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Course Summary

Our Essential Complaint Handling online training gives you the confidence, tools, and practical techniques to handle even the toughest situations with ease. Whether you’re new to complaint handling or looking to refine your skills, this course helps you spot issues early, uncover root causes, and prevent escalation before it starts.

Learn how to communicate with clarity and empathy, adapt to different customer behaviours, and deliver consistently fair, high-quality outcomes. Explore what great complaint handling really looks like, and how your own biases and values can shape decisions.

Gain the skills to manage complex and sensitive cases, including supporting vulnerable customers using proven frameworks like BRUCE, CARERS, and TEXAS.

From defusing conflict to staying resilient under pressure, this course equips you to handle complaints professionally, protect your wellbeing, and build stronger customer relationships.

Leave the day with practical strategies to deliver fair, consistent and high‑quality complaint handling across your organisation.

Trainers

Nina Goldsworthy-Griffiths

Leadership Trainer, Coach, Mentor and Facilitator

Who should attend

Frontline compliant handlers across private, public and third sector organisations, including:

Customer Services and Relations Teams
Customer Experience and Insight Teams
Service Improvement Teams
Complaints Teams
Customer Engagement Teams
Contact Centre Operations

Online Training

Participate in live training online
Group work and practical scenarios
Course materials

One of the best training courses I have been on, excellent balance between interactive and listening.
Shirl Tanner, Sussex Pathways

Really enjoyed it. Was a great blend of people on the course. The content was first-rate, and trainer was excellent throughout.
James Porter, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council

The trainer was very good trainer pushing the group to think about the questions and scenarios posed to allow several different approaches to resolve conflict or handle difficult customers.
Debbie Henry, LiveWest

Course Outcomes

Understand the principles of good complaint handling
Develop your listening and empathy skills
Improve your complaint handling techniques for both written complaints and phone calls
Support vulnerable customers, knowing when and how to offer extra specific help
Prevent escalation, write clear responses and choose appropriate remedies that resolve issues

Agenda

09:45 - 10:00

Course and Trainer Introduction

Nina Goldsworthy-Griffiths

Leadership Trainer, Coach, Mentor and Facilitator

10:00 - 10:45

Understanding Complaints and Customer Behaviour

Define and explore complaint principles
Identify the benefits and importance of self-awareness
Understand and adapt to individual customer’s behaviour, perception, expectations and needs

10:45 - 11:15

Identifying a Complaint and Key Issues

Identify, acknowledge and investigate the root cause of a complaint
Discover critical key skills to resolve complaints
Develop skills for empathic listening for clear communication

11:15 - 11:30

Morning Break

11:30 - 12:15

Best Practice Session: Complaint Handling Basics

Recognising good and excellent complaint handling
Explore unconscious bias and personal values
Confidently and consistently follow organisational processes

12:15 - 13:00

Responding to Vulnerable Service Users, Complex Situations and Complex Needs

Define and explore the characteristics and types of vulnerable customers
Identify tools to improve communication with vulnerable customers (BRUCE, CARERS and TEXAS)
Respond and signpost to specific care and support needs
Understand your role and responsibilities to safeguard self and others

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch

14:00 - 15:00

Conflict Management and Working to Prevent Escalation

Handle complex situations professionally when under pressure to protect wellbeing and support resilience in self and others
Use techniques to prevent complaint escalation
Seek collaborative resolutions, handling difficult conversations and managing expectations with stakeholders

15:00 - 15:15

Afternoon Break

15:15 - 16:00

Case Study: Practice Your Skills and Behaviour

Demonstrate how to handle complaints and complex situations
Support and give motivational and developmental feedback to others

16:00 - 16:15

Review of the Day: Reflection and Feedback

16:15

Close of Course

Course Leader

Nina Goldsworthy-Griffiths specialises in customer service. She helps empower people to be clear in their role to provide exceptional service.

Nina draws on over 25 years’ experience in a broad range of diverse sectors such as Loss Adjusting, Construction, Manufacturing, Rail, Road, Water, Energy, Local Authorities, Hospitality, Charity and Retail.

As a licensed Insights Discovery®, Clarity4D partner Nina uses a simple and accessible “four colour model” to help people understand their own unique behavioural preferences and that of others.

Nina has a degree in Training Education and is an experienced Executive Coach ensuring the right solutions for successful value added outcomes.

Nina Goldsworthy-Griffiths

Leadership Trainer, Coach, Mentor and Facilitator

CPD

This course is CPD Certified.

Contribute 6 hours towards your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and receive a certificate of attendance.

In-house Training

Westminster Insight provides bespoke training at a time and place to suit you and your organisation’s needs. All our courses can be provided online, at your place of work or a venue of your choice. Additionally, we can tailor or create a course to suit the exact needs of your organisation. We will discuss the learning outcomes with you and tailor the training to the needs of your organisation.

Benefits of in-house training:

Flexible – Schedule a course date and times that work best for you and your teams. Upskill your teams immediately as training needs arise. Choose from in-person or online and bring your teams together to learn in an interactive, friendly environment.

Cost-effective – Train groups of individuals working in the same organisation without incurring travel or accommodation costs.

Customised Content – Our experienced trainers work with you to ensure that the course content is tailored to meet the needs of your teams and organisation. Benefit from the opportunity to have in-depth discussions about scenarios in your organisation in a confidential forum.

Find out more about our tailored training solutions by contacting us at [email protected]

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Course Summary

Testimonials

Course Outcomes

Agenda