How to Gracefully Respond to Customer Complaints (And Win Back Their Business)
There are over 32 million small businesses in the United States. Unfortunately, dealing with angry customers is something that almost every business owner will experience.
Although customer complaints can initially seem overwhelming, they’re easier to handle than most people anticipate. We’ve put together a short guide on dealing with complaints from customers effectively.
Let’s dive in.
Listen to Them
This is a step you cannot overlook.
Listening to customers is crucial when it comes to helping them resolve the issues they have. In context, this means letting them say everything they need before you respond.
Take everything in, process it, and then determine how you are going to react. A common mistake business owners make is reacting before they know everything about the situation.
Illustrate That You Understand Them
Customers not only want to feel heard, but they also want to feel understood. Do your best to convey that you have a full understanding of their issue, why it occurred, and why they feel the way they do.
Acknowledging and validating their sentiment can go a long way when it comes to pacifying them. For example, you could assure them that they are not alone in their problem and that you are fully aware of what they’re going through.
This level of customer communication will go a long way when it comes to customer retention.
Don’t Get Defensive
One of the worst things you can do when handling customer complaints is to get defensive. This escalates the conflict and also gives off the impression that you aren’t willing to take action.
In a situation like this, that individual may turn to a competitor instead. Not only will you lose the customer, but a competitor would gain one. It will also be highly difficult or even impossible to regain their trust after something like this.
Instead, you should take steps to make your response seem as nonthreatening as possible. A great way you can do this is by using the correct language when speaking with them. For instance, you wouldn’t want to use a phrase like “This only happened to you because…”
A good alternative would be “We take full responsibility for the inconvenience you’ve experienced and are working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.”
Convey Your Course of Action
Finally, it’s crucial to convey your course of action. Your customers will want to know exactly what you’re doing to make the situation better.
Remaining transparent is essential so that you can provide insight into the process. Otherwise, they may feel as though you forgot about their issue or didn’t care to fix it.
Handle Customer Complaints With Care
Dealing with customer complaints is never easy. The above information can help make the process much more bearable.
As long as you consider these tips, you should be able to help them overcome the problems they encounter.
Feel free to get in touch with us at XACT today. We offer premier customer support solutions that can help take your business performance to the next level.