No business wants to deal with customer complaints, but they are unfortunately inevitable. You could have the best company with the greatest staff in the world, and someone is still going to be able to find something to nit-pick if you let them. Therefore, you always need to make sure that you know how to handle them when they arrive. Here are our top tips for dealing with customer complaints.
Don’t Be Defensive
Social media is full of business owners “clapping back” after a complaint from an irate customer, but that does not mean that this is a path that you should think about taking. This is most likely only going to make you look unprofessional and could give your business a bad reputation.
Instead, you need to approach the complaint with a calm and reasonable attitude. If the complaint is particularly brutal, you might need to take a moment to calm down, but you should be prepared to face the criticism if needs be. After all, it could be a perfectly valid critique of something that you have overlooked, meaning that this complaint could actually help you in the long run.
Respond to the Complaint
You need to make sure that you respond in some way to the complaint. If it has been made on social media or a site like TripAdvisor, you will have the opportunity to make a calm and measured response. Make sure you thank them for getting in touch, and stress that you will work towards fixing the issue that they have highlighted.
If the complaint has come in through a medium like your site’s email address, you still need to make sure there is a response system in place. Using a free autoresponder tool allows you to send a quick message to the customer to ensure that they understand that their complaint has been received. A member of your customer service team will then be able to address the complaint as soon as they are free.
Analyse and Make Changes If Needed
Some complaints are simply over petty things that do not need to be changed. These will be worth reviewing, but no serious action needs to be taken. However, there are some complaints that will touch upon a shortcoming within your business.
You need to take these sorts of complaints seriously. Often, it is a good idea to sit down with your staff to discuss the complaint fully. Make sure they understand why the complaint was made, which actions could have been taken to prevent it, and ask for suggestions for changes that could be implemented to ensure nothing similar happens again.
Complaints should always be taken seriously within your business, even if they appear to be nothing more than a petty jibe from a disgruntled customer. They often provide the perfect gateway for us to realise where an improvement can be made in our business. One must always expect complaints when in business, and knowing how to react to them correctly is a key skill for a business owner.
