Dealing with Concerns and Complaints
Dissatisfied customers complain to dozens of friends and post disparaging messages that go viral online, but you’ll find it comforting to know that if you handle complaints well, you’ll circumvent potential damage and strengthen your customer relationships. Use customer complaints to lead your business to service improvements and higher satisfaction levels.
Understanding why customers don’t complain
The Direct Selling Education Foundation reports that for every complaint that a customer makes, the average business has another 26 customers with unstated problems. Here’s why disgruntled customers stay mum:
They don’t think that anyone in the company cares.
They don’t know where to register their dissatisfaction.
They’re embarrassed to say anything because they know the owner.
You can’t fix it if you can’t hear it. Talk with customers to hear their concerns, along with suggestions for how you can improve your service.
Encouraging complaints
You’re better off hearing about dissatisfaction directly than indirectly — or not at all — so be open to concerns ...
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