How to Handle Customer Complaints

Despite the fact that most companies work towards delivering great service and satisfactory experiences to their customers, they still end up making mistakes or glitches which customers are not happy with. However, the damage can be controlled if there is an effective complaint management system in place and the customer is handled carefully, and reassured with a convenient solution.

There are endless scenarios in which this holds true, for example, facilitating customers who complain about delayed flights, or food they didn’t like, a sweater which didn’t fit properly or a coffee machine that didn’t hold up to their expectations. No matter how small or big the complaint is, it is the company’s job to deal with it effectively and win the customer back.

The most essential part of this is employee management, which trains them on how to handle complaints and diffuse the situation, instead of telling the customer that nothing can be done anymore. Focus on instilling customer value in your customer service staff and assist them in providing better service.

Let’s see 4 steps which can help handle customer complaints and increase employee efficiency as well.

Let Them Voice Their Concerns

Give your customers the attention they need and effectively listen to their concerns and complaints about the service or product. Remember that there is no need to get defensive about the company or find smart ways to answer back. It’s not a competition, of whose fault it was, but more so, about offering a solution in the end and reaching a conclusion. Listen attentively to the customer and let them know you are all in for helping them.

Give Suggestions and Solutions

Once the problem has been diagnosed, offer the customer solutions which he or she can chose from or pick the one that suits them best. See whatever works best for the customer, and come up with a solution that directly handles the complaint registered in the first place. Your job is to eliminate the problem the customer has faced, while using your service or product.

Quick Response and Execution

Once it has been decided on how to handle the complaint and what the solution is, there should be no time wasted in the execution of the solution. Quick response is extremely essential to this process, and customers give very little time to companies to make up for their mistake. So use this opportunity and quickly carry out the solution promised.

Feedback and Reporting

Once you have helped the customer out, make sure to get in touch with them and update them on why the problem was caused and what the company did in order to fix it. It’s important to keep the customer in the loop.

Secondly ask the customer whether he or she still faces that problem and if there is any other problem which they would like to be addressed. Follow up is the key here, since it reflects responsibility and concern from the company’s end.