Difficult Customers & Challenges

Dealing With Workplace Decadence

Restore focus, accountability, and purpose in your organisation

Every organisation goes through phases of growth, stagnation, and renewal — but when workplace decadence sets in, it can quietly undermine performance. When egos, entitlement, and personal interests take precedence over collective goals, productivity and morale suffer.

The Dealing with Workplace Decadence program by Preftrain helps leaders and teams identify behaviours that contribute to cultural decline and teaches how to re-align individuals with the organisation’s mission, values, and goals.

Workplace Blaming

Transform a workplace blame culture into a culture of accountability

When things go wrong at work, do people look for solutions — or someone to blame?

A blame culture in the workplace can quietly erode trust, teamwork, and morale. This program helps employees and leaders recognise the early warning signs of blaming others in the workplace and teaches how to redirect energy towards ownership and constructive problem-solving.

The Workplace Blaming Training course by Preferred Training Networks provides practical strategies to build a no-blame culture, strengthen communication, and foster psychological safety across teams.

Dealing With Awful People

Sometimes awful people enjoy being awful. They enjoy being abusive. They gain immense satisfaction from trying to ruin your day.

So, what can you do? How can you set boundaries for awful people? How do you complete your work in the presence of an awful person? This course will give you the psychological tools to remain composed when facing awful people. The aim is to keep you safe and calm in the face of adversity. Tomorrow is another day and sometimes a tactical withdrawal is the best defence.

This course will also show you what not to do. You don’t want to inflame the situation and you want to keep your personal safety top of mind.

Dealing With Angry People In Australia Training Course

If you’ve faced an angry group, then you’ll know the importance of this training. The biggest problem with an angry group is that the anger is constant and random. It’s even more unsettling than dealing with an angry individual. This course gives you strategies to keep you safe and quell the group’s anger. So, if your people are in the position of facing an angry group, then this ‘Dealing with Angry People’ workshop is perfect.

‘Dealing with Angry People’ Workshop Nuts and Bolts:

Would you like to attend this tailored ‘Dealing with Angry People’ program? For maximum effectiveness, this course is best conducted as an in-house program.

Venue: For your convenience, you can choose to conduct this course at your workplace. Alternatively, we can provide a training venue at a small additional cost.

Duration: Each course can be tailored to suit your timeframes.

Complaint Handling Skills Training Course

How effectively does your team manage customer complaints?

When dealt with properly, complaints can turn unsatisfied customers into loyal customers and/or devoted supporters. Developing the ability to do so has a huge impact on your organisation’s reputation and success. Tailored in-house complaint handling courses provide powerful tools to improve customer satisfaction and resolve issues effectively.

By providing your team with the necessary techniques, any interaction, regardless of the challenge, can be handled with confidence and precision. Complaint-handling on site courses are designed to train participants to respond to complaints proactively and constructively. This also leads to improved customer satisfaction and enhanced brand reputation.

Refine Your Approach with Our Complaint Handling Courses

Participants will gain insights into complaint prioritisation and learn to listen without judgement. Our training also covers essential service recovery strategies and communication techniques. Instead of simply logging complaints, training empowers your staff to uncover root causes, identify root causes and effectively communicate resolutions, leading to better service and stronger business outcomes.

Our complaint handling courses can be tailored to suit your business or industry and can include training for the following:

Our comprehensive programs are designed to improve every aspect of customer interaction and service excellence. Further training with us will ensure your team excels in both communication and customer service. To further supplement your staff’s development, we also offers courses in business report writing, communication skills, and presentation delivery.

Why Enrol in Our Professional Complaint Handling Courses?

Investing in our professional complaint-handling training provides your team with the tools necessary to effectively resolve client/customer problems. Here’s why enrolling in our courses is a wise decision for your organisation:

Enhance Customer Satisfaction
Learn how to handle concerns quickly and properly, leaving customers feeling heard and appreciated. Improved complaint management skills also mean that your team will develop stronger client relationships, resulting in long-term success.
Strengthen Communication Skills
Our complaint-handling seminars provide clear and emphatic communication strategies, allowing your team to handle even the most difficult conversations with confidence and poise.
Improve Brand Reputation
Efficiently handling complaints improves your brand’s reputation. By resolving concerns professionally, you demonstrate your dedication to customer service and quality.

Effective complaint handling is an essential ability that can significantly improve your leadership and management abilities. Our complaint handling courses provide your team with the strategies to resolve issues efficiently, lead with confidence, and build stronger relationships within your organisation and with clients.

Transform your approach to customer service. Explore our full range of professional development courses to enhance your team’s skills. We also offer micro-learning workshops that deliver more focused lessons designed to fit into busy schedules. Contact us today for an instant quote.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Who should attend the Complaints Handling Training?

A. This course is ideal for customer service representatives, frontline staff, managers, and anyone responsible for managing customer complaints and feedback.

Q. What are the key learning outcomes of this course?

A. Participants will learn effective communication techniques, strategies to de-escalate conflicts, methods to identify underlying issues, and approaches to turn complaints into opportunities for improvement.

Q. Is this training available across Australia?

A. Yes, we offer the Complaints Handling Training in all major cities and regional areas across Australia, with options for in-person or virtual delivery.

Q. How long is the course?

A. The course can be tailored to your needs, with options ranging from 60-minute microlearning sessions to full-day workshops.

Burying the Hatchet Training Course

The key to “burying the hatchet” is being able to understand difficult issues and have a toolbox of conflict resolution techniques. Employees and management often find themselves in situations where they are forced to work and communicate with people but are unable to make a connection with them. Occasionally negative reactions to others can be a result of value systems, projection, transference, personality types, societal differences, cultural norms and even dysfunctional behaviour.

“Holding on to resentment and engaging in petty conflicts inhibits the machinery of local government.” — J. Richards

Managing conflict in the workplace and positively resolving issues helps to create a productive and harmonious work environment. Many managers and employees have simply not had the training to “bury the hatchet”. And sometimes that is all it takes! Learn some new strategies and you will notice an immediate and positive difference. Our conflict resolution strategies enable you to deal effectively with difficult situations and people. Imagine the difference if all your people were functioning at a level of emotional intelligence that transcends differences of opinion. If you have conflict, why don’t you try this unique approach? As Woody Allen remarked, “80% of success is showing up”.

Conflicts are often inevitable and hard to deal with. However, with the right approach, it is possible to resolve a conflict in the workplace. Our course for conflict resolution in the workplace equips participants with the tips and techniques to calmly deal with problems.

Through an experiential learning process participants will be guided through a journey of understanding as well as specific skill development in the areas of reflective listening, rapport building, developing self-awareness, assertiveness and delighting in diversity.

1.2 KEY HATCHET TRAINING AREAS

Hatchet Identification	Behaviours and hatchets Root cause focus instead of symptomatic responses Difference scanning Behavioural continue-stop-start model A puzzle exercise will be used to create an experiential learning environment. Participants will observe behaviours and this will be followed by discussion.
Emotional Intelligence	Attitude, beliefs, values and expectations can be damaging to relationships Our “quality world” causes frustration and resentment and destroys relationships The importance of intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence Interactive presentation and discussion
Types of Conflict and how to Overcome Them	Different types of workplace conflict Identifying the #1 cause of conflict The most common dysfunctions of teams Generating rapport with people whom we see as very different to ourselves Practical group exercises and discussion.
Listening Without Generating Solutions	Listening effectively demonstrates respect and thus builds others self esteem Listening is about self control instead of self indulgence Discuss concepts without fear of ridicule Listening without generating solutions or directing the conversation builds personal power Practical group exercises and discussion.
Setting Boundaries and Creating Psychological Safety	A formula for setting boundaries with people who overstep them Eliminating words that cause negative reactions Being clear about what behaviour you prefer Communicate with people as if they are well intentioned A practical exercise with explanation and discussion.
Diversity of Values	Values drive our behaviour and perceptions People have different values ? no-one’s values are “better” than others Differences in values cause a breakdown in relationships Learning to respect others values assists us to view difficult people as different Dealing with difficult people in meetings Practical group exercise followed by discussion.
Delighting in Differences and Action Planning	How our personality styles cause us to engage in conflict Being dominant or passive generates negative results Respecting diversity of ideas and making the best of different approaches Behavioural change Group exercise with observation and discussion.

Our Local Government customers include: Bass Coast, Boroondara, Brimbank, Casey, Fairfield, Frankston, Gladstone, Glen Innes, Hobsons Bay, Manningham, Maroondah, Nillumbik, Port Phillip, Rockhampton, Somerset Regional Sydney, Towoomba, Whitehorse, Whittlesea, Wyndham, Wodonga, Yarra Ranges.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS

GUIDELINES

Group Size: An ideal group size is 4–12 participants.

Venue: For your convenience, you can choose to conduct this program at your offices. Alternatively, we can provide a training venue at a small additional cost.

Cost: Upon request.

Emotional Intelligence for Challenging Situations in LG Training Course

At a glance, your tailored ‘Emotional Intelligence for Challenging Situations in LG’ workshop covers:

What is Emotional Intelligence: different models of analysis
Core competencies: self-management; self-awareness; self-regulation; self-motivation and empathy
Role of EI at work — social skills; making an impact; creating a powerful first impression; assessing a situation
How to accurately perceive and interpret emotions
Understand different emotions and manage them in the workplace
Use emotions to facilitate thinking and break through roadblocks
Understand emotional meanings
Putting yourself in the challenging situation
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Disagreeing constructively
Calibrating levels of EI in Council

“No doubt emotional intelligence is more rare than book smarts, but my experience says it is actually more important in the making of a leader. You just can’t ignore it.” — Jack Welsh

‘Emotional Intelligence for Challenging Situations in LG’ In-House Program Details

Group Size: An ideal group size is 4–10 participants.
Venue: For your convenience, you can choose to conduct this program at your offices. Alternatively, we can provide a venue at a small additional cost.
Cost: Upon request.
Target Audience: LG Employees who interact with people in challenging situations

Dealing with Difficult Clients Training Course

Clients often get angry and difficult when they perceive a service failure. The unfortunate thing is that the service failure does not even need to be real. If your client thinks it’s real, then it’s real. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities with difficult clients if you manage them instead of reacting to them.

The costs of an angry and difficult client

Time and emotional cost reacting to the perceived problem
Resources allocated to fixing the problem, which may not actually be the problem
Higher staff turnover as angry clients shred employee loyalty
Less engaged staff and lower motivational levels
Client fees are often discounted to soothe the anger
Bad WOM – In your industry, you can’t afford this

The benefits of redirecting the anger

Instead of being the target, you redirect the anger to the real problem
Improved client loyalty if you create a successful service recovery
Positive WOM and referral opportunities
Work flows are more streamlined and not bouncing from conflict to conflict
Maintain long term client relationships

4 reasons to choose this ‘Dealing with Difficult Clients’ in-house program for your staff

An angry, difficult client creates negative word of mouth
Difficult clients are often less profitable due to the amount of concessions they get
Your people may lose an opportunity as they were too busy fixing the problem
Clients love alternative solutions – they save face and you get new business

Key ‘Dealing with Difficult Clients’ Workshop Content:

Correctly identify and label the type of anger
Practice active listening and questioning techniques
Use the 5 Why’s to understand the root cause of the problem
Use strategic interruptions to target venting
Redirect client anger towards a solution
Communicate that you are accountable and take ownership of the problem
Decide the correct time to put forward a “fix it” plan
Understand the halo effect and the laws of attraction
Build a service recovery plan
Position client centric services
Understand how to influence different generations and personalities
Understand the impacts of client’s attitude, beliefs, values and expectations
Understand client intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence
Keep solutions inside the client’s zones of tolerance
Use NLP techniques to promote a sense of understanding
Substitute words that cause unnecessary tensions and build in positive reinforcement.
Create behavioural boundaries even when it seems impossible

The Nuts and Bolts of our ‘Dealing with Difficult Clients’ Course

This ‘Dealing with Difficult Clients’ program can be conducted as an in-house training at your organisation or virtually.

Guidelines

Group Size: An ideal group size is 5–9 participants.
Venue: For your convenience, you can choose to conduct this program at your offices. Alternatively, we can provide a training venue at a small additional cost.
Duration: Each session can be modified to your timeframe.
Cost: Upon request.
Target Audience: Managers and staff dealing with difficult clients.

Dealing With Difficult People Training Course

Sometimes difficult people enjoy being difficult. They enjoy being abusive. They gain immense satisfaction from trying to ruin your day.

So, what can you do? How can you set boundaries for difficult people? How do you complete your work in the presence of difficult people? This course will give you the psychological tools to remain composed when dealing with difficult people. The aim is to keep you safe and calm in the face of adversity. Tomorrow is another day and sometimes a tactical withdrawal is the best defence.

This course will also show you what not to do. You don’t want to inflame the situation and you want to keep your personal safety top of mind.

‘Dealing with Difficult People’ Workshop Nuts and Bolts

Would you like to attend this tailored program?

For maximum effectiveness, this course is best conducted as an in-house program.

Venue: For your convenience, you can choose to conduct this course at your workplace. Alternatively, we can provide a training venue at a small additional cost.

Duration: Each course can be tailored to suit your timeframes.

Look at what you receive within 24 hours at no cost:

An obligation free proposal
A bio of a proposed trainer
Training cost

The team at Preferred Training Networks can also provide you complementary training in a range of areas including conflict resolution courses, workplace behaviours courses, influencing skills training, facilitation courses and general staff development and training.

Dealing with Difficult People Training’ Course Outline

Module	Topics	Key Learning Outcomes
Module 1: Difficult Behaviours	Recognising and Categorising Difficult Behaviours	Understanding different types of challenging behaviours Identifying common triggers for difficult interactions Determining the target audience for intervention strategies
	Understanding the Psychology Behind Behaviour	Exploring why individuals exhibit difficult behaviours Identifying patterns that lead to unproductive interactions Recognising when behaviours are situational versus personality-driven
	Common Types of Difficult Behaviour	Differentiating between aggressive, passive-aggressive, and resistant behaviours Learning to adjust communication strategies based on behaviour type Managing emotional responses when confronted with challenging individuals
Module 2: Behavioural Styles and Personal Awareness	Understanding Behavioural Styles	Identifying different personality and communication styles Using a styles questionnaire to assess behavioural preferences Tailoring conversations Recognising personal strengths and their potential overuse
	Flexibility in Communication Approaches	Learning how to adapt to different communication styles Adjusting responses based on the needs of the conversation Maintaining control in high-pressure interactions
	Managing Emotions Under Pressure	Recognising personal emotional triggers Developing self-regulation techniques to stay composed Using de-escalation methods to prevent situations from escalating
Module 3: Handling Anger and Conflict Escalation	Understanding and Managing Anger	Exploring how anger affects communication and decision-making Recognising signs of escalation and stopping the anger cycle Implementing techniques to redirect emotional energy productively
	The Role of Thoughts in Emotional Reactions	Understanding how thought patterns shape emotional responses Challenging unhelpful thoughts to maintain control Emotional Intelligence insights Understanding self-conditioning Using cognitive strategies to stay objective and solution-focused
Module 4: Strategic Communication for Difficult Interactions	Avoiding Conflict Escalation	Recognising behaviours that intensify disagreements Understanding how different value systems influence reactions Utilising strategic withdrawals as a safety technique Preventing unnecessary conflict through strategic dialogue
	Choosing Language That De-Escalates Tension	Identifying words and phrases that trigger defensive reactions Substituting inflammatory language with neutral phrasing Ensuring clarity while maintaining a professional and calm tone

Dealing with Emotional People Training Course

This in-house program is designed to assist participants to effectively deal with people facing difficult situations. Through an experiential learning process participants will be guided through a journey of understanding as well as specific skill development in the areas of reflective listening, rapport building, developing self awareness, assertiveness and delighting in diversity. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of how their performance and behaviour can make a huge difference to people in tough situations.

‘Dealing with Emotional People’ Workshop Action Plan

Communicate with style.
Display empathy with the person.
Deflect and/or redirect anger and stay positive.
Practice transactional analysis techniques.
Keep the conversation focussed and reposition suggestions to hit the mark.
Use interruption techniques to reduce venting.
Practice active listening and questioning skills.
Practice voice control and tonality techniques.
Search for easy concessions that are of high value to other parties.
Set behavioural boundaries.
Understand the different roles the person is assuming.

‘Dealing with Emotional People’ In-House Program Details

For maximum effectiveness, this program is best conducted as an in-house program.
Ideal group size: 4–12 participants.
Venue: For your convenience, you can choose to conduct this program at your business premises. Alternatively, we can provide a training venue at a small additional cost.
Duration: This program can be adapted to meet your requirements.
Cost: Price on request.
Target Audience: Employees, Supervisors and Managers.

If you would like more information on this training program, please contact: Deborah Dear on 1300 323 752 or email: [email protected] or contact us online today.

Dealing with Emotional People Course 4.4 out of 5 based on 43 user ratings.