We have all had negative feedback. Be it in the form of a review, an email, phone call or face to face.
I worked in retail banking for ten years and I have dealt with a variety of complaints (if I hear PPI one more time.....) some justified, some that weren't.
The thing is, how you deal with an unhappy customer defines you and your business.
Read on to find out how a complaint is GOOD for your business.......
".. A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction, whether justified or not..."
Back in my retail banking days we had 6 monthly complaint refresher training and this sentence was always the answer to one of the questions. I have taken it with me wherever i have worked because it so true and repeating it to your self when you're dealing with a particularly tedious complaint helps.
The fact that a customer has taken valuable time out of their life to let you know they are not happy with your service is actually a good thing. By doing this they are letting you know what isn't working and what needs to be reviewed to make things better for the next customer. Also, how you handle a complaint will determine whether the complainant will be a returning customer.
You must ALWAYS respond to ALL feedback, both positive AND negative.
Particularly if the feedback is a review which can be seen by others. By responding to negative feedback in a professional manner it shows other potential customers that you accept things can go wrong and its important to you to make things right.
You must also respond to positive ones not just the bad. You don't want to show your potential customers you only respond to bad reviews.
For the bad reviews, do not attempt to resolve the issue right there in the review comments. Simply apologise and offer a line of communication.
- Hi X, I'm am so sorry to hear you were unhappy with xxxx. I would love an opportunity to make this right, please email me at ...... where we can discuss further
The following is a list of one-liners I have used for email complaints
" Dear X,
- Thank you for taking the time to email, I'm sorry to hear you were unhappy with the service you received at XYZ.
- I would like to apologise for the level of service you received at xyz, this is unacceptable
- I would like an opportunity to make this right and would like to offer you xxxxxx
- This feedback is invaluable and I would like to offer you xxxxx as a gesture of goodwill
- I would like to offer you xxxxx by way of apology which I hope will go some way to restore your faith in XYZ
While this is very rare, there may be times when the only way to resolve a complaint is not in the customers favour. This risks further bad feeling and you must be sensitive to their feelings with your response.
- I appreciate this may not have been the result you were expecting but I hope you can understand why your complaint was resolved this way.
Always leave your first resolution response open
- if you need any further assistance, please don't hesitate to ask
If a further email is required but there's no change to the situation you need to end this email with a closed statement which does not invite a further response. Otherwise you'll be going round in circles.
- I'm sorry I am unable to help you on this occasion, with the information you have provided I am unable to take this any further.
- I understand this is not the result you had hoped for and I'm sorry I am unable to help further.
Even if you are unable to resolve a complaint in the customers favour it doesn't necessarily mean you have lost a customer. Sometimes just showing that their complaint is a big deal and you have put a considerable amount of effort into resolving it for them is enough. You can achieve this by simply focussing on what you can do.
"... while I am unable to do xxxx, what I CAN do is wxyz..."
Changing the way you think about negative feedback will help you and your business no end.
Don't see NF as a personal attack, instead see it as ways to improve your business.
S
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