Defusing Hostile Customers Workbook (Third Edition2010)

Book excerpt: Learn to: save time dealing with unreasonable customers reduce intensity of customer anger increase safety of employees and customers reduce stress related to angry customers convey image of constructive caring to government customers even when they are abusive set limits for angry customers and enforce them for mutual benefit Government and public sector departments and employees often deal with angry, irate, upset, manipulative, and aggressive citizens and customers, due to their regulatory responsibilities. Often employees are under-trained to deal with angry customers, leaving them at risk, while government agencies look uncaring and cold. Angry, unsatisfied clientele eat up hours of staff time. Government departments CAN provide excellent customer service. A critical step is learning how to defuse angry people so that the agency and the customer work TOGETHER. Defusing Hostile Customers -- A Self-Instructional Workbook For Public Sector Employees is a "seminar in a book" and contains an amazing collection of specific phrases and actions that can be learned by any public sector employee, drawn from modern understanding of psychology of aggression and psycholinguistics. There are over 80 specific tactics to be applied, and most chapters contain hands-on exercises and "homework", with key answers provided at the back of the book. Here's just a taste of the content: Government Context Nature of Hostile Behavior How Hostile Situations Escalate Principles of Defusing Art of Self-Control Starting Off Successfully Using Co-operative Language Verbal Self-Defense Techniques Acknowledgment Tactics Countering Non-Verbal Intimidation Referral Techniques Telephone Hostility Limit Setting There's even a chapter for managers and supervisors. This third edition (2010) is a unique blend of science and art not available anywhere else, and is based on the input of thousands of government employees over two decades.