We may earn an affiliate commission when you visit our partners.
Theresa Miller

A successful Support Center is prepared for any customer situation. In this course, you will learn how to handle an irrational customer and gain an understanding of when to escalate complaints to a manager.

Read more

A successful Support Center is prepared for any customer situation. In this course, you will learn how to handle an irrational customer and gain an understanding of when to escalate complaints to a manager.

A successful Support Center is prepared for any customer situation. In this course, Dealing with Irrational Customers and Escalating Complaints, you will learn to educate your staff about dealing with irrational customers. First, you will delve into the steps your organization must understand to ensure that even the worst situation is resolved with a great customer service experience. Next, you will learn about maintaining professionalism. Last, you will dive into complaint escalation techniques. When you are finished with this course, you will have the knowledge and skills necessary to deal with any stressful customer service situations your organization might face.

What's inside

Syllabus

Course Overview
Maintaining a Professional Approach
Dealing with Irrational Customers
Complaint Escalation Techniques
Read more

Traffic lights

Read about what's good
what should give you pause
and possible dealbreakers
Teaches strategies and techniques for handling stressful customer service interactions
Covers techniques for escalating complaints to managers when necessary
Part of a series that offers a comprehensive approach to support center management

Save this course

Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.
Save

Reviews summary

Practical strategies for challenging customer service

According to learners, this course provides practical strategies and immediately applicable tools for managing difficult customer interactions. Students particularly commend its focus on maintaining professionalism and effective complaint escalation techniques, which helps build confidence in handling stressful situations. While many found the instructor's delivery engaging and the examples highly relatable, some learners with prior experience noted that the course content felt introductory or desired more interactive exercises. Overall, it's a solid foundation, especially beneficial for those new to client-facing roles.
Well-suited for new customer service professionals.
"It felt a bit introductory for someone with several years of experience. Good for beginners though."
"Good basic course on customer service... a solid foundation for new customer service reps."
"Good if you're completely new to the topic."
Teaches maintaining composure and de-escalation.
"I appreciated the focus on maintaining professionalism even in challenging situations."
"It covers the core concepts well, especially the importance of professional boundaries."
"The course emphasizes professionalism well. It empowers you to handle tough calls with grace."
Offers immediately applicable tools and strategies.
"This course was truly insightful and provided practical strategies for handling difficult customer interactions."
"Excellent course! I learned practical tools to manage escalating complaints effectively."
"Very practical and immediately applicable. The methods taught are truly effective. I've used them several times already in my job and seen a positive difference."
Pacing can be slow; some desired advanced content.
"The information presented is useful, but the pace was a bit slow for me."
"I was hoping for more advanced techniques."
"Some parts felt a bit generic, and I felt some could have been condensed."
Some wished for more interactive exercises or cases.
"Solid content, but I wish there were more interactive exercises or case studies to practice the techniques."
"I found the theory sound, but I would have benefited from more hands-on scenarios."
"I could use more opportunities to apply the techniques taught through practical exercises."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Dealing with Irrational Customers and Escalating Complaints with these activities:
Compile a list of customer service resources
Expand your knowledge and stay updated on customer service best practices by compiling a collection of relevant resources.
Show steps
  • Identify different types of customer service resources.
  • Search for and gather resources from various sources.
  • Organize and categorize the resources.
Practice handling difficult customers
Enhance your ability to deal with difficult customers by following tutorials that provide specific techniques and strategies.
Show steps
  • Find online tutorials on handling difficult customers.
  • Follow the steps outlined in the tutorials.
  • Practice the techniques with a friend or family member.
Role-play customer service scenarios
Improve your ability to handle customer complaints effectively by participating in role-playing exercises.
Show steps
  • Identify common customer complaints.
  • Develop scripts for handling these complaints.
  • Practice role-playing these scenarios with a partner.
Three other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all six activities
Mentor a new customer service representative
Enhance your understanding of customer service principles by sharing your knowledge and experience with a new representative.
Show steps
  • Identify opportunities to mentor a new customer service representative.
  • Develop a mentoring plan that outlines your goals and expectations.
  • Provide guidance and support to the new representative.
Develop a customer service escalation plan
Reinforce your understanding of complaint escalation techniques by creating a comprehensive plan that outlines the steps to follow when a complaint cannot be resolved at the initial level.
Show steps
  • Identify the different levels of escalation.
  • Establish criteria for when to escalate a complaint.
  • Develop a process for documenting and tracking escalated complaints.
Participate in a customer service competition
Challenge yourself by participating in a customer service competition to test your skills and gain valuable feedback.
Show steps
  • Find customer service competitions that are relevant to your field.
  • Prepare for the competition by practicing your skills and knowledge.
  • Participate in the competition and strive to excel.

Career center

Learners who complete Dealing with Irrational Customers and Escalating Complaints will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Customer Service Manager
Customer Service Managers are responsible for overseeing the customer service department and ensuring that customers have a positive experience. This course would be particularly useful for Customer Service Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Customer Service Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Customer Support Specialist
Customer Support Specialists provide support to customers via phone, email, or chat. This course would be useful for Customer Support Specialists who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Customer Support Specialists to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Technical Support Specialist
Technical Support Specialists provide support to customers with technical issues. This course would be useful for Technical Support Specialists who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Technical Support Specialists to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Account Manager
Account Managers are responsible for managing relationships with key customers. This course would be useful for Account Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Account Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Sales Representative
Sales Representatives are responsible for selling products or services to customers. This course would be useful for Sales Representatives who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Sales Representatives to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Marketing Manager
Marketing Managers are responsible for developing and implementing marketing campaigns. This course would be useful for Marketing Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Marketing Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Public relations manager
Public Relations Managers are responsible for managing the public image of an organization. This course would be useful for Public Relations Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Public Relations Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Human Resources Manager
Human Resources Managers are responsible for managing the human resources department of an organization. This course would be useful for Human Resources Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Human Resources Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Operations Manager
Operations Managers are responsible for overseeing the operations of an organization. This course would be useful for Operations Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Operations Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Project Manager
Project Managers are responsible for managing projects. This course would be useful for Project Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Project Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
IT Manager
IT Managers are responsible for overseeing the IT department of an organization. This course would be useful for IT Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help IT Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Financial Manager
Financial Managers are responsible for managing the finances of an organization. This course would be useful for Financial Managers who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Financial Managers to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Operations Research Analyst
Operations Research Analysts use mathematical and analytical techniques to solve problems in business and industry. This course would be useful for Operations Research Analysts who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Operations Research Analysts to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Management Analyst
Management Analysts study the operations of organizations and make recommendations for improvements. This course would be useful for Management Analysts who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Management Analysts to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.
Business Analyst
Business Analysts analyze the business needs of organizations and develop solutions to meet those needs. This course would be useful for Business Analysts who want to learn how to deal with irrational customers and escalate complaints effectively. The course would also help Business Analysts to develop the skills they need to maintain a professional approach in difficult situations.

Reading list

We've selected 12 books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Dealing with Irrational Customers and Escalating Complaints.
Customer Service: A Practical Guide provides step-by-step instructions for resolving complaints. Readers will find sections on how to manage angry customers while maintaining professionalism. also provides tools for recognizing how to defuse a difficult situation.
Provides a 12-step guide and checklist to help staff and managers deal with even the most difficult customers. It can be useful as a quick reference book for customer service staff.
Offers a comprehensive overview of service quality, with a focus on measurement and improvement. It can be useful as a textbook for business students or as a reference for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of service quality.
Provides a practical guide to providing excellent customer service, with a focus on building relationships and creating a customer-centric culture. It can be useful as a quick read for customer service staff or as a reference for those who want to learn more about customer service from a practical perspective.
Provides a practical guide to creating a customer experience that is effortless for the customer. It can be useful as a reference book for customer service staff or as a reference for those who want to learn more about customer service from a practical perspective.
Offers a comprehensive overview of customer service management, with a focus on measurement, analysis, and improvement. It can be useful as a textbook for customer service managers or as a reference for those who want a deeper understanding of customer service management.
Provides a comprehensive overview of service management, including customer service. It is useful as a textbook for business students or as a reference for those who want to gain a deeper understanding of service management.
Covers the fundamentals of customer service excellence. It provides strategies for exceeding customer expectations, building strong relationships, and resolving complaints effectively.
From the "For Dummies" series provides an overview of what customer service entails, how to manage different customer personalities, and how to resolve customer complaints.
Offers a psychological perspective on dealing with customers. It provides strategies for understanding customer emotions and building strong relationships with customers.
Offers a strategic approach to handling customer relationships. Readers will learn how to implement customer-focused strategies and create a loyal customer base.
The Service Profit Chain explains the connection between customer satisfaction and profitability. valuable read for professionals looking to improve their customer-focused strategies.

Share

Help others find this course page by sharing it with your friends and followers:

Similar courses

Similar courses are unavailable at this time. Please try again later.
Our mission

OpenCourser helps millions of learners each year. People visit us to learn workspace skills, ace their exams, and nurture their curiosity.

Our extensive catalog contains over 50,000 courses and twice as many books. Browse by search, by topic, or even by career interests. We'll match you to the right resources quickly.

Find this site helpful? Tell a friend about us.

Affiliate disclosure

We're supported by our community of learners. When you purchase or subscribe to courses and programs or purchase books, we may earn a commission from our partners.

Your purchases help us maintain our catalog and keep our servers humming without ads.

Thank you for supporting OpenCourser.

© 2016 - 2025 OpenCourser