The Definitive Guide To Resolving Customer Complaints

If you’ve worked in service, then you’ve experienced customer complaints. We can all clearly recall a moment in which we tried every single thing in our power to provide excellent service to a customer, only to be met with discontent. The phrase “You can’t please everyone” is powerful because it’s true.

Fortunately though, there are things we can do to fix an unpleasant customer experience. You can do so by following a technique I call “The Three A’s To A Successful Review,” As long as you carefully follow every step mentioned in this blog post, you’ll be able to tactfully navigate your next customer complaint.

Step One: Apologize

In any situation, an apology can mend a misunderstanding. Apologizing is a sign of acknowledgement and it shows that you are aware of your customer’s dilemma. A customer is less likely to leave a negative review if they feel like you care about their needs.

I have to admit that I’m not without blemish when it comes to customer reviews, and I can recall an instance in which I had to redeem myself. As a wedding photographer I work with people from different walks of life, and my goal is to provide exquisite services to each one.

Unfortunately I received a complaint from a client expressing her discontent with one of the pages in her wedding album. She expressed that she was disappointed that two of the photos were edited wrong and were overlapping. Even though it was a design error made by the album company, I took full responsibility for the issue and ordered her a new album free of charge.

Two weeks later as I was scrolling through my reviews, I noticed that she had left a new positive review and expressed how happy she was with her new album. She also mentioned how helpful and understanding I was, and that she would definitely recommend me because of how professional I was.

You see, the simple act of apologizing can prevent even the most delicate situations from escalating.

Step Two: Analyze

Now that you’ve apologized, what’s next? Do you simply move on to the next customer? No! Doing so is the equivalent of leaving your house without tying your shoes — it’s a recipe for disaster. The customer is looking to you for help resolving a matter, and it’s your job as a service provider to do so.

The first step to resolving an issue is through analyzing, and you can do so through active listening. What is their concern? Does it require you to do extensive research? Will you need additional information from them? Asking these questions signals that you’re paying attention to the customer’s problem. It’ll be virtually impossible for a customer to not be impressed with your level of professionalism, because you’re showing them that you value their business. A great example of this was when an old manager of mine had received a complaint from a customer.

She had ordered a pair of shoes from our store a week prior and had yet to receive a confirmation that it had been shipped. My manager immediately took it upon himself to contact her via phone. As I watched from the sidelines, I was thoroughly impressed with how calm, collected, and professional he was. He had a piece of paper at his disposal and was jotting down every bit of information he received from the customer.

After 10 or so minutes, he got off the phone and walked back to the stockroom. He later came back out and called her back to inform her that her package had been misplaced in the shipping facility, but was found. He shipped her package that same day and she received it the next day. Talk about professionalism! No wonder he was the department manager. He displayed superior knowledge on how to tackle customer complaints, and was able to resolve her issue by analyzing the matter at hand.

She would eventually come into the store a couple of weeks later to personally purchase shoes from him and him only because she trusted his expertise and professionalism.

In every aspect of life, one must analyze in order to effectively proceed ahead and produce positive results — especially as a service provider.

Step Three: Appease

The second you begin a transactional relationship with a customer, they expect you to deliver your end of the bargain in the exact way you promised. But what happens when you aren’t able to? As a service provider you must learn to make up for your shortcomings because they are unfortunately inevitable.

Let’s say a customer called your store asking if you had a specific dress in her size, and you told her there was one left. As you processed her order over the phone, another salesperson in another department had the dress in their hand and sold it to another customer. Unfortunately for you, the system never updated itself and your customer was charged for a dress that was no longer available. She later on calls back, but this time she is furious that she had her hopes up and you didn’t deliver your end of the bargain. What do you do?

Do you refund her payment and send her on her way? That would be outright unprofessional. The right thing to do in this situation is to employ the first two steps mentioned above: Apologize for the misunderstanding, Analyze the issue at hand, and then Appease her.

There’s a multitude of ways you could go about appeasing the customer in this situation. One option would be to suggest a similar style in a different dress, or show her a different color in the original dress she wanted. Even if she ends up not getting the dress she originally wanted, she is more likely to be appreciative of your efforts to resolve the issue. Appeasing customers is about going above and beyond to show them they are cared for and valued.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received was to treat every customer like they will be your last. Doing so will ensure that you perform at your best every single time. As long as you apply all three of the techniques mentioned above, you will be on your way to a long and prosperous career in customer service.