How to Reply to Customer Complaints
Owning or running a business can be a very rewarding career, but it can also be extremely challenging work. You're in charge of making sure business operations run smoothly, keeping the employees up to date and well-trained on all business practices, and maybe most importantly, ensuring the complete satisfaction of your customers. It's never easy when a customer is unsatisfied, and you should know how you will handle customer complaints before they occur.
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Instructions
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Rectify complaints that are legitimate and can be solved. For example, if a customer has a complaint about a product you sold him, you can replace the product, refund the money, or both. When a customer complains about something that you have the power to fix, you should fix it as soon as possible. This will make it more likely that the customer will want to continue purchasing from the company.
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Avoid telling the customer that the issue she's complaining about occurred because you're understaffed. This is not the way you want to present your business. Instead, make an effort to prepare your employees to handle the issue and train new employees as well. Explain to the customer that the issue is being dealt with and that you'll get back to her personally once it's resolved.
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Let the customer know other places she can obtain the product or service that you can't provide for her. If a customer is complaining that you don't currently offer a product or service she needs, be prepared to send her to your competition. This is much better than stringing the customer along or offering her something she doesn't want. Being friendly and helpful will make it more likely that she'll return to your business when she needs something that you do offer.
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Provide your customers with information. Often customer complaints cannot be rectified because the issue cannot be solved. For example, a customer may be complaining that a particular process takes too long. Have an information sheet or brochure ready that explains the process and the amount of time it takes to complete each step.
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References
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