Managing Difficult Customers Training
The premium customer service conflict management training for handling angry or frustrated customers with confidence and control. Designed and delivered by Daniel Ord.
When conversations turn emotional, the cost shows up fast: lost customers, stressed staff, and damaged brand trust. This customer de-escalation course gives your team a proven playbook to stay calm, resolve issues, and set professional boundaries without inflaming the situation.
If you’re serious about protecting customer relationships, preventing employee burnout, and reducing costly claims, this is the course that pays for itself.
- 2 × 4-hour live online sessions
- For all customer-facing teams
- Led by world-renowned expert Daniel Ord
- De-escalation methods employees can use immediately
- Clear frameworks for saying YES, saying NO, and setting boundaries
- Workbook, certificate, and post-course support included
Why Training for Difficult Customer Interactions Matters
Most employees are never formally taught how to manage upset or unreasonable customers. They’re left to figure it out under pressure.
The result? Stress, conflict, and inconsistent outcomes that damage both your customers and your business.
Without the right tools, staff can react emotionally, escalate tension, or shut down — leading to burnout and poor customer experiences. Managing Difficult Customers Training provides a clear, proven de-escalation and conflict resolution framework so your people stay calm, set boundaries professionally, and resolve issues efficiently.
This isn’t scripts. It’s practical, repeatable conflict management training that builds lasting confidence across phone, email, chat and face-to-face service.
The hidden cost of getting it wrong:
- Safe Work Australia reports the average cost of a mental health–related workers’ compensation claim is $45,900 — around 5× a physical injury claim.
- In NSW, 88% of workers with physical injuries return to work within 13 weeks, but ~40% of those with psychological injuries are still off work after a year.
- Psychological claims now account for just 12% of claims but drive around 38% of total costs — with average claim costs doubling in the last five years.
By training staff to manage high-stress situations calmly and professionally, you reduce risk, protect wellbeing, and prevent expensive churn and brand damage.
Who Is This Managing Difficult Customers Course For?
Managing Difficult Customers Training is designed for organisations that want staff to stay calm, professional and effective when conversations turn challenging.
If your team handles complaints, high emotion, or unreasonable demands, this customer de-escalation course protects both your customers and your staff.
We focus on practical, repeatable skills: conflict resolution, language that lowers tension, saying no without blowback, and setting clear boundaries. It’s immediate, usable and proven across industries.
The outcome is confidence and control — not scripts.
Delivered by Daniel Ord, this program blends world-class content with real-world application so your team performs under pressure and your brand reputation stays intact.
Typical roles that benefit from Managing Difficult Customers include:
- Customer Service Representatives: Phone, email and chat teams handling day-to-day enquiries and complaints.
- Team Leaders & Supervisors: Coaching staff through high-emotion interactions and escalations.
- Complaints & Case Management: Specialists managing formal grievances and ombudsman-level cases.
- Reception & Front-Desk: In-person roles managing walk-ins, face-to-face tension and boundary setting.
- Retail & Branch Staff: Staff navigating difficult customer behaviour in store or on site.
- Billing, Credit & Collections: Teams having hard conversations about money, payment and policy.
- Field Service & Technicians: Staff dealing with customers in homes or workplaces.
- Healthcare & Patient Services: Admin and support teams balancing empathy with policy.
- Government & Utilities: Public-facing staff managing service limits and regulation-driven outcomes.
- Hospitality & Tourism Staff: Teams in hotels, restaurants, venues and travel who often face emotional or demanding customer situations.
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.
Flexible Online Delivery — Practical, Interactive and Easy to Join
Managing Difficult Customers runs live online over 2 × 4-hour sessions. Your people can join from anywhere — at home, in the office, or on site — with minimal disruption to rosters and SLAs.
This isn’t a lecture. It’s hands-on customer de-escalation training with role-plays, group discussion and coaching led by Daniel Ord.
Staff leave with practical, repeatable conflict resolution techniques they can use immediately on phone, email, chat and face-to-face.
- ✔️ Join from anywhere: simple Zoom/Teams access, no travel required
- ✔️ Immersive practice: realistic scenarios, breakout groups, live feedback
- ✔️ Immediate impact: morning skills applied the same afternoon
Why online? It reduces cost and downtime while delivering the same outcomes as onsite workshops — calm, confident conversations and fewer escalations.
Four Powerful Complaint & Conflict Modules (Delivered Over 2 × 4-Hour Sessions)
The Managing Difficult Customers course comprises four focused modules delivered across two half-day sessions. Each module builds repeatable conflict management and de-escalation habits that work in real conversations — not just theory.
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.
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.
What Your Team Will Be Able To Do After This Course
Employees finish with a repeatable de-escalation and conflict resolution approach that reduces stress, prevents escalation and protects your brand — across phone, email, chat and face-to-face service.
Looking for General Customer Service Training?
The Managing Difficult Customers course is a specialised program focused solely on handling challenging interactions. It’s not a general customer service or sales training course.
If your team needs broader skills – including communication, rapport building, and service fundamentals (with some coverage of difficult customers) – explore our full range of Customer Service Training Courses.
There’s a course to suit every role and experience level – find the right fit for your team today!
Public vs Private Managing Difficult Customers Training Options
Choose public courses for quick enrolments (1–2 seats) and cross-industry insights. Choose private delivery for a confidential, team-wide uplift tailored to your scenarios, language and policies.
Both formats are delivered live online by Daniel Ord. Not sure which suits? Contact us — we’ll recommend the best fit.
| Feature | Public Course | Private Course |
|---|---|---|
| Who Attends | Open to all companies and individuals | Your team only |
| Learning Environment | Cross-industry perspectives and shared learning | Confidential and focused on your real cases |
| Dates & Times | Fixed schedule — choose an advertised date | Fully flexible to suit operations |
| Delivery Method | Live online (Zoom/Teams) | Live online (Zoom/Teams) |
| Cost | $847 per person (ex GST) | More cost-effective for groups of 5+ |
| Best For | 1–2 seats, quick uplift, external ideas | Consistency, confidentiality, team-wide standards |
| Minimum Numbers | No minimum — book one or more | Minimum of 5 participants |
| View Upcoming Public Courses > | Learn More About Private Training > |
About Your Trainer
Managing Difficult Customers is designed and facilitated by Daniel Ord, one of the world’s leading CX trainers. Daniel helps organisations master high-stakes customer interactions with practical, proven de-escalation and conflict management techniques.
His programs are known for clarity, energy and immediate applicability. Teams finish with a shared language, a repeatable approach to calm tough conversations, and the confidence to set boundaries professionally.
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.
What Teams Say About Managing Difficult Customers
Battle-tested with frontline teams across industries: clear techniques, immediate confidence, calmer conversations and fewer issues spiralling into complaints and escalations.
Below are recent reviews from participants who used the skills the same day they learned them.
A great course
Daniel was fantastic! The course gave me a fresh perspective of how to deal with difficult interactions with customers as well as different techniques when having those tough conversations. I highly recommend this course!
This training session was awesome!
Daniel did an excellent job sharing tips and tricks for handling conversations with difficult customers. I will definitely use the tools he provided! Thank you Daniel & Marcus
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Fantastic, A great course for anyone who is customer serving.
The course is a great overview in managing difficult situations/customers. Daniel is highly engaging and passionate in delivering the content and he provides great examples and effectively guides/demonstrates these for participants, ensuring they are taking on each topic.
The team have really obtained great knowledge to put to action in their day to day roles. In addition, the techniques are very simple and realistic which will enable a quick refresh for teams down the track with the content provided.
Amazing course!
The course itself was broken down into three sections, with each section covering what you would experience daily working within customer service, then it was further broken down and explained in more depth. Within each section, I took away multiple points that I would find myself using each day. One extremely interesting key point I took away from the ‘Difficult Situations’ section was how customers react and respond to each situation.
Dan (the instructor) broke this down into 3 states of response, ‘The Parent’ ‘The Adult’ and ‘The Child’, depending on the situation you are faced depends how a customer will choose their response. My job in this is to ensure I remain on the ‘Adult’ response, no matter how a customer reacts, whether it be a childish manner or a parental and controlling matter. Although it is quite hard to put a finger on one key point as I have 4 pages worth of notes and will most definitely be referring to the course guide!
The whole course resonated with me but something I found stood out was the ‘How to Say No and the Six Solution Types’ section. This was my main reason for participating in the course and I found it challenging but useful. They covered both how to say no but also how to say yes after saying a no, all to ensure the customer leaves feeling satisfied even if they didn’t get the answer they initially desired. We touched on a few topics within this section but the psychology behind it was fascinating and learning how to restructure your sentences and wording to create a scenario where the customer feels satisfied will be something I will apply a lot more to my work.
Although I only touched on a few topics that resonated with me, I can confirm that it was well worth it and an experience like no other course. Dan was intriguing and kept everyone engaged by using multiple learning types and you could see everyone enjoyed themselves. He had my full attention, and I was more than happy to participate in the activities and give my opinion/point of view.
I think this course was unique and the way it was structured was amazing, I think we would benefit from keeping the CX Courses on speed dial anytime we need to upskill as it was engaging and easy to follow, and even though it was in a group setting I felt I experienced it individually and learnt a lot of valuable information.
Trusted by Leading Organisations Across Australia
Hundreds of businesses — from local councils to national brands — have chosen CX Skills to upskill their teams with practical, real-world customer service training.
Pricing and Payment Options
Delivered live online over two half-day sessions, Managing Difficult Customers makes it easy for frontline teams to attend from anywhere — with minimal disruption.
Book a single seat or multiple employees. Choose your preferred date in the Upcoming Dates section and complete your booking.
💳 Credit card and invoice payments accepted. Volume savings apply for 3+ seats. ACXPA members save 25%.
Seats are limited. Secure places early to avoid waiting for the next intake.
Why the investment pays for itself:
- Average mental-health claim cost is about $45,900 — ~5× a physical injury claim (national figures).
- In NSW, ~40% of psychological injury claimants are still off work after a year, versus 88% of physical injury claimants returning within 13 weeks.
- Psych claims are ~12% of claims but ~38% of total cost — and rising.
Training staff to de-escalate early protects wellbeing, prevents churn, and avoids costly complaints and compensation.
Book a Public Managing Difficult Customers Course
Upcoming dates for the Managing Difficult Customers course are listed below. Sessions run live online over 2 × 4-hour blocks, so your team can join from anywhere. Choose your preferred session and secure your place instantly.
💳 Checkout online with a credit card, or request an invoice during the booking process.
Need help before booking?
Call us on +61 3 9008 7287 (Mon–Fri, 8:30am–5:30pm Melbourne, Australia) or send us a message.
Training a whole team? Explore private course options.
💡 The cost of getting this wrong is high. Psychological injury claims are significantly more expensive and longer in duration than physical injuries. Investing in dealing with angry customers training helps protect your people and your brand.
November 2025 Managing Difficult Customers
Online via Zoom Price: $847.00 AUD ex GSTLearn global best-practice skills on how to manage angry, upset and difficult customers with confidence in this 2 x 4-hour November 2025 online course - suitable for all customer-facing employees.
March 2026 Managing Difficult Customers
Online via Zoom Price: $847.00 AUD ex GSTLearn global best-practice skills on how to manage angry, upset and difficult customers with confidence in this 2 x 4-hour March 2026 online course - suitable for all customer-facing employees.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Managing Difficult Customers is ideal for frontline teams and leaders who handle customer interactions across phone, email, chat or in person. Typical roles include Customer Service, Complaints, Team Leaders, Reception/Front Desk, Retail/Branch, Field Service, Government, Utilities, Healthcare and Hospitality & Tourism.
Public courses run live online over 2 × 4-hour sessions, so staff can join from anywhere with minimal disruption.
Private courses are delivered live online exclusively for your team, creating a safe space to rehearse your real customer scenarios and policies.
The program follows four modules developed by Daniel Ord: Considering Human Behaviour, Classifying Classic Types of Difficult Situations, Service Skills Requirements and Understanding Your Solution Options (YES, NO, WHY, Conditional/Creative YES, Escalation).
Total duration is 8 hours delivered over 2 × 4-hour live sessions. Participants receive structured learning materials, interactive practice and a Certificate of Achievement.
You can book a single seat or multiple seats in a public course. Volume discounts apply for 3+ seats, and ACXPA members save 25%. For teams of 5+ we recommend a private delivery.
Yes. Participants learn professional boundary-setting, courteous warning steps and disengagement protocols to handle abusive or unsafe behaviour with confidence and consistency.
No. We teach repeatable frameworks and customer de-escalation language so employees can respond naturally and professionally. Scripts are optional and not the goal.
A computer with a stable internet connection and access to Zoom or Teams (or via a modern browser). A headset and camera are recommended for the best interaction.
The course is facilitated by Daniel Ord, a globally recognised expert in CX and Contact Centre training, known for engaging, practical delivery.
Public courses: See Upcoming Dates to book instantly.
Private courses: Contact us to schedule dates for your team.
We accept credit card and invoice payments. Volume discounts apply and ACXPA members save 25%.
Psychological injury claims are far more expensive and longer in duration than physical injuries. Investing in handling difficult customers training reduces escalation risk, protects staff wellbeing and prevents costly time-off, turnover and customer churn.
Teams also see improvements in CSAT, resolution times and brand reputation through consistent de-escalation and complaint handling.
Yes. If you need a more budget-friendly pathway, consider our self-paced courses:
- Online Handling Challenging Customers
- Online Customer Service Course
- Online Workplace Stress & Resilience
They’re a great way to upskill quickly or to reinforce learning before/after the live program.
Absolutely — these ACXPA guides are popular starting points:
- Customer service phrases for angry customers
- Complaints management tips
- How to manage angry customers
- Dealing with anger & abuse in customer service
- Empathy statements for customer service
They pair well with the live course or help you build momentum before training.