How to Manage Complaints

Customer complaints provide an opportunity for you to turn a dissatisfied buyer into a satisfied and loyal customer. The following sales training suggestions will help you successfully manage your complaint processing opportunities. The starting point is to repeat the complaint elements. Repeat all the information you have noted about the complaint.  However, at this stage, do not say whether you think the complaint is justified or not.  By doing this, you benefit in two ways.  You will ensure that you have understood everything correctly and secondly, the customer will  have the opportunity to amend their complaint.  They can correct any demands at this point without losing face.

Do not blame someone else. Avoid, under all circumstances, trying to explain the reason for a difficulty by blaming it on others who are not present.  This could create a boomerang effect and give them an excuse to deny you an order in future.  However, if the difficulty is the result of a customer operating or handling error, you need to point this out for your own and for the customer's protection.  If they continue to operate the equipment incorrectly, it could cause more serious problems.

Ask Questions. Clarify exactly what led to the complaint.  Use the questions: Who? What? How? Where? How much? Why? When?  You can only work towards a satisfactory settlement after all the facts are clear. Ask open questions.  They result in better answers and are more innocuous than closed questions, they also make it difficult for the customer to lie. If you need help understanding the difference between open and closed questions then a basic sales training course will help.

Examine carefully. Customers are known to complain about products which they had actually purchased from another company.  It is part of human nature not to always tell the complete truth.  You don't want to give the impression that complaints are a regular occurrence. Therefore, take a close look at the supposedly defect parts and/or speak with the individual, in the customer's company, responsible for working with your product.  This can help to exclude maltreatment as a cause for the difficulty.  If you suspect that the customer is making an unjustified complaint, examine the "facts" thoroughly.  However, don't voice your suspicion.  The customer will probably back off when the facts begin to emerge.  If not, discuss possible further actions with your sales manager.

Examine the defects on site. Confirm that the packaging is faulty, that the system is damaged, or that the material is unsuitable.  Politely ask the customer to show you the documentation which caused their complaint.  Perhaps you can even take a photograph of the damage.

Ask for their suggestions for a satisfactory solution. It may be that the facts are muddled, that both sides are to blame, or that it is difficult to determine the causes of the problem.  In these cases it is helpful to ask the customers how they envisage the matter could be resolved.  In that way, the customers can imagine themselves in your position.  This will cue them to be more realistic in their expectations.

Come up with suggestions yourself. Ease the burden for the customer.  Suggest solutions which you are able to authorize or arrange.  Examples of these could be a replacement delivery, a temporary workforce, co-operation with other customers, a financial concession, partial delivery, incentive measures, additional service etc.  The goal should be to come up with a solution that is satisfactory for both sides.

Do not make unrealistic promises. In order to avoid additional troubles, do not make promises that your company is unable to keep. Do not raise false expectations such as, "We'll take care of it."  Instead, explain your complaints procedure.

Keep your customer up to date
Sometimes you have no choice but to take a complaint and just reassure them that you will do everything in your power to resolve it.  This will be the case when you need additional information or authorisation from a supervisor.

Inform the customer precisely which steps you will take and when you will get back to them - and make sure that you do.  In this way, you will have gained time to examine the complaint and think how to deal with it in the most practical manner. 

Assure a quick settlement
Promise the customer that you will take care of the complaint in a quick, thorough, and fair manner.  When a complaint is justified, immediate help is especially important. If it is not your responsibility, immediately pass the complaint to the appropriate person.  Then, keep a track of the complaint's progress.  Remember, the customer's problem must be your problem.  If not, that customer may become someone else's.

Thank the customer. Tell them that because of their quick report, you were able to initiate product improvements and avoid causing the same difficulty for other customers.  Once the complaint is resolved and both sides have come to a satisfactory agreement, then it is important to thank the customer specifically for their insight, understanding, help, compliance and patience etc.

Finally, It doesn't matter whether you have personally taken care of the complaint or a colleague from your company has done this for you.  In either case, you should conduct a closing conversation with your customer. Ask them whether everything was handled to their complete satisfaction or whether there are still wishes that are not yet fulfilled. Remember that old sales training saying: the customer isn't satisfied until they have explicitly told you so.


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