Live online · 2 × 4 hours · with Daniel Ord

Managing Difficult Customers Training

De-escalation and conflict training that gives your team a proven way to handle angry, upset and difficult customers with confidence, on the phone, in writing and face to face.

Designed and delivered by global expert Daniel Ord. Book a ticket on a live online public course, or train your whole team privately.

  • Led by global expert Daniel Ord
  • Live online: join from anywhere
  • 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 your team

What your team will do differently

Most people are never taught how to handle an upset or unreasonable customer. They work it out under pressure, and it shows: stress, escalations and inconsistent outcomes.

This course gives your team a clear, repeatable approach, so they stay calm, set boundaries professionally and resolve issues without inflaming the situation.

  • Fewer escalations and complaints
  • Calmer, more confident staff under pressure
  • Better protected staff wellbeing
Service advisor calmly handling an unhappy customer in a workshop

Stay calm under pressure

Pause, choose a response and stay in control when emotions run high.

Know what they’re dealing with

Tell the abusive, irritating and unhappy customer apart, and handle each well.

Listen so customers feel heard

Listening, reconfirming and the right level of empathy for the situation.

Say no without blowback

How to say YES, say NO, explain WHY and offer a conditional YES.

Set clear boundaries

Handle abusive behaviour professionally and escalate at the right time.

Protect wellbeing

Less stress, less burnout and more confidence for the people on the front line.

The course

One proven course, built by a global expert

Managing Difficult Customers is one complete course: four modules over two live 4-hour sessions, with plenty of practice so people are ready to use the skills straight away.

It works for any channel, and it’s the same proven format whether you book a public ticket or train your whole team privately.

Daniel has spent decades helping service teams around the world, so the examples feel familiar whatever your industry, and there’s always time for questions about your own situations.

  • 2 × 4 hoursTwo live sessions on separate days
  • Live onlineVia Zoom, join from anywhere
  • Public or privateOne ticket or your whole team
  • CertificateFor everyone who completes

What’s covered: four modules

Each module builds on the last, from understanding behaviour to choosing the right solution.

Module 1

Considering Human Behaviour

How people interpret difficult situations, and how to choose your own response.

  • What it means to choose, and to pause
  • Behaviours incompatible with service
  • Why empathy is hard, and still worth it
Module 2

Classic Difficult Situations

Difficult customers fall into groups. Learn the differences and how to handle each.

  • The abusive customer
  • The irritating customer
  • The unhappy customer
Module 3

Service Skills Requirements

Advanced communication techniques your team can use every day.

  • What listening actually sounds like
  • Reconfirming the enquiry
  • The five levels of empathy
Module 4

Your Solution Options

Move from listening to solving, with the solution types that come up most.

  • How to say YES, and how to say NO
  • Explaining WHY, and the creative YES
  • When and how to escalate

Three ways to train

Book a ticket for one person, bring the course to your whole team, or learn at your own pace.

Public course

Join a scheduled live online class

  • 2 × 4-hour live online sessions
  • Fixed dates, easy to plan ahead
  • Book one ticket or several
  • Save 15% when you book 3 or more
See upcoming dates

Private team training

Your team only, live online

  • The same course, just for your team
  • Time to talk through your real challenges
  • Live online, on dates that suit you
  • Minimum 5 participants
Talk to us about your team

Self-paced online

Short video lessons, any time

  • From $9.15 per person a month
  • 400+ practical lessons and quizzes
  • Manager dashboards, custom pathways
  • Certificates for every course
Explore self-paced

Not sure it’s the right fit for your team? Talk to us

Getting sign-off?

Everything your manager needs, in one PDF

Download a two-page fact sheet with the outcomes, modules, format, price and options, ready to forward or attach to an approval.

Managing Difficult Customers fact sheet

2 × 4 hours live online with Daniel Ord, $747 per person. Public or private.

Download the PDF

Prefer to talk it through?

Not sure it suits your team? Get in touch and we’ll help you choose.

Talk to us

Upcoming live public courses

Book a Managing Difficult Customers course

Public courses run live online over two 4-hour sessions, so your team can join from anywhere. Pay by card or request an invoice at checkout.

  • Live with Daniel OrdExpert-led and interactive
  • Certificate includedFor everyone who completes
  • 15% off 3 or moreBooked in one transaction
  • 25% off for membersACXPA member pricing
Next available12Nov2026

Thursday 12 and Friday 13 November 2026

  • Session 1 Thu 12 Nov · 12:30–4:30pm AEDT
  • Session 2 Fri 13 Nov · 12:30–4:30pm AEDT

Online via Zoom · Bookings close Wed 11 Nov, 6:30pm

$747per person, ex GSTBook tickets15% off 3 or more tickets 4.9/5 · 374 reviews

More dates

Times shown in Melbourne time (AEST/AEDT).

Who it’s for

Who is Managing Difficult Customers training for?

Anyone who deals with customers when conversations turn emotional, from new starters to experienced leaders.

Customer service teams

Phone, email and chat teams handling enquiries and complaints.

Team leaders

Coaching staff through high-emotion calls and escalations.

Complaints teams

Case managers handling formal complaints and escalated cases.

Reception and front desk

Face-to-face roles managing walk-ins and tension in person.

Billing and collections

Hard conversations about money, payments and policy.

Government and utilities

Public-facing staff explaining limits, rules and decisions.

Looking for broader customer service training? Browse all customer service courses

Official ACXPA training partner

Want to save 25% with an ACXPA membership?

CX Skills is the official training partner of ACXPA, which defines the Global Contact Centre CX Standards and publishes the Australian Call Centre Rankings.

ACXPA members also get free complaints and de-escalation resources, including the 7-Step Complaints Handling Framework and the H.E.A.T. Model cheat sheet.

  • Free complaints and de-escalation resources for members
  • ACXPA members save 25% on every live public course
  • Tools, templates and live sessions to keep skills growing

ACXPA membership

Want to save $186.75 on this course?ACXPA members pay $560.25, not $747, plus a year of self-paced courses, tools and live expert support

ACXPA membership is a practitioner-built, vendor-neutral toolkit for anyone who deals with upset or difficult customers, and you don’t need to book a course to use it.

Members get the Complaints Handling Hub, self-paced courses on difficult customers, complaints, assertiveness and managing stress, and live access to experienced practitioners every fortnight.

  • 17self-paced courses with certificates
  • 65+tools, templates and resources
  • 50+hours of live expert access a year
  • 25%off CX Skills live public courses

Plus member tools for tough conversations

See where your service stands

The Customer Service Health Check rates you across 17 dimensions, with a full diagnostic and action plan for members.

480 Customer Response Templates

Written replies your team can adapt, included with Business Membership.

Spot who needs coaching

The Agent Performance Matrix plots each person on quality versus productivity, so coaching goes where it helps most.

An ACXPA Individual Membership is $197 ex GST a year, and Business Membership starts at $497 for a team of five, under $100 per person.

Every member gets 25% off CX Skills live public courses: five people on this $747 course save $933.75, far more than a Business Membership costs.

Why learn with Daniel

Why teams choose Daniel Ord

Daniel has spent decades helping organisations around the world lift service, and his courses are some of our most highly rated.

Every session is live and interactive, with real examples, practice and plenty of room for questions.

A global perspective

50,000+ people trained across 40+ countries, so your team learns what works worldwide.

A proven format

A course refined over many years and delivered the same way every time, so the results are consistent.

Practice, not theory

Real examples, exercises and discussion, so skills are ready to use on the very next customer.

Your challenges, discussed

There’s always time to talk through the situations your team faces every day.

Engaging online

Two half-day sessions that keep people involved and fit around rosters and service levels.

Recognised credentials

CCXP, ICMI Certified Associate and Net Promoter Certified, and a regular keynote speaker worldwide.

Reviews

What participants say

Verified reviews from people who’ve completed Managing Difficult Customers with Daniel.

4.9

374 verified reviews across all CX Skills courses

Read every review
4.9

Managing Difficult Customers · 50 reviews

5.0

On Google · 39 reviews
Independently verified

View all testimonials

FAQs

Managing Difficult Customers training FAQs

Delivery, pricing, content and who the course suits.

Still have questions? Get in touch
Who should attend this course?
Anyone who deals with customers when conversations get tough: customer service and contact centre teams, complaints and case managers, team leaders, reception and front desk, retail and branch staff, and field, healthcare, government and hospitality teams.
What topics are covered?
Four modules: Considering Human Behaviour, Classifying the Classic Types of Difficult Situations, Service Skills Requirements, and Understanding Your Solution Options (how to say YES, how to say NO, how to explain WHY, a conditional or creative YES, and when to escalate).
Does it help with abusive or unsafe behaviour?
Yes. Participants learn how to recognise abusive behaviour, set professional boundaries and respond calmly and consistently, including when to warn, when to escalate and when to end the conversation.
Does the course provide scripts?
No. Participants learn repeatable frameworks and language they can use naturally in their own words, on the phone, in writing and face to face.
How is the course delivered?
Live online via Zoom over 2 × 4-hour sessions on separate days, so people can join from anywhere with minimal disruption to rosters. Public courses run on set dates; private courses are for your team only, on dates that suit you.
Can Daniel deliver the course onsite?
Daniel is based in Germany, so this course runs live online. If you’d like him onsite with your team, talk to us and we’ll quote it, including travel.
Can the course be customised for our team?
The content and format are fixed: it’s a proven course that Daniel delivers the same way every time. In a private course there’s always time to talk through your team’s real situations and challenges.
How much does it cost?
Public courses are $747 per person (ex GST) for 8 hours of live training. Save 15% when you book three or more people in the same transaction, and ACXPA members save 25%. Private courses for your team (minimum 5 participants) are quoted.
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. If that happens, we’ll let you know as early as possible and you can move to another date or get a full refund.
What’s included?
Two live 4-hour sessions with Daniel, course materials, practical exercises and a certificate of completion for everyone who completes the course.
What do participants need?
A computer with a stable internet connection, Zoom, and a headset and camera for the best experience.
Is there a lower-cost or self-paced option?
Yes. Our self-paced courses are an affordable way to build skills at any time, from $9.15 per person a month.

An ACXPA membership is another option. Members save 25% on live public courses and get the Complaints Handling Hub, with guides, a framework, logging and escalation tools to improve complaints handling across your business.
How do I book?
For a public course, choose a date in the upcoming dates and book online by card or invoice. For private training, talk to us or call us on +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 take the heat out of difficult conversations?

Book a ticket on a public course, train your whole team privately, or start self-paced today.