Do you know this feeling? You receive a complaint and your first impulse is defensive. At least internally. Because instinctively, we perceive a complaint as an attack that we want to defend against. Just like the physical principle of "pressure creates counter-pressure." The causes can be diverse: a hurt self-esteem, disappointment over the unexpected perception of the customer, a completely different perspective on the matter, and so on. The great art in dealing with a complaint lies in suppressing this reflex of "shooting back" ("I have to check that first," or: "I can't imagine that," or: "You are the first one to see it that way") and instead reacting completely openly and unbiased. Only then will our customers continue to make the effort to give us critical feedback. Unfortunately, most customers find it too cumbersome to complain and act more pragmatically: they simply switch to another provider/supplier without contacting us again. Here are some figures from Volkswagen AG:
- Only one out of 26 dissatisfied customers presents their complaint!
- BUT: 95% of upset customers remain loyal to the company if the problem is resolved within 5 days!
- Every complaint handled to satisfaction is communicated to 5 other people, making it a great opportunity to show how one reacts when something goes wrong - this gives customers reassurance
- They reveal our blind spots and give us the opportunity to continuously improve our services
- They show us that our customer is interested in working with us in the future (otherwise, they wouldn’t bother to complain)
- They give us the chance to demonstrate how professional we are when something doesn't go as planned and that the customer can always count on us
- Say "Thank you"
- Explain why you consider the complaint valuable
- Apologize for the mistake
- Promise to take immediate action to solve the problem
- Ask for necessary information
- Correct the mistake - preferably immediately
- Check if the customer is satisfied