How do you deal with customer complaints?

Ravi_Shukle_customer_service_specialist_how_do_you_deal_with_customer_complaints PINTEREST IMAGEHave you ever complained about bad customer service?

of course you have!

But the real question then becomes

were you vocal about it?

The way I look at it there are two kinds of customer.

#1 The first is your vocal customer

Your vocal customer is the type of person to quite simply say what’s on their mind. When it comes to customer service and their experience this usually means vocally letting a member of staff know exactly what they think. Or in the case of online sending a direct response to the company.

Now this isn’t all bad as being vocal can also mean praising a company but the key here is the person isn’t afraid to let others know what they think.

#2 The second is your silent customer

Your silent customer is the type of person who notices all the same experiences as the vocal customer but does not make a point to mention it to any members of staff. Does this mean they don’t care?

definitely not!

In fact the silent customer is just as passionate about their experience as the vocal customer but instead chooses to express their feelings by other means i.e. email, online, feedback forms and even reviews.

The key take away here is not all your customers will let you know if they have had a good or bad experience. In this situation the worst thing your company can do is assume if you haven’t heard anything that they are happy.

That is why you want to make sure you follow up with your customers and engage to find out what they thought about your product or service. This not only helps to build trust but also helps you to reduce those all important customer complaints.

Now with that in mind I wanted to share a short story with you about what happened to me when I went to visit the Dentist.  I’ll let you decide in this situation which type of customer I was…

How do you deal with customer complaints?

So earlier this week I had made an appointment with the dentist as my tooth was aching. While I knew this was nothing serious it’s always best to get these things checked out. So anyway I had the appointment to see the dentist the following morning.

On that morning I walked into the Dentist and was told to take my seat as you do. As I walked over to the waiting area I had noticed a customer survey form which read “Whether your experience is good or bad we still want to hear from you”. I didn’t think much of it and continued to wait until my name was called out.

So now I’ve been called in and checked out by the dentist nothing serious wohoo!. At this point I am waiting by the reception to let the receptionist know I would like to pay. This is when I heard her on the phone gossiping about another employee.

The best part was she saw me and continued to walk straight past to get a pen and then went into another room to continue her conversation.  15 minutes later she came back and took the payment. Did I complain? Even better you can bet I walked over to that table with the form and wrote an essay my high school teacher would be proud of.

The lesson here is never assume a customer is happy just because they haven’t been vocal about it. Understand their needs in the same way you would if someone shouted and complained.  You can bet the feedback has now been passed onto management.

What would you have done in my shoes?

Ravi Shukle - online customer service specialist

P.S If you want me to help you kick start this whole process. Feel free to – Get in touch today!