Handling The Customer from Hell Part II

 

Previously, we explored things to keep in mind when dealing with an unhappy customer. In this last part of the two part series Handling the Customer From Hell, we’ll look at how we actually resolve problems to everyone’s mutual satisfaction.

Here’s a brief summary of how Part I was concluded for those that need to catch up.

Let’s have a quick recap here : you’ve listened in an active fashion to the nature of the complaint, without interrupting or losing track of what exactly the complaint is. You’ve taken notes, mentally first then documented it with the customer’s permission granted beforehand.

You’ve clarified anything that you were unclear on and have a full understanding of why he’s upset. You have reassured the customer that you are ready and willing to help sort it out to the best of your ability and the customer has recognized that by your actions.

You’ve presented a professional front by both staying calm and courteous. You’ve given your full name or business card to our fictional Mr. Jones (company policy permitting) for future reference, all the while demonstrating positive, open and non threatening body language. Lastly, you’ve taken steps to protect yourself if things turn sour.

Good for you! You’re a credit to both yourself and your employer. By now, if life is in any way fair, Mr. Jones should be in a decidedly better frame of mind than he was when he walked in.

We continue now with the second part in this series, Handling the Customer from Hell PART II: Resolution and Completion.

Questions to Ask Yourself

So where to start in actually resolving the problem? I’m assuming here that the complaint is indeed a valid one. You need to ask yourself a few questions first:

Can I resolve this alone?

If so, do it as quickly and with as little fuss as possible.

If I can’t, who can?

Contact the person or department best suited to deal with it speedily. If you don’t know who it will be, find out by asking your boss or colleagues, or perhaps contacting the switchboard operator – she usually has a good handle on who does what in a large company.

What if the person is unavailable to deal with it, or the resolution is going to take a few days or more?

That being the case, you need to take responsibility for seeing Mr. Jones’ complaint through. You’ve already given him your name. You’ll be his first point of contact if nothing happens, therefore it’s in your best interests too that you ensure the complaint is followed up and not gathering dust in someone else’s in-tray.

Otherwise, you undo all the good work you have done up till now and Mr Jones won’t see you as a professional person anymore. Do you really want that to happen because of another person’s inaction? No, neither would I.

Advise the customer about the nature of the delay, agree to contact them at a specific time and date to keep them updated, and most importantly of all, DO IT. Mr. Jones is not going to be ecstatic, but at least he’ll know that something is being done and you’ll be keeping tabs on it.

Remember, no matter whether you can resolve it right away or it falls under the remit of another, always take the following steps:

Golden Rules for Complaint Handling

* Thank the customer for bringing the complaint to your attention.
* Apologize sincerely for the error/delay/faulty product.
* Explain what happened honestly and succinctly.
* Advise him what steps are being taken to sort it out and what time frame to expect that to happen in.
* Keep the customer informed throughout and make sure that you have his contact number as well as giving your own.
* Check and double check that all promises made to the customer, both by yourself and coworkers, are kept.
* Learn the lessons from the complaint to prevent it reoccurring and share what you learned with coworkers.

Building the Bridges To A Happy Customer

When you have time in your work schedule, it’s always a nice gesture to make a follow up phone call to the customer a week or so after the complaint has been resolved to everyone’s satisfaction. A quick call to check if you can be of service in any other way can go a long way towards repairing any damage done previously by the complaint.

There’s nothing more gratifying to me than hearing a ‘thank you’ over the phone or in a letter from a once disgruntled customer like Mr. Jones and knowing that you did your job well.

For most customers who’ve made a complaint, it’s a pleasant surprise to receive this kind of courtesy call. In my experience, the majority of difficult customers tend to forgive any problems if they are resolved in a timely and satisfactory manner and will happily do business with your company in the future.

To me, that’s what real, committed Customer Service is all about- serving the customer just as diligently and conscientiously when they’re unhappy as when they are not. Who knows, next time it may be you that’s Mr. Jones. How would you like to be treated?