Dealing with GREVIENCES

Complaints should be treated as indicators of potential trouble.    

        Businesses will thrive only if customers and clients are satisfied with the service they are receiving and with the products being sold. 

        If complaints are not handled skilfully and quickly valued customers will be lost. Staff should be trained to deal with complaints promptly.

        Maintaining a customer is a better investment than having to look for a new customer.

Five of the best tips to deal with a grievance

* Be polite and helpful

        Find out precisely what the customer is complaining about. Listen very carefully and ask questions. Don’t make hasty judgements or make excuses.

        Show you are concerned and are willing to assist the complainant as soon as possible.

* Investigate the problem quickly   

        Is it due to faulty materials, poor assembly, poor servicing, rude or inconsiderate staff or lack of training?

*  Give rapid feedback  

        If the complaint is in a letter or as an email, contact the customer promptly to tell them what you have found out about the problem.  Thank them for bringing it to your notice.

* Make a special effort to retain their custom

        11Correct the problem as soon as possible.

        Replace all faulty products immediately.

        Investigate the cause of the problem fully and make sure it doesn’t occur again.

        Do something special for the complainant, such as a free voucher, or a discount on their next purchase.

* Take corrective action

        You may need to improve your staff training to upgrade your customer services and quality controls. It may be necessary to improve machinery maintenance or your delivery systems. 

        Be thankful and grateful the problem has been brought to your attention so you can rectify it before you have major problems on hand.

–Geoffrey Moss

“The greatest asset a business can have is a satisfied customer.”

Source: “Time Savers” and “Time Management Secrets” first published by Mossassociates.co.nz and by (Cengage Learning Asia); also available from Amazon.com as hard copy, or as an e-book.