You probably won't have been in business long before you received your first complaint. It just can't help but happen: Low-end customers pay nothing and expect earthiness, while high-end ones pay a lot but expect an inhumane effort in return. You can't please everyone all the time, even if you put in a strenuous effort yourself - there will always be someone who won't be happy with what you do. So what can you do about it?
Don't be rude or dismissive.
A customer complaint may sound silly or even insulting to you - but that doesn't mean you can respond in kind. You must take every customer complaint seriously, and always behave as if it is 100% your fault that things were not to their satisfaction.
Remember that not every unhappy customer will talk to your potential customers about their experience (research varies, but some say they can tell up to 20). Those potential customers won't get to hear your side of the story. Taking the extra effort to keep unfair customers happy is, above all, a defensive technique to keep them from harming your business. Don't be afraid of complaints. Instead, you should actively solicit them, so that they give you a chance to fix things before you tell anyone.
Write an apology letter.
People will appreciate the effort you put in if you take the time to write them a formal letter of apology, saying that you're sorry that things weren't to their satisfaction and that you appreciate taking the time to tell them. We do. We do. that you can improve. for example:
'Wealth,
It has come to my notice that you are not happy with the service being received from my company regarding the delivery of goods to your doorstep. We have now contacted our delivery service and fixed the problem, although I understand it is too late to save you the inconvenience.
I would like to sincerely apologize to you for the bad experience I had with your company, and hope it will not hurt our chances of doing business together again in the future.'
Make sure you sign the letter yourself with a pen. People hate seeing letters with printed signatures.
Offer a partial refund.
The last part of your letter should offer as much refund as possible - in this scenario, for example, where there was a problem with delivery, you should also offer to refund the full cost of delivery. To hide a little extra inconvenience.
This way, you can turn your dissatisfied customers into some of your most satisfied customers. They'll tell everyone they know there was a minor problem that wasn't your fault, and they probably complained too harshly, but you handled it politely and sent them a refund.
Telling people that you respond well to complaints is some of the best word-of-mouth marketing you can find. Plus, a customer you treated well is surprisingly likely to come back and do business with you again - although, of course, they'll be very angry if things don't go well the second time around. ,
Make some complaints yourself.
To a large extent, when a customer complains about something, it's not because of you - it was some sort of problem with your supplier, or someone else you trust. Of course, the customer didn't know this, but you do, and you need to do something about them. Write them a complaint letter like the following:
'Dear Sir or Madam,
Due to your unavailable service this week, I have received the attached customer complaints. I hope you understand that I am very unhappy, and I am currently looking for alternative suppliers.'
With this letter, attach a copy of each customer complaint you receive, thanking them. Your supplier will often be so eager to retain you as a customer that they will offer some sort of compensation package – which you can pass on to your customers, or use to cover the cost of a refund. which you have already given them.
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