Like it or not, handling customer complaints is part of life. In fact, customer complaints are great news. Why? 80% of customers don’t complain, they just don’t come back.

Handling customer complaints is one of those times when you really earn your crust. After all, managing the status quo is easy. But don’t keep the pleasure to yourself, train all your staff in handling customer complaints. This is empowering for them and gives a very mature feel to your business in the eyes of the customer.

So here’s handling customer complaints in 9 easy steps:

1. Mindset – Put yourself on the same side of the fence as your customer.  This isn’t a battle. Don’t take it personally, they hardly know you. Prepare for some great feedback for your company.

2. Validate the complaint – If you remember nothing else about handling customer complaints, remember this one. You are about to be verbally assaulted. The first thing you must do is ‘validate the complaint’. In other words, say something like: “Yes, I can understand that must be very frustrating”. You have just diffused 60% of their anger. A sympathetic tone is helpful. So is an apology. Regardless of whether you think your company is in the wrong or not.

3. Set the Scene – You’ve heard their opening statement and have gone some way to creating calm. Now take them somewhere else. This will prevent scaring off your other customers and gives you a chance to set a relaxed tone.

4. Listen – No, really listen. Resist the temptation to build your answer before they have finished. Or worse still interrupt. And believe what they are saying. They might actually have a point about your product or service.

5. Start writing – Have you ever been in a meeting when you brief a member of staff to carry out a detailed task and they just nod without taking notes? How frustrating is that? How much faith do you have that they will get it right? That is how your customer is thinking.

6. Repeat back the complaint – Make sure you both agree what the complaint actually is.

7. Solve the problem – Quickly. Tell your customer when you expect to have a response. In the meantime, make sure they have your contact details.

8. Respond – Don’t offer excuses. Reply honestly. If you’re in doubt about the integrity of the customer, play it safe the first time. If it happens a second time, then consider whether you want them to remain a customer.

9. Correct the fault – In other words, put steps in place to stop it happening again.

Handling customer complaints is a key skill for you and your staff to develop. Done well it provides robust feedback and can engender great loyalty from someone who nearly became an ex customer. How wonderful is that?

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