Nobody likes to deal with customer complaints, but these sometimes bothersome occurrences can be a chance for you and your business to really shine and stand out among your competitors. This is your opportunity to create a happy and loyal customer base for life.
The two main types of customer complaints are
Delivery issues
One of the most common complaints made to product-based companies is related to tracking details or delivery issues faced by customers. This leads to customers feeling dissatisfied with the company.
How to resolve this customer complaint:
This complaint can be resolved by providing tracking details and proper contact channels with your delivery partner
Poor Product or Service
Quite often a poor product can lead to customer dissatisfaction. Poor product quality can be your problem, but it can also arise from mishandling the product by the user or even the delivery chain.
How to resolve this customer complaint:
If the product isn’t broken, you can educate the customer. Find out what their goals and needs are, and teach them how to use the product for optimum results. If the product was delivered broken, provide options for immediate replacement and try to determine how it broke. If it was a user error, gently point out to the customer how they can avoid this outcome in the future and offer a replacement if it’s within the warranty period.
Excellent customer service should always be a priority, but in the unfortunate event that you receive a customer complaint, here are ten pro tips on how to handle it.
Automate your customer support with bots
Machine automation has come a long way so why not employ it in your everyday use too. Create and use support bots to give a basic solution related to the problem described by the customer. This will not only make them feel heard but also ease their mind on their query being handled with a sense of urgency.
Some of the tools that can be used to automate customer support are:-
Acknowledge the Issue
The first priority while answering their complaint should be to acknowledge the issue they are facing and check if you have faced a similar complaint before. If you have, you will have a curse of action mapped out.
You can use the template given below to respond to the query via mail:-
Hi [Customer],
I’m so sorry for your negative experience with [product, service, or company department]. I’ve looked into the issue, and it seems that [briefly explain the reason behind the problem].
I’ve forwarded this issue to [HOD], our [person’s job title]. In the meantime, I’d like to offer a [discount/refund/offer] for the inconvenience and will be checking in with you in a few days to update you on the status of [issue].
Once more, I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience. Please let us know if we can answer any questions, and we’d be happy to help!
Best,
[Your name]
Record important customer complaints
Have templates and if any new type of complaint emerges have a proper channel to discuss it and keep a record if the same issue arises in the future.
You can keep track of complaints and reviews using
Ask Questions
If the problem that they are facing is unclear, feel free to establish open communication and ask for all the details required in a single message. Refrain from asking for details in multiple messages to avoid delay and hassle.
Apologize and Thank Them
Be loose with the use of the words sorry and thank you when it comes to customer complaints and resolution.
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
Though most customers are polite and to the point in their customer complaints, always be prepared for the few oddballs. Your business might be a point of immense pride for you. But never take a complaint personally; it’s not a personal attack. Rather, take that customer complaint as an area to improve upon within your business.
Offer consistent support across multiple channels
Don’t just be confined to emails while dealing with customer complaints, with multiple platforms to grow the reach of your business, you will need to face these complaints on all these platforms too based on where the customer feels comfortable reaching out to you. Hence always be prepared to solve their complaints and queries on all possible channels.
Use the necessary tools & processes to manage complaints
Use tools to streamline and sort your complaints, this will not only save your time but also group them so that they can be worked upon by various departments whom the complaints are regarding.
One of such tools is Grab your reviews
Make It Speedy
Always believe in quick and effective complaint resolution. It should always be a priority to never leave them hanging and waiting for a reply. Always keep them updated and in the loop on the background process to avoid further grievances.
Follow Up
And finally, once the complaint is resolved and they are updated, follow up if the solution holds. This will show them that your business is ready to walk that extra mile for the convenience of its consumers.
