The best way to handle a complaint, as a rule, is to follow the Golden Rule. How do you like to be treated when you are not satisfied with a particular product or service? One of the more effective ways to communicate with an extremely upset customer is to listen to his or her opening salvo and respond with, "You're absolutely right." Once there's nothing to argue about, the floor is open for discussion.
It is important to let the caller speak his or her mind, as this venting process can also help calm him or her down. If apologies are warranted, provide them. The next step is to try to seek a mutually acceptable solution. However, much of this depends upon the issue at hand and the company's policies in this area.
Speaking of the company, there is no excuse for its failure to provide you with training in customer relations. And, stepping back further, it sounds like the company needs to look carefully at the number, focus, and magnitude of the customer complaints and consider making some changes regarding the factors that are causing these complaints in the first place.
Customer complaints are an excellent source of feedback. They should be logged, tracked, and used as a guide for areas that need improvement. When a company ignores messages from the marketplace, the marketplace may soon ignore messages from the company.
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