Training programs for Centrelink, Medicare and child support staff have become a priority after the Department of Human Services identified a need for more “robust” options to help its employees deal with aggressive customers. Tender documents show the Department is searching for a new provider of “customer aggression training services” to help thousands of customer service staff de-escalate potential incidents. Employees require “more robust, specific and experiential” options to avoid aggressive situations and give them skills to managing challenging and “risky customer aggression”, the documents said. As part of the training plan, the Department hopes all customer service staff, team leaders and managers will be given strategies to deal with online abuse, physical violence threats and racial abuse. The Department said customer aggression can be triggered by dissatisfaction with services, personal circumstances and decisions made by DHS. While staff have received similar training in the past, dealing with aggressive customers has been listed as a priority in the latest framework review released last year.
