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The Art of Complaints HandlingSix Tips to Help Your Organisation Handle Complaints Correctly
Handling customer complaints is a difficult and tricky task. Get it wrong and you can gain an enemy for life. Here are six tips to help you through the complaints maze.
Give Yourself Time to Handle ComplaintsTake time out to understand the complaints you receive. This will help ensure you don’t make any mistakes while dealing with and working out your complaint response. Complaints are a real drain on the resources and effectiveness of an organisation, and successful organisations reduce the number of repeat complaints. A swift, accurate and professionally handled complaint can make more of a positive impact on a customer than if it had never happened. Don’t Be Complaint DefensiveIf your staff are committed to your organisation, it can be second nature for them to dismiss the complaint as incorrect or mistaken. Most people don’t want to waste any part of their life complaining, so if they take the time and trouble to share their experiences with you, try to consider it with an open mind. Their experience of your organisation can help you improve how you deliver. Remember the Long GameA manager of a complaints department for a large international supermarket was horrified to overhear one of their store’s complaint departments argue with a customer over a split pack of yoghurts. He stepped in and refunded the customer immediately without even hearing about the circumstances. His point was that a satisfied customer could shop at that store for perhaps the next 60 years. With a family shopping bill of $6,000 a year, is it really worth losing a $350,000 lifetime customer over a badly bagged pack of $2 yoghurts? Recognise that Sometimes You Won’t WinPeople can put all kinds of personal stress and anger into a complaint. Complaints officers won’t be able to anticipate the personal circumstances, stresses, and mental health issues of the person making the complaint. This means that sometimes, however reasonable your response is, it just won’t be enough for the customer. You need to draw a line under your complaint remedy, early in your thought process. Unless you get new information, which causes you to review your decision, do not cross that line. You will not be able to please some customers, and while you should remain polite, reasonable and honest, occasionally there is no value spending more time and money on the complaint. EmpathiseSadly, the customer isn’t always right, and it can be difficult for them to hear that you cannot help them. When that happens, soften the blow by letting them know you feel their upset. Start your responses with “I’m sorry to hear that you thought….” or “I’m sorry to hear you were disappointed with our service”. It’s not admitting fault, but it does tell the customer that your organisation knows they were somehow aggrieved. You can also empathise by thinking of the complainant as an elderly relative. Think of the response you are giving them: would you be happy if an elderly relative received this explanation? Make sure your response is clear, polite and logical and don’t be bogged down in work or technical speak. Keep the Complaint In PerspectiveHow many times do you hear that your working procedures have changed because of a customer complaint? Sometimes the complaint is a rare and isolated event, and organisations add countless un-necessary minutes to every subsequent job, just because one person has complained. If the complaint merits it, change your systems, but don’t change them just so you can give that to the customer as a response.
The copyright of the article The Art of Complaints Handling in Customer Relations is owned by Chris Read. Permission to republish The Art of Complaints Handling in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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