Legendry Approaches to Managing Complaints
If you work in a company that deals with Customers – I am sure that you have received complaints. In any business, mistakes do happen and sometimes people feel that their expectations have not been met.
Well-managed complaints can benefit your business. Good business owners learn to see complaints as an opportunity to build strong, lasting relationships with customers and improve their customer service. Customer complaints give businesses valuable information about how they need to improve. The impact a complaint has on your business is largely determined by you. If complaints are handled poorly, customers may withdraw their business and encourage others to do the same. Complaints that are handled well may help you retain existing customers and could result in new customers being referred to your business.
Customers are often uncomfortable making direct complaints. If a customer is dissatisfied with your business, they will often complain to others - colleagues, family, friends and your business competitors - before they complain to you. Only 4% of customers will complain to somebody that can actually help them. With today’s social media reaches, and the competition out there, a complaint that is not handled quickly and to the guest’s satisfaction could be detrimental to your business.
The easier it is for a customer to give you direct feedback about their experiences, the more likely they are to complain to you - rather than a friend, or on line - and give you an opportunity to improve. When choosing your approach for communicating with a customer, think about how you would like to be treated if you were making a complaint to a business. Placing yourself in the guest’s shoes, or practicing “Empathy” is a great tool in complaint handling. Apologizing for the action that has made the guest upset along with an empathetic statement will be a great start to the recovery process.
If your customer is agitated or hostile, we need to learn to not take it personally. The customer is simply voicing that their expectations have not been met, and you are the representative of the company at that specific time. Handling the complaint quickly, and to the guest’s satisfaction may lead to the guest having a Legendary experience with your company – and turn them into a raving fan! It is not about you, or how you feel, it is always about how the guest feels.
Some Legendary Approaches to Complaints:
• Speak to the customer in person. Don’t respond with a “form” email. We all know what those look like.
• Thank the customer for raising their complaint with you – after all you may have not known that this was an issue. Without complaints, we do not have a way to grow our businesses to make all guests happier.
• Treat the customer with genuine empathy, courtesy, patience, honesty and fairness. Treat the customer how you would like to be treated in the same situation – regardless as to how the customer is treating you.
• Respond to the complaint quickly.
• Tell the customer how you will handle the complaint. If you can't resolve their complaint on the spot, tell them what will happen next and when. Ensure that you are honest and realistic.
• Show the customer that you understand.
• Listen intently, ask questions to clarify and summarize back to the customer your understanding of what they've said.
• Take notes – the act of writing the complaint down will not only help you to understand the issue, it will also make the guest feel that you are listening and taking the complaint seriously.
• Don't jump to conclusions, lay blame or become defensive.
• Focus on solutions and involve the customer in developing them.
• Negotiate a solution that is to everyone's satisfaction.
• Keep the customer updated on progress, act quickly on promises and inform them when an action is completed. Tell them how you will prevent the issue from happening again.
• Follow up with the customer to make sure that issues have been resolved to their satisfaction.
There are a number of common complaints that customers make relating to products and services. Having procedures in place that find solutions to common complaints will help you resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Start a complaint log – and give your team the tools to be able to act appropriately.
Seek outcomes that will satisfy your customers, and make sure these are feasible and affordable for your business. Remember that the cost of a short-term concession is worth preserving a long-term relationship. Loyal, happy fans are what each business is looking for!
Alethea Porter
Regional Training Account Manager
a.porter@signaturecanada.ca
Phone: 403-461-6590
www.signaturecanada.ca
Well-managed complaints can benefit your business. Good business owners learn to see complaints as an opportunity to build strong, lasting relationships with customers and improve their customer service. Customer complaints give businesses valuable information about how they need to improve. The impact a complaint has on your business is largely determined by you. If complaints are handled poorly, customers may withdraw their business and encourage others to do the same. Complaints that are handled well may help you retain existing customers and could result in new customers being referred to your business.
Customers are often uncomfortable making direct complaints. If a customer is dissatisfied with your business, they will often complain to others - colleagues, family, friends and your business competitors - before they complain to you. Only 4% of customers will complain to somebody that can actually help them. With today’s social media reaches, and the competition out there, a complaint that is not handled quickly and to the guest’s satisfaction could be detrimental to your business.
The easier it is for a customer to give you direct feedback about their experiences, the more likely they are to complain to you - rather than a friend, or on line - and give you an opportunity to improve. When choosing your approach for communicating with a customer, think about how you would like to be treated if you were making a complaint to a business. Placing yourself in the guest’s shoes, or practicing “Empathy” is a great tool in complaint handling. Apologizing for the action that has made the guest upset along with an empathetic statement will be a great start to the recovery process.
If your customer is agitated or hostile, we need to learn to not take it personally. The customer is simply voicing that their expectations have not been met, and you are the representative of the company at that specific time. Handling the complaint quickly, and to the guest’s satisfaction may lead to the guest having a Legendary experience with your company – and turn them into a raving fan! It is not about you, or how you feel, it is always about how the guest feels.
Some Legendary Approaches to Complaints:
• Speak to the customer in person. Don’t respond with a “form” email. We all know what those look like.
• Thank the customer for raising their complaint with you – after all you may have not known that this was an issue. Without complaints, we do not have a way to grow our businesses to make all guests happier.
• Treat the customer with genuine empathy, courtesy, patience, honesty and fairness. Treat the customer how you would like to be treated in the same situation – regardless as to how the customer is treating you.
• Respond to the complaint quickly.
• Tell the customer how you will handle the complaint. If you can't resolve their complaint on the spot, tell them what will happen next and when. Ensure that you are honest and realistic.
• Show the customer that you understand.
• Listen intently, ask questions to clarify and summarize back to the customer your understanding of what they've said.
• Take notes – the act of writing the complaint down will not only help you to understand the issue, it will also make the guest feel that you are listening and taking the complaint seriously.
• Don't jump to conclusions, lay blame or become defensive.
• Focus on solutions and involve the customer in developing them.
• Negotiate a solution that is to everyone's satisfaction.
• Keep the customer updated on progress, act quickly on promises and inform them when an action is completed. Tell them how you will prevent the issue from happening again.
• Follow up with the customer to make sure that issues have been resolved to their satisfaction.
There are a number of common complaints that customers make relating to products and services. Having procedures in place that find solutions to common complaints will help you resolve issues quickly and efficiently. Start a complaint log – and give your team the tools to be able to act appropriately.
Seek outcomes that will satisfy your customers, and make sure these are feasible and affordable for your business. Remember that the cost of a short-term concession is worth preserving a long-term relationship. Loyal, happy fans are what each business is looking for!
Alethea Porter
Regional Training Account Manager
a.porter@signaturecanada.ca
Phone: 403-461-6590
www.signaturecanada.ca
Alethea Porter
Signature Canada is a leader in training employees to deliver legendary customer service while increasing sales. Since 1986, Signature’s unique training methodology has provided a measurable ROI for our customers, compelling them to return year after year. We offer Canadian companies, personalized, sustainable and measurable business and training solutions which contribute to optimize income by developing sales and service skills dedicated to create memorable experiences.