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Benjamin Franklin stated that the only things certain in life were death and taxes. In this consumer driven economy I think

we can add one more certainty to that list. You will not be able to keep all of your customers completely satisfied all the time. Although that most certainly would be the overall goal, there have to be practices put in place that help you deal with issues as they arise. In this article we will discuss some ways to deal with customer complaints that may help you attain your satisfaction goals.

 

Everyone wants to feel that they are being listened to and that their thoughts and opinions are being taken into consideration. This is certainly true when your customer is voicing a complaint. If you begin by allowing your customer to make his case on why he is unhappy with your product or service without interruption, and with your full attention, this will start any type of negotiation or settlement of the issues on a better note. If there is any truth in the complaint it would be best to acknowledge those facts yourself to concede that your customer has some valid concerns that do need to be addressed.

 

It is easy for frustration on both sides of the complaint to interfere with any resolution. If it is possible to stick with the facts and try to keep the emotions out of the discussion this would benefit both parties. Simple solutions are the best and it does no good to propose any solution that cannot be implemented in a timely manner. The customer's satisfaction will increase greatly if you are able to provide a plan of action and then give a timeline on when the complaint can be resolved to their liking. If the plan timeline will be longer than requested, just keeping the customer informed of the progress of the plan will be appreciated.

 

One way to make sure that customer complaints can be handled in a friendly, expeditious manner is to train your employees ahead of time on how to handle an unhappy consumer. Classes on how to diffuse an emotional situation and how to listen and repeat the issue will help your employees have the skills necessary to make sure you retain this customer. If your own employees are happy and well trained in your work environment it will be easier for them to handle your customers with the professional attitude you desire.

 

There is nothing more frustrating to an already frustrated consumer than to be passed around from employee to employee without any of them being able to resolve the issue. Make sure your first contact with your customer is someone who can easily direct them to someone who is the right person to resolve the issue. No one likes getting put into a voice mailbox when they are ready to state their case and are looking for a timely response. Empower your people to be able to resolve the issues according to your policies. Once again it only frustrates the customer to have to restate their complaint multiple times and the irritation of having to complain in the first place increases each time they have to reiterate the problem.

 

Another important aspect of the customer complaint process is to document the original complaint, the course of resolution, and any settlement that has to be made to resolve the complaint. Unfortunately all complaints cannot be resolved outside of the court system and this documentation will serve to protect you if the situation does escalate.

If you are able to reach a settlement outside of court you should have the customer acknowledge in writing that he is satisfied with how the complaint was resolved.