Koolarticles.com Menu
Newest Articles
Most Viewed Articles
Koolarticles.com RSS
Submit Article
Login
Signup
Search the articles

Articles Main Categories
Advice
Animals
Automobiles
Business
Career
Communications
Computer Programming
Computers
Entertainment
Environment
Family
Fashion
Finance
Food
Health & Medical
Home & Garden
Humor
Internet Business
Internet Marketing
Legal
Leisure & Recreation
Marketing
Other
Politics
Reference & Education
Religion
Self Improvement
Sports
Technology & Science
Travel
Writing
Subscribe
Receive alert message from us when new articles submitted to our site for free.

Enter your name

Enter your email

Syndicate

















Home::Sue And Chuck DeFiore

When Customers Complain

Author : James Calvin
You probably won't have been in business too long before you get your first complaint. It just can't help but happen: low-end customers pay nothing and expect the Earth, while high-end ones pay a lot but expect an inhuman effort in return. You just can't please all of the people all of the time, even if you run yourself ragged trying -- there will always be someone who's not happy with what you've done. So what can you do about it?



Don't Be Rude or Dismissive.



The customer's complaint might seem stupid to you, or even insulting -- but that doesn't mean that you can respond in kind. You must treat every customer complaint seriously, and always act as if it is 100% your fault that things weren't to their satisfaction.



Remember that every unhappy customer will talk about their experience to your potential customers (research varies, but some say that they might tell as many as 20). Those potential customers won't get to hear your side of the story. Going the extra mile to keep unreasonable customers happy is, above all else, a defensive technique to prevent them from damaging your business. Don't be scared of complaints: you should, instead, be actively soliciting them, to give you a chance to put things right before they tell anyone.



Write a Letter of Apology.



People will really appreciate the effort you've gone to if you take the time to write them a formal letter of apology, and say that you're sorry things weren't to their satisfaction and you appreciate them taking the time to tell you so that you can improve. For example:



'Dear Sir,



It has come to my attention that you weren't happy with the service you received from my company in respect of the delivery of items to your home. We have now contacted our delivery service and fixed the issue, although I understand that this came too late to avoid inconveniencing you.



I would like to sincerely apologise to you for the bad experience you have had with my company, and hope that this will not harm our chances of doing business together again in the future.'



Make sure you sign the letter yourself, in pen. People hate seeing letters with printed signatures on.



Offer a Partial Refund.



The closing part of your letter should offer a refund of as much as you can afford to give -- in this scenario, for example, where there was a problem with delivery, you should offer to refund the full cost of delivery, plus a little extra to cover the inconvenience.



In this way, you can turn your dissatisfied customers into some of your most satisfied ones. They will tell everyone they know that there was a small problem that wasn't your fault, and they probably complained too harshly, but you handled it courteously and sent them a refund.



Having people know that you respond well to complaints is some of the best word-of-mouth marketing you can get. What's more, that customer you treated well is surprisingly likely to come back and do business with you again -- although, of course, they'll be very annoyed if things don't go well the second time either.



Do Some Complaining Yourself.



A large amount of the time, when a customer complains about something, it wasn't caused by you -- it was some kind of problem with your supplier, or someone else you rely on. Of course the customer didn't know this, but you do, and you need to do something about them. Write them a letter of complaint, like the following:



'Dear Sir or Madam,



Due to your service being unavailable this week, I have received the attached customer complaints. I hope you will understand that I am very displeased, and I am currently considering alternative suppliers.'



With this letter, enclose a copy of every customer complaint you got thanks to them. Your supplier will often be eager enough to keep you on as a customer that they will offer some kind of compensation package -- which you can then pass on to your customers, or use to cover the cost of refunds you have already given them.


Article Source: http://www.articledashboard.com





James Calvin will show you how to market your product to the World using the only REAL techniques that make the Internet pay off. Go to www.MillionaireMarketingManual.com NOW. You may freely distribute or publish the above article as long as this bio and an active hyperlink are accompanied with it.





Related articles


  1. Complaining Consumers
  2. How Not to Get Stiffed, Improving Your Collection Procedures
  3. What Exactly is Customer Relationship Management?
  4. Increase in Customer Sales = Increase in Customer Service
  5. Transforming Disgruntled Customers into Your Biggest Advocates
  6. My Child Has Opie Eye!
  7. Restaurant Scheduling for Success
  8. Don't Eliminate The Middle Man - Add One
  9. Service Equals Performance Equals Service
  10. Keeping Clients Happy Keeps them Coming Back
  11. Doors by Catering to Your Clients
  12. What's For Lunch?
  13. Improving Customer Service
  14. How To Build a Profitable Business
  15. Difficult Customers - There's No Such Thing
  16. The Death of the Loyal Customer
  17. Communicating Value
  18. Why Can't Microsoft Make "Soft" Packaging?
  19. DON'T Give Your Customers What They Want!
  20. Get Customers to Stop Calling You--12 Easy Ways to Save Money with Online Customer Support
  21. Marketing as a Spiritual Practice
  22. What's in a Name
  23. The 3 R's of Customer Service
  24. Be the Customer: See Yourself as Your Customers Do
  25. Create Win-Win Deals With Your Competitors
More related feeds
Customers Who Rave About You And Your Service
Sure Fire Ways To Drive Customers Away! Develop Loyal Customers For A Lifetime - Part 1 (1 - 10); The Best Help Desks On The Internet; When Customers Complain; The Unbeatable Laws Of Customer Service.

how to handle customer complaints
the truth is however, customers who complain are actually carving out opportunities for a business to improve its customer service and resolve any undetected problems for long-lasting profitable growth. ...

When Customers Complain
Develop Loyal Customers For A Lifetime - Part 1 (1 - 10); The Best Help Desks On The Internet; Customers Who Rave About You And Your Service; The Unbeatable Laws Of Customer Service; The Top Ten Client Feedback Questions.

Communicating With Customers
Or do you refuse to take responsibility for the quality of your service? When customers complain of a defect in the items they bought from you, do you replace it after verifying their complaint? Handling customers the correct way goes ...

7 Steps to Remarkable Customer Service
Instead of getting defensive when customers complain, practice ways to apologize and don't forget to sound like you mean it. Admit fault and fix the problem. Practice puppetry: You can never win an argument with your customer. ...

managing customer criticisms and complaints
when customers complain about the product or service they are getting from you, what do you do? of course, you know what you should do. you should:. • say something that shows you sympathize with them. ...

Five Customer Service Tips to Turn Complaints into Sales
When customers complain, they are often seeking acknowledgement of the problem, empathy and most importantly, an apology. If none of these “criteria” are met by the company, the customer will walk away never to come back. ...

Managing Customer Criticisms and Complaints
Managing Customer Criticisms and Complaints. By Michael Masterson. When customers complain about the product or service they are getting from you, what do you do? Of course, you know what you should do. You should: ...

Develop Loyal Customers For A Lifetime - Part 1 (1 - 10)
If you liked this article, You may also like. The Best Help Desks On The Internet; Customers Who Rave About You And Your Service; When Customers Complain; The Unbeatable Laws Of Customer Service; The Top Ten Client Feedback Questions.

Battling With Customer Service: How To Win The War, Part 2 Of 2
Develop Loyal Customers For A Lifetime - Part 1 (1 - 10); The Best Help Desks On The Internet; Customers Who Rave About You And Your Service; When Customers Complain; The Unbeatable Laws Of Customer Service.

 


 

2007 koolarticles.com - All Rights Reserved

eXTReMe Tracker