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In customer service, like any other area of life, criticism is usually difficult to listen to. We don’t like to be told what we are doing wrong (especially if it is really only someone else’s opinion about what they think we are doing wrong). However, wise business leaders discovered long ago that companies who don’t effectively deal with customer complaints don’t stay in business for very long. While this aspect of customer service is viewed by some as a necessary evil, it is potentially a very valuable tool for improving and growing your business.
Look at it this way; customer complaints are kind of like the proverbial canary in the mine shaft – they can be an early warning indicator that the company may be headed for a rough time if certain problems aren’t addressed. Too often, management tends to react proactively only to profitability issues, which can sometimes take several quarters to address. Monitoring customer complaints can tip you off months in advance to growing problems with products or services that might eventually hurt your bottom line.
So, it is time to take customer complaints seriously. Instead of building your customer service model around closing a case as soon as possible (a major computer company tried that and their market share plummeted), shift your focus to effectively understanding the nature of the complaint and the needs of the customer and creating a solution that thoroughly addresses the full scope of the problem.
The latest research indicates that customer complaints can be divided into three major categories: complaints about the performance of individual employees; complaints about various products, services and policies of the company; or mistakes, misperceptions and confusion on the part of the customer. It is interesting to note that the vast majority of all customer complaints arise from categories two and three. Armed with this information, companies can design their CSR training and customer service programs to more effectively address and learn from customer complaints.
Individual Employees – Customer complaints regarding individual employees generally fall into two sub-categories: employee attitude and employee competence. Often, both of these problems are the result of poor training. With everything "moving at the speed of business" these days, too many companies skimp on employee training. Not only are employees not always properly screened and prepared to deal professionally with all aspects of customer interaction, they are often not even properly trained on the company’s core products and practices. (Several well-known home/hardware products retailers that advertise the helpful expertise of their floor associates have been roundly criticized by consumers because many of these "experts" can’t even find stock on the shelves, much less give useful advice regarding the best plumbing repair options). Employee screening and training gaps always show up as customer complaint calls.
The Company – Let’s face it; even though most companies try very hard to deliver excellent products and services, sometimes the process breaks down (literally). An industry leader in personal computers invested millions in the latest processing and graphics technology for their laptops, but skimped on the durability of their LCD screen displays. This lead to high failure rates in the pixels of the screen, producing annoying dead spots in the graphics, ruining an otherwise very wonderful product, and triggering a high volume of customer complaints! Production flaws, design failures, process breakdowns– even overly enthusiastic marketing claims that create unrealistic customer expectations– will all result in an avalanche of customer complaints. CSRs need to be properly briefed on how to honestly and professionally address these problems. Most customers are willing to forgive company mistakes IF the company will admit the problem and fix it.
The Customer – While this comes as no surprise to most CSRs, a surprising high number of customer complaints are the result of customer errors, misunderstandings and mistakes. These situations certainly can be delicate to deal with, but the company is always best served when the CSR maintains a professional, caring and helpful attitude. Instead of dismissing the customer with a "you’re the one who messed this up, what do expect me to do" response, an effective CSR will begin by apologizing for the fact that the customer is having trouble and then patiently guide the customer through a set of options to address the problem. Companies that train their CSRs to take advantage of these sometimes frustrating– maybe even unfair– complaints and use them to educate the customer and build bridges of good will can turn a complaint into a compliment and keep a valued customer.
You do value customers, don’t you? Then take customer complaints seriously and use them as opportunities to make your whole company better. The customer will certainly be glad if you do, but in the end, so will you!
After you have listened attentively to the customer’s concerns, it is time to ask questions. These questions serve two purposes. First of all, good questions demonstrate to the customer that you are listening and you do care. More than that, however, asking good questions (and, again, carefully listening to the answers) helps you zero in on the customer’s most important needs so that you can identify the best set of options to offer as solutions. These questions should be delivered with a friendly, helpful tone. Don’t make the customer feel like he is being interrogated.
If you follow my recommendations this far, you are well on your way to delivering great customer service, and you haven’t even agreed on a final solution yet. Of course, your customer may still be asking for the moon, and you may not be able to provide that perfect solution he would prefer. However, by taking the time to make that person feel noticed, listened to and valued, you have already addressed one of his most important needs: you have demonstrated that you (and your company) really care. It will be much easier for the customer to accept the solution you are able to provide, because you have paved the way by following the Golden Rule
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March Customer Service Tip of the Month – Customer Service is an Attitude
If you don’t like helping people, don’t take a job as a CSR. If you tend to be critical of the shortcomings of others, you probably won’t be very effective as a CSR. If you have a hard time being patient with people who aren’t as articulate as you are or who have problems making decisions, you would probably be better off in a line of work other than customer service. Customer service isn’t a job, it is an attitude. Employees can be trained to use company software and they can learn company policies and procedures for handling complaints and returns. However, what most customers need above everything else is CSRs who make an honest and sincere effort to understand their needs and help them find a good solution for their problem. A kind, interested and caring attitude is very hard to fake and customers will immediately sense when they are being patronized or talked down to. Never forget, in order to take care of the needs of your customers, you must first care about them as people.
