Thanks to social media, people are more vocal than ever about their experience with businesses, whether it’s good or bad. Even businesses with the best customer service get bad reviews or complaints occasionally. People share their bad experiences, so it can cost you business. Nobody likes handling complaints, but it can be an opportunity to shine. The best customer service should be a priority, but if you do get a customer complaint, here’s how to handle it.
Stay Calm
It might be tough to do, but stay calm when you get a complaint. Try not to take the complaint personally. It’s not a personal attack on you. A complaint can actually highlight an area for improvement within your business.
Getting upset is never a good thing, and can make the situation worse. You can resolve the problem much more effectively if you can keep calm. Of course, if someone is just being rude or aggressive, feel free to ignore them or even remove yelp reviews if you need to.
Listen
If a customer has a problem, they want to be heard. Even if the complaint seems trivial to you, it means something to them.
Active listening techniques should be used with your customers. Don’t assume that you know what they want from you, and never dismiss their concerns or complaints as trivial. Hear out what they have to say, and make sure you’re paying close attention. When they’re frustrated, it’s not uncommon for people to struggle to express their concerns or what they need from you to solve the problem. Letting your customers talk will give them the time they need to calm down. In many cases, you can make an issue better just by listening to them and let them vent.
Be Kind
In many cases, you can resolve a certain amount of anger and frustration by remaining kind and understanding. You can tell your customer immediately that you appreciate the fact that they have reached out with their concerns and let them know that you want to understand exactly how they’re feeling. A statement like this lets your customer know that you do care about what they’re saying and that you’re ready to listen. When your customer feels that you care, you start on the right food to successfully coming to a resolution to their complaint.
Acknowledge The Issue
After you have heard out your customer, acknowledge the problem and repeat it back to them. By paraphrasing what they have told you and repeating it back to them, you show your customer that you have listened and that you understood their issue. It also gives you a chance to correct any misunderstandings or mistakes.
Acknowledging the problem doesn’t mean that you agree with it. All it means is that you understand and respect them. Say things like, “I understand that this is very frustrating for you,”, or, “If I understand you correctly,” and then follow up with your paraphrased version of the complaint.