ImagesMagUK_October_2021

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT www.images-magazine.com 32 images OCTOBER 2021 What is the best way to respond to a complaint from a customer? Do you have any practical advice? E very business will face challenging times; the days when no matter what you do it doesn’t seem to work, and there is an unhappy customer on the phone. The first thing that matters in these circumstances is always to keep a cool head. Whatever is happening, it is important to be aware of, but not caught up in, the emotion of the situation. Being aware of the mood and tone of a customer complaint will help you understand what matters to them and what they are concerned about, and allow you to tailor your response accordingly. If they are particularly bothered about time and delays, then make sure that is something you deal with at the start of the response. With any difficult situation there are some simple things to remember. Firstly, people want you to acknowledge that there is a problem and show you are aware of it. After that it is about saying what you can do to rectify the situation and what the future course of action will be. In a nutshell, all negative situations need those two things to be addressed at the earliest opportunity. Customers that can’t get anyone to recognise the problem they have will become increasingly frustrated and ultimately angry about what has happened. Stealing thunder In crisis communication there is a technique known as ‘stealing thunder’ where you acknowledge the negative position before some third party exposes it. For all forms of complaint management this technique can be a helpful way to diffuse tense situations. You take the wind out of the sails of someone rushing to have an argument. In situations where the problem is clearly there, and the business is responsible, ‘stealing thunder’ will swiftly take the sting out. But what can we do when the customer’s complaint is without foundation? Try looking at the situation from their perspective. What has caused them to complain? What else may be happening that has triggered this response? In short, try to listen to them without making any snap judgements or decisions. Really understand what is involved in the situation before you say anything. Use the information you gather to frame the response and the actions that you take. Too many times we rush to a course of action without fully understanding what is in front of us. The key principles of customer complaint communication are to be honest about the situation, keep people informed about what is happening, have some empathy with the situation they may find themselves in, and make sure there is some action being taken. It doesn’t matter whether it is a minor complaint or a major problem that has been reported, the principles remain the same. Phased response In some cases, the situation will not disappear overnight and despite your best efforts the complaint lingers and there is the potential for longer term reputational damage. Therefore, the response to a complaint needs to be in phases: the initial recognition, the action, and the long-term recovery either of the customer relationship, or of the reputation of the company. It requires on-going communication, demonstrating system or personnel changes if they are required, and promoting the positive work that is being done. Never try to rush ahead hoping that things will sort themselves out. The negative feedback or bad online reviews will remain unchecked and either grow or continue to impact on the business’s reputation. Be proactive and take action to marginalise those negative views. How do we get these things in place? The first thing is to plan and prepare for negative complaints. Think about what problems you may face and how you will look to respond to them. It may help to have a five-step plan that can help staff to understand the approach that is going to be taken. Ultimately, it is staff who will be facing these budding problems and training them in managing customer complaints is essential. Well-trained employees who know what to do when they come face-to- face with that first negative comment and act as outlined can help to prevent that problem growing to become a customer crisis. Expert advice on the business of running a garment decoration company Q&A Amanda Coleman is a crisis communication consultant with 20 years’ experience working in emergency services communication. She is the author of Crisis Communication Strategies, which provides strategies to protect a brand through any type of crisis. Images readers can save 20% off the book at the Kogan Page website below by using the code CRISISCOMMS20. www.koganpage.com/CCS