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Although many business interactions are centered on the motto “the customer is always right,” that is not always the case. However, happy customers are the key to a successful business, even more so than local search marketing services. If you work in a position that deals with customer complaints, your job is to keep them happy and resolve the situation as best you can. Although this can be challenging, there are ways to keep the customer happy. We have put together a list of do’s and don’ts for dealing with customer complaints. Test them out for yourself and see how your next customer interaction improves.
Do: Maintain A Friendly Tone
One of the hardest parts about dealing with customer complaints is putting your emotions aside. Trying to do your job with the added stress of an upset customer is bound to make anyone lose their customer service smile. However, it is important to keep a calm and friendly tone during the conversation. This will make the customer less likely to lose their cool, too. A screaming match will not help anybody, so take the high road and serve customers with a smile.
Don’t: Interrupt
When a customer comes to complain, they are eager to share their story. As a customer service representative, you want to enable them to let everything out before you offer a solution. This shows that you really care about their particular situation, which is a part of the sales representative agreement. Listen attentively to customer complaints and allow them to speak their piece. You will have your chance to respond later on.
Do: Thank Them
Before you go back and forth about the problem, make sure that you thank the customer. This may not be something that is at the forefront of your mind, but it can make all of the difference in the customer’s experience. Thank the customer for bringing this issue to your attention and assure them that you are going to do everything you can to help fix it. This will help to validate the customer’s feelings and help them feel more confident in your promise to handle the situation.
Don’t: Make Excuses
No matter how many customer complaints you receive, you should never start making excuses. You are entitled to give the customer a valid reason why they may have had a poor experience, but an apology should be quickly in tow. Rather than wasting time by putting the blame on another employee or department of the healthcare business, take the time to show concern for the situation.
Do: Take Action
The most important part of dealing with a customer complaint is to take action. They want to see that you are doing something to address their problem. Find some way to deal with the issue. They will feel like their complaint is being taken seriously, and you can help to ensure that they have a more positive experience from then on.
Don’t: Let Your Emotions Take Hold
If a customer complains, you are obviously going to have trouble keeping your temper in check, especially if the customer is being rude. However, you have to learn to control your emotions when dealing with customer complaints. This is the number one rule in customer service, which is especially difficult to follow if you work at a cell phone company. Keep your attitude in check, even if a complaining customer gets unnecessarily rude or nasty. Rest assured, snapping at a customer, no matter how nasty they are, is sure to get you fired.
Do: Identify The Problem
The first thing you should do when fielding customer complaints is try to figure out what the problem is. That is part of the art of the deal. Never assume that the customer is upset for no reason or just overreacting. These thoughts are unhelpful. They also make it harder for you to do your job and satisfy customers. Immediately try to get to the bottom of their problem. Where is the source of friction between business protocol and processes and customer demands? Find out the answer to that question to get to the bottom of customer problems. This is the best way to effectively deal with customer complaints.
Customer complaints can put a damper on anyone’s work day. Thankfully, there are ways to smooth over any situation without having to re-direct complaining customers to on hold messages. If you are ever caught dealing with customer complaints, be sure to follow these do’s and don’ts so that you can avoid making the situation worse.
