This specialized course tackles the issue of customer complaints by focusing on its two components: the behavioural aspect related to the individual employee who deals face to face with the complainant and the system's or procedural aspect related to how the organization should process a complaint, every step of the way, from the moment it is raised to its conclusion. In addition, the course also covers the necessary preparations an organization must go through in terms of culture development and openness before it can hope to benefit from complaints, recover complaining customers, improve internal processes and achieve new heights in customer satisfaction.

Course Methodology

In addition to short presentations by the consultant and the resulting written or oral questions that are debated by the group, this course relies on case studies, exercises and the design of procedures and forms by work teams as well as role plays.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Defend the vital role of a customer complaints management system in enhancing organizational performance
• Demonstrate how a properly trained employee handles, step-by-step, complaining customers, gains their confidence and gratitude and secures their satisfaction 
• Implement a customer feedback system that will maximize customer satisfaction and retention
• Manage every phase of the complaint handling process from preparation to closing including receipt, analysis, escalation, tracking, and all internal and external communication
• Formulate relevant key performance indicators to assess and audit complaint systems

Target Audience

Customer complaint system managers and staff, customer service managers and staff, as well as managers and staff of support departments such as HR and IT, that provide services to other departments (internal customers) in the organization.

Target Competencies

• Customer orientation
• Empathic outlook
• Emotional control
• Meeting standards
• Systems judgement
• Organized workplace
• Quality orientation

Course Outline

• Introduction to understanding your customers
• Interesting facts and figures
• Customer retention
• The principal foundation of retaining and developing our customer base
• The 'PRIDE' model for understanding customer needs
• Service mix elements