates, etc.
Being a public course, it’s a great opportunity for your employees to hear and learn from others in the course, and you can send as little as one person, making it a cost-effective method of training small numbers of employees (perfect for small businesses!) while limiting the impact on your business whilst your employees are being trained.
Many of our customers use our public courses to ensure all their employees have received the same level of training – so if you’ve initially trained all your employees privately but then have some new starters, the public courses are a great way to ‘catch up’, and ensure all employees have received the same training.
View available public course dates at the bottom of this page!
Private Courses
Whilst public courses can be a great way to interact with others and are perfect for small numbers, sometimes you need more flexibility with the dates and times, or you’d like the benefits of training larger groups of agents exclusively for your business.
Our private courses can deliver the same course with dates and times to suit you, and being private, it can be easier to focus on real examples and scenarios encountered by your employees than in a public setting.
For larger numbers, we can also offer you cost-effective pricing.
Please note for private bookings, this course is only available for online/virtual training (as Daniel Ord is now based overseas!).
Most valuable training I have attended
Daniel is an excellent trainer, the training was engaging, informative and provided practical skills to put into place. The course was run at a great pace and for the first time, I did not feel brain drained at the end of the training (like has been my experience with other organisations). It wasn’t information overload, it was thought provoking, practical and down to earth.
This was the most valuable training I have ever done. I have 31 years in customer service and was not sure how much value I would get out of the course. From the first session the information was powerful, thought provoking and It created a huge paradigm shift in how I view ‘abusive customers’.
While a lot of the skills I already have gained over the years, I have still walked away with some new, some refined skills.
Would highly recommend this to anyone dealing with customers or considering a career in customer service.
Thank you so much.
Pricing and Payment Options
The Managing Difficult Customers Training course is $497 per person ex GST for eight hours of facilitated learning (2 x 4-hour sessions) delivered by global CX training expert Daniel Ord as well as a course workbook (delivered electronically).
Available Discounts
- Save 15% when booking for three or more staff in the same transaction (note: the discount will be applied on the final checkout page, and no other discounts apply).
- ACXPA Members save 25% off all CX Skills courses (including this one), plus membership includes 15 self-paced training courses and a host of other benefits. Learn More >
- Do you want to train your whole team or multiple employees? Contact us for customised pricing and availability.
You can see all the upcoming available public courses at the bottom of this page.
Tickets can be purchased via credit card or invoice – just select your preferred date below to learn more about the specific course and to secure your ticket(s).
You’ll be able to select between credit card or invoice payment on the checkout page.
Do you have questions about this Managing Difficult Customers course?
Want to train your whole team or talk to us about a customised training program?
Speak to us live on +61 3 9008 7287 between 8:30 am to 5:30 pm Melbourne, Australia (AEST or AEDT) Monday to Friday or send us a message anytime >
Purchase tickets now to the upcoming public Managing Difficult Courses:
Select your preferred date from the courses below – click to see the exact times and to secure your ticket(s).
Tickets can be purchased instantly with a credit card, or you can request an invoice at checkout.
January 2025 Managing Difficult Customers
Online via Zoom Price: $497.00 AUD ex GSTLearn global best-practice skills on how to manage angry, upset and difficult customers with confidence in this 2 x 4-hour January 2025 online course - suitable for all customer-facing employees.
April 2025 Managing Difficult Customers
Online via Zoom Price: $497.00 AUD ex GSTLearn global best-practice skills on how to manage angry, upset and difficult customers with confidence in this 2 x 4-hour April 2025 online course - suitable for all customer-facing employees.
September 2025 Managing Difficult Customers
Online via Zoom Price: $497.00 AUD ex GSTLearn global best-practice skills on how to manage angry, upset and difficult customers with confidence in this 2 x 4-hour September 2025 online course - suitable for all customer-facing employees.
This course is available for private bookings!
The course is also available to be delivered privately just for your employees (minimum five employees), with dates and times to suit you.
Want to Save 25% off ALL CX Skills Courses and gain access to industry best practices?
Members of the Australian Customer Experience Professionals Association (ACXPA) save a massive 25% off ALL CX Skills courses for a full 12 months!
With annual memberships starting from just $35 per employee, it can be a great way to save money immediately on your training, plus, you'll gain access to a vast array of best-practice resources to improve your customer experience.