Developing practical, industry-informed resources to support training providers in delivering customer aggression response training across customer-facing service industries.

Why this project matters

Customer aggression is an increasing challenge across retail and other customer-facing industries. Stakeholders have consistently identified the need for nationally recognised training that equips workers with the skills and confidence to respond appropriately to disrespectful, aggressive or abusive customer behaviour.

Industry consultation undertaken as part of the Retail Qualifications Continuum Review found that existing approaches are often informal, inconsistent and focused on basic de-escalation techniques. Employers have highlighted the need for broader capability development that supports workers to:

• recognise early signs of risk in customer aggression
• respond appropriately to challenging situations
• maintain personal safety
• support colleagues and direct reports following incidents
• understand workplace procedures and reporting requirements
• support management in preventative strategies across operations
• manage organisational responses to customer aggression.

Customer aggression also creates significant psychosocial risks and can affect workforce attraction, retention and wellbeing, particularly for younger and early-career workers who are often the first point of contact with customers.