When a Customer Complains

Take action and don't take it personally

Some business owners cringe at the thought of customer complaints. However, in reality they are opportunities to develop more business with these so-called disgruntled customers.

And, when you consider that only one of 27 people actually stops to complain, then you may get an inkling of how many others could be dissatisfied. If you are getting complaints that are not being dealt with professionally, courteously and supportively, then chances are, you will not only be losing customers, you will be bad-mouthed too.

Most businesses take complaints personally, or see a complaint as a distasteful discourse that has to be avoided at all costs. What people don't realise is that the time and effort involved in ducking and weaving and destroying customer relations, could well be spent in repairing and recovering apparent lost causes.

Does your business fail in handling complaints successfully?

But what if you were to take the whole concept of complaint handling to a completely new perspective and welcome it instead of avoiding it? Almost instantly you would discover that your business was maturing the way a successful business should. You would see that customers were more confident in dealing with you because now they felt supported in their views and concerns. Your business would immediately benefit by receiving greater customer loyalty, attracting more customers, gaining a better reputation, and increasing productivity because of fewer mistakes.

So, the best way of handling complaints is to first welcome them, see them as an opportunity, and second make it a policy - if handling complaints is part of customer service, then it can't be personal and it won't require knee-jerk reactions to deal with them. Train your team to deal with complaints properly, immediately, supportively and constructively. Empower them to take charge of the complaint and turn it around. They will become confident and your business will be much better off when you do.

Business people can always learn from each other, so share your knowledge and tips about the difference you've made to a customer and as they say turn them into 'ambassadors' for your business.

Louise Woodbury
Author of The Invisible Entrepreneur & The Invisible Partnership
www.Asklouise.com
www.invisibleentrepreneur.com
Tel: 02 9955 8888