Handling Customer Complaints

"You can handle anything if you think you can.

Just keep your cool and your sense of humour."

Smiley Blanton

Twelve golden rules:

· Treat all complaints seriously, don’t take the complaint or criticism personally;

· make your first response positive;

· don’t rush onto the defensive;

· try to resolve the complaint as your first objective;

· avoid using jargon that the customer might not understand;

· if there has been a mistake – acknowledge it and apologise;

· be prepared to take responsibility for other people’s mistakes;

· take the initiative with suggestions to put things right and offer choices;

· try to make amends – however don’t make promises you can’t keep;

· if the customer is wrong, don’t embarrass them if you need to point it out;

· be tactful and learn from mistakes;

· watch your body language; say you’re sorry with your actions as well as your words.

If you find dealing with complaints from customers difficult or would like to become more assertive, then do get in touch with me at Nicholl Consultancy.

Until next time - stay calm!