All businesses have to deal with customer complaints at one time or another, especially when they are providing goods or services directly to the public. For some small businesses, customer complaints can be upsetting or feel like a personal attack, which makes it difficult to deal with the complaint objectively. However, dealing with customer complaints effectively is essential for building and maintaining a successful business. If you run your own business and are unsure how to respond to unhappy customers, follow these steps.
Keep Complaints in Perspective
When dealing with unhappy or angry customers, it is important to keep the situation in perspective. Customers often vent their frustrations with irrational accusations or personal attacks, which can leave you with the natural desire to retaliate. However, retaliation will only make the situation worse and there could be disastrous repercussions for your business. Before responding to an angry customer, walk away and calm down. Take the time to step back from the situation and gain some perspective.?
Determine the Problem
Angry customers will sometimes use their letter or email of complaint to express their irritation at a whole range of unrelated issues, some of which may have nothing to do with your business. Your job is to determine what the real problem is. For example, a customer may write to complain about a faulty product bought from your store, but then expand their letter to complain that other companies have also provided faulty goods. You need to focus on the immediate concern of the product bought from your store, as this is the real issue between you and your customer.
Assess Your Responsibility
Once you’ve determined the real problem, you need to assess your responsibility. For example, if a customer complains about a faulty electrical item bought from your store, you need to investigate the cause of the fault. If the fault was caused by damage sustained on your premises, you are responsible for refunding or replacing the faulty item. However, if the fault was already present when you acquired the item, your supplier is responsible for replacing the product. In either case, you are responsible for communicating with your customer and finding a solution to their problem.
Respond to the Customer
Once you have all the facts, you need to respond to your customer. Always be professional and respectful in your correspondence, regardless of the tone and content of your customer’s letters or emails. Focus on the real problem, rather than any minor irritations expressed by the customer, and ignore any personal attacks. Acknowledge that you have understood the problem, apologize for any inconvenience caused and guarantee your commitment to finding a solution. If the problem is not your responsibility (e.g. if it is caused by your supplier), you need to explain any steps the customer must take to contact the company responsible. If you are responsible for the problem, explain how you plan to make amends. If you do not yet know why the problem has occurred, explain that you are conducting investigations and will contact them as soon as you have some answers.
Follow Up
Always check to make sure that the customer is satisfied with your handling of their complaint. Ask for feedback or make a courtesy call to check that the situation has been resolved to their satisfaction. Ask if there are any improvements they think you could make to your service, as this helps to repair the relationship between your business and your customer. If the customer has complained publicly (e.g. using social media), respond publicly to show that you have taken steps to resolve the situation.
