Handling Complaints

         The greatest assets an organization can have are happy staff and satisfied clients.

         Businesses will thrive only if customers and clients are satisfied with the products and the service given.

         All complaints must be handled skilfully and quickly otherwise valued clients will be lost.

         Genuine complaints should be treated as indicators of potential trouble.

         All frontline workers should be trained to listen with care and deal with complaints promptly.

A Handful of Tips to help handle complaints

* Be polite and helpful

         What is the client complaining about?

          Listen very carefully and ask questions – don’t make excuses or hasty judgments.

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

*Investigate quickly   

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

* Give rapid feedback 

         Contact the client promptly. Tell them what you have found out about the problem.      Thank them for bringing it to your notice.

* Make a special effort

         Replace faulty products immediately.

         Make a special effort to retain the client.

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

      Correct the problem as soon as possible.     

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

*Take corrective action

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

         Be thankful the problem has been brought to your attention so you can rectify it.

-Geoffrey Moss(mossassociates.co.nz)

“The heaviest thing  a person can carry is a grievance.”

Source; “Time Savers” and “Time Management Secrets”, (Cengage Learning Asia) available from Amazon.com as hard copy, or as an e-book.

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