We can’t avoid complaints from customers, it’s almost an everyday affair!
Usually, a customer complains for some genuine reason. They usually end up purchasing something that did not meet the mark of their expectation; it can be a product, service, or maybe both. To handle their concerns, you must know the best customer complaint management tactics- listen to their issues, resolve them, and ensure their complete satisfaction.
To effectively manage customer problems, you can use a customer complaint system like Wowdesk – it will help you streamline your resolution process and deliver professional support assistance. However, it’s just enough to deploy complaint software. You need to follow some smart tips to handle customer complaints and provide on-time and satisfactory support. But before getting into the tips to handle complaints, you need to understand why it is important to have an efficient and centralized complaint management software.
Importance of a Complaint Management Software
Contrary to popular belief, a unified complaint tracking software does more than just handling feedback from customers. It helps businesses in re-assessing risks and improve supplier quality and other business processes. A robust complaint system performs root cause investigation to prevent the recurrence of the issues and customer complaints.
Unlike disconnected systems that leave communication gaps, efficient complaint management software addresses every complaint without losing any data to prevent the risk of continued product issues, and customer dissatisfaction.
Customer loyalty can take years to build and if there is a customer addressing an issue, it is likely that there are other customers experiencing something similar. Promptly and effectively addressing a complaint can save you more than one customer relationship.
Tips to handle customer complaints
1. Stay calm
A person who has control of their emotions can deal with any situation easily.
When a customer comes up with any complaint to you, be clear with the thing that the issue is not personal; they are not complaining about you directly but rather the situation at hand. So, choose to stay calm and professional.
2. Listen carefully
Let the frustrated customer yell their anger out, do not interrupt.
Respond with some exclamations and phrases like “oh I see”, “okay! then”, “hmm” and many more. When the customer realizes you are interested in listening to them, they begin to calm down. Let the customer calm down before you provide them any solution or say anything, for that matter.
3. Acknowledge
Make the customer realize that you are listening, what they are saying. If there is any mistake from your or your company’s side, admit it; if it’s just a misunderstanding explain it to the customer calmly. Use sentences like- “I can understand how frustrating it would be for you.” Even when you don’t agree with what the customer is saying, respect how they consider and feel about the situation.
After listening to their defenses, start your sentences with phrases like- “So, if I understand your concern properly” and then convey how you can help them. By acknowledging their issues you can cut down their defenses and can do your job easily.
4. Get the facts right
After listening properly, keep your points in the conversation. As the customer is cool now and feels you have heard their viewpoint, start asking relevant questions. Do not use scripted replies, this is the opportunity to start a genuine conversation. Build a relationship of trust with customers. To give proper guidance, ask enough questions, and then share your knowledge to assist them.
5. Provide an effective solution
To provide the right solution, you must have sufficient details. Always remember to follow company guidelines. Don’t commit a promise which cannot be fulfilled, it will only set you back.
Be empathetic and respectful while providing solutions. Customers should feel you are willing to take charge of their issues. Keep the icing on the cake by placing a quick follow up call after some days.
When you have a proper complaint management system like Wowdesk and tactics to handle customers, you can deliver qualified support to your customers. Stay tuned with us for more posts!