Phone Customer Service · Essentials · 3 hours
Phone Customer Service Essentials
A 3-hour live course that gives your team a proven structure for every call, so they sound confident, stay in control and resolve more at the first contact.
Book a ticket on a live online public course, or train your whole team privately, online or onsite.
- 4.8/5 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
What’s in it for you
Designed for immediate impact, from the very next call
Every technique is demonstrated and practised in the session, so your team can use it on their very next call. No theory to translate and no waiting for results.
For you, that means happier customers, fewer escalations and repeat calls, and a team that sounds confident and consistent.
- Stronger starts and finishes to every call
- Clearer answers customers understand first time
- Calmer handling of difficult callers
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
One focused session, built from 50,000+ assessed calls
Phone Customer Service Essentials is a single 3-hour live session covering five modules, with demonstrations and practice throughout.
It follows the same framework as Foundations and PRO, and it’s aligned to the standards ACXPA uses to assess customer service.
Your team leaves with a clear structure they can use on the very next call, whether they work in a contact centre, at reception or in the office.
- 1 × 3 hoursOne live session
- Online or onsitePublic online; private either way
- Public or privateOne ticket or your whole team
- CertificateFor everyone who completes
What’s covered: five modules
Demonstrations and practice across five modules, all in one 3-hour session.
The Psychology of Customer Service
What customers want and need, based on decades of research.
- What drives customer expectations
- The five core competencies
- Why every call matters
How to Engage
Strong first impressions that build trust and control.
- Ownership and intent
- Setting expectations
- Realistic call practice
How to Educate and Inform
Uncover needs quickly, then explain clearly.
- Three discovery techniques
- Presenting information clearly
- Checks for understanding
How to Close
End every call professionally, with no clunky finishes.
- Final checks
- Clear next steps
- A warm farewell
Energy, Empathy and Objections
Sound fresh and confident, and calm difficult callers.
- Tone and language
- The two-step method
- De-escalating issues
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
- Live online via Zoom
- Fixed dates, easy to plan ahead
- Book one ticket or several
- Save 15% when you book 3 or more
Private team training
Your team only, as-is or tailored
- Live online or onsite, on your dates
- Examples drawn from your own calls
- Essentials, Foundations or PRO
- Minimum 5 participants
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
Want more practice time? See Phone Customer Service Foundations
Compare phone courses
Need more depth? Compare the three phone courses
All three courses teach the same proven framework. Foundations adds more practice and a full session on difficult customers, and PRO goes further again for teams who want to master the phone.
| Compare | This coursePhone Customer ServiceEssentials | Public or privatePhone Customer ServiceFoundations | Private onlyPhone Customer ServicePRO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 1 × 3-hour sessionlive online or onsite | 2 × 3-hour sessionsor a half day onsite | 3 × 3-hour sessionsor a full day onsite |
| Price | $315per person, ex GST | $485per person, ex GST | $645per person, ex GST |
| Availability | Public or private | Public or private | Private only |
| Best for | New starters, or a fast refresh for experienced staff. | Anyone who wants skills to stick through practice. | Teams who want to master phone service. |
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| Link | You’re on this page | View Foundations | View 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 Essentials: 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 sheetPrefer to talk it through?
Not sure which course or format suits your team? Get in touch and we’ll help you choose.
Talk to usUpcoming live public courses
Book a Phone Customer Service Essentials course
Public courses run live online via Zoom in one 3-hour session. Book one ticket or several, and pay by card or request an invoice at checkout.
Thu 8 Oct 2026
9:30am–12:30pm AEDT · 3 hours · Online via Zoom
Bookings close Wed 7 Oct, 6:30pm
More dates
- 10Nov2026Tue 10 Nov 20261:30–4:30pm AEDT · 3 hours · Online via Zoom$315ex GSTBook tickets
- 10Dec2026Thu 10 Dec 20269:30am–12:30pm AEDT · 3 hours · Online via Zoom$315ex GSTBook tickets
- 14Jan2027Thu 14 Jan 20271:30–4:30pm AEDT · 3 hours · Online via Zoom$315ex GSTBook tickets
- 18Mar2027Thu 18 Mar 20279:30am–12:30pm AEDT · 3 hours · Online via Zoom$315ex GSTBook tickets
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
ACXPA certified
Want your calls to meet the standard ACXPA uses to assess customer service?
CX Skills is the official training partner of ACXPA, which sets the standards used to assess customer service and publishes the Australian Call Centre Rankings.
Our phone customer service courses are ACXPA certified, so your team learns the behaviours that phone service is actually measured on.
- ACXPA certified phone customer service courses
- Built on the standards used to assess customer service
- ACXPA members save 25% on every live public course
ACXPA membership
Want to save $78.75 on this course?ACXPA members pay $236.25, not $315, plus a year of self-paced courses, tools and live expert support
ACXPA membership is a practitioner-built, vendor-neutral toolkit for anyone who looks after customers on the phone, and you don’t need to book a course to use it.
Members get self-paced courses on phone skills and difficult customers, a complaints framework your whole team can follow, the standards ACXPA uses to assess customer service calls, and live access to contact centre leaders 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
Sharpen your skills, any time
Self-paced courses on phone skills, service excellence, difficult customers and complaints, each with a workbook, quiz and certificate.
Plus one-minute refreshers that work well in a team huddle.
Handle every complaint the same way
The 7-Step Complaints Handling Framework, staff cheat sheets and logging tools in the Complaints Handling Hub.
Built to reduce escalations and restore customer trust.
Live expert access
A relaxed, off-the-record Open Mic on Zoom every second Tuesday with ACXPA’s founder and CEO.
Plus monthly CX and Call Centre Roundtables, kept in a searchable library.
Plus member tools built for phone teams
See where your service stands
The Customer Service Health Check rates you across 17 dimensions, with a full diagnostic and action plan for members.
The standard your calls are judged on
The ACXPA Global Contact Centre CX Standards: the phone behaviours ACXPA uses to assess customer service calls.
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: one ticket on this course saves $78.75, and five tickets save $393.75.
Reviews
What participants say
Verified reviews from people who’ve completed Phone Customer Service Essentials.
374 verified reviews across all CX Skills courses
Read every reviewPhone Customer Service Essentials · 30 reviews
On Google · 39 reviews
Independently verified
FAQs
Phone Customer Service Essentials FAQs
Format, pricing, content and who the course suits.
Who should attend?
What’s covered?
How is it different from Foundations and PRO?
How much does it cost?
How is it delivered?
Can it be tailored for our team?
Will the course definitely go ahead?
Do participants receive a certificate?
Is the course ACXPA certified?
Is there a lower-cost or self-paced option?
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?
How do I book?
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.
Ready to lift every customer call?
Book a ticket on a public course, train your whole team privately, or start self-paced today.