Dealing With Difficult, Angry Customers and Citizens In Government

While governments don't have customers in the same way that commercial companies do, users of government services, call centers and contact points can eat up huge amounts of time and energy, when they become angry, frustrated and abusive. No government can afford the inefficiency of an angry citizen taking up to ten times more time and energy than a calmer customer. And of course, there are many other reasons to provide effective customer service to the public besides efficiency.

Knowing how to defuse difficult government customer situations is a key skill for almost all government employees, but it's also an area where public sector employees are under-trained. Effective training in this area must go beyond the standard customer service seminars going the rounds, and requires a group leader who has a sound background in Psychology and government.

We've trained thousands of government employee in these skills over the last twenty five years. We offer government departments a flexible, custom designed and for mated seminar to fit into a busy schedule, and we do not allow reasonable budget limitations to prevent you from hiring us to deliver our seminar.

Since we customize everything for you, your seminar will include case studies relevant to YOUR workplace, and topics will be tailored for your employees' needs.

Call us at (613) 764-0241 to see if there's a good fit.

Below is some additional information about our available training on this topic.

Who Will Benefit From This Seminar

Employees (including supervisors or managers) who deal with difficult, angry and volatile government clientele in person or on the phone. Where possible it's ideal that a supervisor and/or manager attend with his or her staff.

Benefits & Outcomes

• More complaints & problems can be dealt with without managerial involvement.
• Reduction of time needed to manage or resolve difficult situations by applying non-argumentative techniques to help clientele “hear”
• Increases workplace safety through prevention.
• Increases staff confidence dealing with volatile situations.

Special Seminar Features

• Built from the ground up for government staff and situations but custom designed for other sectors
• All seminars custom-designed and use examples and cases from your workplace
• Uses script analysis techniques to provide practice opportunities - a low stress approach.
• Builds both specific skills and understanding of angry and hostile dynamics, so participants can continue to improve “on the job”.
• Seminar manual serves as both workbook and reference book.
• Cost effective. Costs can be as little as $90.00 per person for customized seminars.
• By training all staff in your workplace, allows staff and managers to work together as defusing teams.

Seminar Options

• Available in half-day, one day, one and one-half day, and two day formats.
• One day seminar can be split into two half-day seminars delivered on consecutive days.

What Do Participants Learn?

• How to prevent small conflicts from becoming time-eating, stress-provoking situations
• How to maintain self-control amidst the insults and threats.
• How to time and sequence responses so clients will listen.
• How to counter the physically intimidating person.
• How to use language to prevent escalation and increase cooperation.
• How to use techniques to get angry or hostile people to listen and stop arguing.
• How to avoid sounding bureaucratic.
• How to set and enforce limits when client behavior is unacceptable.
• How to terminate conversations properly and effectively.
• How to deal with telephone hostility.
• How to work with supervisor to deal with situations more quickly.
• How to defuse as a team.
• How to provide for “face-saving” outs for clients.
• Managing involvement of supervisor/manager.
• Using time-out tactics with adults.
• Dealing with audience situations.
• Cultural issues