Effective compaint management tips

Hi

After a hiatus of more than three months I am back to what I do best, share my thoughts with you on topics pertaining to various aspects of customer services. In this edition would share with you some of the most common tools with the help of which one should handle customer complaints in order to ensure that the customer walks away satisfied and remains loyal with the organization; continuing to do business.

Before we start; the first or the basic principal of going about handling an irate customer is the ability to be a good listener. My personal experiences tell me that more than 60% of the guest dissatisfaction situations can be tackled simply by being a good and compassionate listener.

Always be aware that in case a customer is walking up and sharing his dissatisfaction about a particular aspect of your service; he is giving you a second chance to retain him. This is true; as in 90% of cases dissatisfied customers would simply walk away without letting the company know and would simply stop doing business with the organization. Therefore; with the cut throat competition and current market dynamics it becomes all the more important for you to retain the existing lot of customers.

There are a few simple to do and not to do steps which should be practiced when dealing with an irate customer and trying to retrieve the situation. The most important aspect is to never tell or try to prove to a customer that he is telling a lie and creating a false situation. Nobody likes to be called a liar and such an interaction becomes embarrassing and in some cases an ego issue for the complaining guest. Make sure that the action of the dealing person does not project as if he is not interested in dealing with the situation, always project a focused and problem solving image.

One should never match aggression with aggression. An irate customer is bound to lose his temper in certain situations; the same should not be replicated by the person dealing with the situation. Being appreciative of the fact that a mistake has happened and accepting and apologizing for it will diffuse the situation immediately. After all every one realizes that we humans are not perfect and mistakes are bound to happen. Always show to the customer that you are trying to understand his point of view by being on his side of the table and are trying to resolve the matter with his support and understanding. Another way of dealing with this type of situation will be to ask the customer to be in your shoes and suggest as to what he thinks should be done to rectify the error.

Always always ensure that you are very polite and soft with the customers and maintain proper eye contact with them during the entire conversation. Always take their contact numbers so that you can touch base with them later on in order to develop a better relationship with them. The more personalized you try and make the relationship the more loyal the customer tends to get as they feel that they are wanted and cared for in a particular place. After all who would like to frequent a place where they are treated like unwanted entities and are not accorded any value?