With the COVID 19 pandemic and the move to remote working there has been a lot of focus on supporting staff with their physical safety and emotional well-being. And rightly so!
However, another workplace safety challenge is emerging……
With the increased financial and social pressures brought on by COVID 19, customer service and frontline staff are facing increasingly emotional and challenging behaviour from clients and community members. I am hearing reports of a rise in the amount and intensity of demanding, threatening and aggressive behaviour from anxious customers – face to face, over the phone and by email.
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If staff in your organisation are facing an increase in difficult situations with customers, it is vital that they are provided with the skills and tools to de-escalate these emotional interactions – both from a customer satisfaction perspective, but also from a physical and mental safety perspective.
Frontline staff need the skills to:
- demonstrate empathy,
- acknowledge customer’s feelings and needs,
- collaborate with customers to find a solution, and
- know when to seek help or end an interaction – all while they are feeling anxious themselves!
At Performance Culture Consulting we offer a highly interactive 2 hr remote learning program which provides staff with practical skills and scripts to de-escalate emotional or difficult situations.