From Complaint To Raving Fans
One of the hallmarks of world-class customer service is how your company manages customer service failures. When a customer speaks up with a complaint, it’s time to listen. Think of the complaint as a gift, and you will see it as an opportunity to learn rather than something to avoid or resist.
The few courageous customers who complain are giving you the gift of their feedback and their experience. It doesn’t matter if they are right or wrong. They are being courageous in their willingness to speak up.
Your goal is to turn customers, who experience service failures, into raving fans. You do this by applying the customer service skills, such as listening and asking questions, to the situations where customer service failures occur.
The most important aspect of managing a complaint, regardless of how upset or angry the customer is, is to stay calm. If you get defensive or uptight when a customer approaches you with a complaint, you will probably make the situation worse.
Action Steps – Follow these steps when you receive a complaint:
- Listen carefully to the complaint.
- Express empathy.
- Offer a solution.
- Ensure the solution is implemented.
- Follow-up with the customer to make sure he / she is satisfied.
- Notify the proper people within the company (or your vendor) so that this type of complaint doesn’t happen again. This ensures future, lasting change.
