---
title: "CUST 101 · Look after customers"
publisher: Maestro College (Maestro Open)
lessons: 16
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers
full: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/llms-full.txt
---

# Look after customers (CUST 101)

The skills behind great service: listening, empathy, tone, problem-solving, calming angry customers, saying no well, and chat and email support, through realistic role-plays.

Customers remember how you made them feel long after they forget the problem. This course teaches the skills behind great service, in person, on the phone and in writing: understanding what customers want, listening with empathy, getting your tone right, solving problems, calming angry customers, saying no without losing them, handling chat and email support, learning from feedback and knowing when to escalate. You'll practice with lots of realistic customer role-plays.

## Course objectives
- What customers want and what good service looks like
- Listening, empathy and tone in person, on the phone and in writing
- Solving problems and following through
- Handling angry customers, de-escalation and saying no well
- Chat and email support, feedback and escalation

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## Lessons
### Unit 1: What customers want
- [What great service looks like](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/what-great-service-looks-like.md)
- [Listening and understanding the real need](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/listening-and-understanding-the-real-need.md)
- [Empathy that sounds real](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/empathy-that-sounds-real.md)
- [Challenge: first contact](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/challenge-first-contact.md)

### Unit 2: Communication and problem-solving
- [Tone in person and on the phone](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/tone-in-person-and-on-the-phone.md)
- [Solving the problem](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/solving-the-problem.md)
- [Owning mistakes and apologizing well](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/owning-mistakes-and-apologizing-well.md)
- [Challenge: problem day](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/challenge-problem-day.md)

### Unit 3: Difficult customers
- [Calming angry customers](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/calming-angry-customers.md)
- [Saying no without losing the customer](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/saying-no-without-losing-the-customer.md)
- [Knowing when to escalate](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/knowing-when-to-escalate.md)
- [Challenge: the difficult shift](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/challenge-the-difficult-shift.md)

### Unit 4: Written support and improving service
- [Chat support](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/chat-support.md)
- [Email support](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/email-support.md)
- [Using feedback to improve](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/using-feedback-to-improve.md)
- [Challenge: support inbox](https://open.maestrocollege.edu/look-after-customers/challenge-support-inbox.md)

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.
Start with lesson 1 unless the learner asks for a specific lesson. Keep track of which lesson you are on.

## When a lesson is done
Teach one lesson at a time. A lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed for it; check each with a small task or question.
When it is complete:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson N complete: <lesson title>." (use the lesson's number and title).
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, say "Lesson N+1 of 16: <title>", and ask if they're ready to start it. Start it only when they say yes.
After the last lesson, congratulate them on finishing the course.