Four steps to successful complaint management
When a customer complains, it is usually for a good reason or genuine concern. They usually have made a purchase that did not meet their expectation - a product, service, or maybe a combination of the two. However, not all complaints are to be treated equally and there are several questions to ask yourself before you take action. The next time you receive a complaint, use the following four step check list in order to respond, resolve and keep your customer happy.
The four step plan is called the LAST complaint plan. It is called the last complaint plan because the letters LAST are an acronym for the steps you must go through in order to handle and control the complaint.
Let us take a look at each step in more detail.
L - Listen
Always listen to your customers. They have complained for a reason and it is important to understand why they are complaining. Research has shown that customers care more about quality than a fast response. In addition, a strong communication structure is required, in order to stay in control of the conversation and to achieve a successful outcome.
Customers who bother to interact with you, even if it's to complain, are likely to remain loyal to your business – but only if they feel you're taking their complaint seriously and doing something to fix the problem. In fact, if your post-complaint actions are done successfully, the next time your customer talks about your organisation, this will be the message they communicate most.
Complaints are a great source of valuable information and listening to customers is a great way to gather genuine feedback which you can then use to guide your future business and marketing decisions.
Remember that not all customer complaints are necessarily valid. Yes, you need to take all customer feedback seriously, but only by listening and carefully understanding the detail of the complaint, can you establish how serious the complaint is and importantly, decide on the appropriate action needed to resolve it. You should not get defensive as if a customer is complaining about a product or service, as possibly other customers might be experiencing similar challenges.
A - Apologise
Don’t be afraid to apologise for a mistake. Many customers are simply looking for an apology and acknowledgement of their complaint, yet so many businesses are hesitant to admit when a mistake has been made. While sorry is sometimes hard to say, it can often quickly and effectively neutralises the customer’s upset and stop the complaint going further.
Also, don't offer excuses — they don't want to hear it, instead, accept the problem and apologize for the issue. Quite often the dissatisfaction the customer feels is not from the original problem, but from the way that their complaint has been handled.
If you do offer an apology, consider whether you should also offer the customer a discount or refund. But, don’t just stop at the apology; make sure that you follow through with a promise to resolve the complaint.
S - Solution
When your customer has a legitimate complaint, you need to find the root cause and solve it. If the issue has been or can be repeated, make the necessary changes so you do not receive another complaint.
Check that the customer is happy with the suggested actions you have committed to. Where appropriate, ask the customer if there is anything further that they think you could do at this stage to help them. Your target must always be to resolve the customer complaint and to do this you will need to offer a solution. Ideally you want to offer a solution which is a win win scenario. This is achieved by turning the complaint into an opportunity and striving for a positive outcome.
Once you and the customer have agreed upon a solution, make sure it is delivered and delivered in the shortest timeframe possible. Give the customer the impression that you will deal with the complaint until it has been resolved. Be sure to give them a clear idea of what the next steps will be and what they should expect. For example, when are they likely to hear from you or how you will contact them? Finally, it’s very important that you always meet the expectations you established with the customer.
T - Thank Them
After you’ve identified the root cause of the customer’s complaint, found a solution, and sent that solution to the customer, it’s important to verify that the solution you proposed actually solved the problem. This will reassure the customer that the same issue is less likely to happen again.
Follow up with your customers to make sure they are satisfied with the solution. This can be in the form of a follow up email or survey asking for feedback on how the complaint was handled. Set a mechanism to prompt a follow up with the customer within an appropriate timeframe to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the outcome and there is no lingering issue.
Successful handling of a customer complaint will:
- Build brand confidence.
- The customer will very likely continue to use your services in the future and;
- Even more importantly may recommend you or your services to others.
It is also a good idea to share your experience with colleagues and other departments. At the end of the day it is in your best interest to reduce the number of complaints receive. By crafting a customer complaints strategy for dealing with customer complaints around these 4 steps you will better placed to effectively deal with any customer issues that might arise.
