A complaint from a customer is the last thing we want to hear. However, with the right language to handle a problem, and a good attitude, a complaint can lead us down the road to improved service. Satisfied customers will come back.
I spent the early part of my career in customer service roles. I have worked face to face with customers in various high street retail outlets and handled European wide orders from multi-million pound organisations within the chemical industry. It doesn't matter who the customer is, they all want to receive good service and feel valued.
Based on my personal experience and TEFL* teacher training I've put together this guide to help you handle a complaint in English.
*Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Tip #1 - Take the complaint seriously
It might be a small complaint from a low-value customer or it might be the 20th complaint you have received that day and it's only 10am. Whatever the situation your customer needs to feel valued so that they will come back. Try using language such as:
"I understand your frustration."
"I hear that you are dissatisfied with the service."
"Please wait here / hold the line and I will make some notes."
All of these phrases tell the customer that you have listened to them.
Tip #2 - Apologise
This is what your customer wants to hear the most. It might not be your fault that something went wrong, in fact if you are in a customer facing role it most likely isn't your fault. However, you are representing the company and your customer needs to hear they are valued. Saying "I'm very sorry to hear that." or "I apologise for the inconvenience." will go a long way.
"Thank your customer for complaining and mean it. Most will never bother to complain. They'll just walk away." — Marilyn Suttle
Tip #3 - Explain
Your customer wants to hear that you are sorry, but they also want to know why something went wrong. You might be able to do this straight away by looking up a few details or arranging an immediate exchange for an obviously faulty product. Some things might require further investigation and a more complex resolution. "I will look into this." or "I will talk to my supervisor." are good phrases to use.
Tip #4 - More information
Arranging a replacement product for a customer might be straight forward, but there is still a cost to the business to do this. Getting as much information as possible from the customer is key, such as the batch number or a photograph of a damaged box, this will help the business reclaim the costs. Using phrases such as "Could you please tell me..." or "Would you mind sending me a photo of the damage" are good ways of asking for more information.
Tip #5 - Promise action
As mentioned in tip 1 your customer wants to feel valued and you want them to come back. The best way to show this is to promise some kind of action. Resolve the damaged delivery by sending out a new one or raise an invoicing mistake with the accounts department.
This should satisfy your customer, however to keep them coming back why not offer them a discount or free shipping on their next order. This will give your company another chance to show they can achieve great customer service.
Before you hang up, apologise again. Hopefully by now your customer will be more satisfied and accept your apology.
Put it into practice
I hope you don't get a complaint today, but if you do try out one of the phrases suggested in the tips.
Leave a comment and let me know how you got on.
Contact me to arrange a personalised coaching session on this topic.
Comments