A fragment of the book "Complaint Management: How to increase sales with the help of customer complaints." Complaint handling system and strategy. How to Deal with Customer Complaints - A Step-by-Step Algorithm Complaint Handling Projects

In the previous chapters, you have learned how to professionally receive and handle complaints using a variety of modern technical tools. In this chapter, we want to show how complaints can be used strategically.

If your business has received complaints, this does not necessarily mean that customer service is poor. The reverse is also true - the absence of complaints is not an indicator that everything is in order at the enterprise. It's good to understand this clearly. If you are interested in long-term relationships with clients, then you must thoroughly deal with each complaint, making it as important as if you were closing a new deal.

Competent reception of complaints and their technical processing is now even more rare. Although complaint management does not start in computers, but in people's heads, the most important prerequisite for creating a well-structured complaint management is the integration of modern technical tools into all production processes. Using product analysis results to proactively manage product quality improves customer satisfaction and promotes long-term partnerships. Therefore, it makes sense for many businesses to create an integrated and systematic management of customer complaints, or at least to expand existing services.

An enterprise does not live by what it produces or offers as services, but by what it sells!

6.1. Systematic reception, processing and analysis

First of all, we emphasize once again that a complaint is not a hindrance to the work of the enterprise, but a welcome feedback that provides you with valuable information.

A systematic approach to complaint management is to take any complaint seriously and find a suitable solution as soon as possible. In addition, the reception, consideration and analysis of complaints are of strategic importance for every enterprise today.

What factors should be taken into account by the enterprise? Action Tip: You may need a business executive order in consultation with the works council (if there is one). At the same time, a simple declaration of intent to introduce complaint management will not be enough. It should clearly indicate whether this will be an external stand-alone system, or complaint management will be an integral part of the new customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning systems and will affect all production processes. This service could take over the systematic and consistent work of focusing on customer needs as a new goal of the enterprise, as well as an integral part of the overall management of customer relations. Attention should be paid to the role that is assigned to the culture of the enterprise. It is this factor that is decisive in the question of whether you can introduce and develop an effective complaints management system in your enterprise.

The most important points in complaint management are as follows.

1. Encouragement of customer requests.
2. Reception and consideration of complaints.
3. Processing and resolution of conflict situations.
4. Collection, classification and documentation of complaints.

6.1.1. Encouragement of customer requests

The most important thing in the management of complaints is communication with customers, which involves providing them with convenient and free communication channels. Make sure that the client, if desired, can easily contact you. Otherwise, you may simply not know about the dissatisfaction of your customers.

It is important to create two-way communication using as many communication channels as possible. Create a variety of complaint channels for the customer to contact you and your business:

• personally;
• by phone;
• through a letter;
• by fax;
• through the Internet portal;
• through the self-service portal;
• by email;
• through customer surveys.

In addition, it is important to actively support the client who decides to file a complaint. Explain to sales assistants that complaints are a very important and desirable part of their job and should never be hidden. Customers will certainly appreciate it if you listen to their complaints readily and respond appropriately.

Using various means of communication, you will soon realize that the concept of communication is a media concept. The focus should be on reducing the client's costs and time in connection with filing a complaint.

So, create the necessary infrastructure for managing complaints!

6.1.2. Reception and consideration of complaints

In practice, it is important to distinguish between the needs of the client and their actual implementation. With a systematic understanding of this difference, the management of complaints in an enterprise can be sensitive to the slightest malfunctions in the work before they can develop into big problems.

First of all, you should find out whose problem it is (who is responsible). The principle of first contact will help you with this. According to him, the one who heard it first is responsible for the complaint. From now on, it is he who must take care of taking the necessary steps to deal with the complaint (Strauss; Seidel, 2002, 126).

The consultant who receives and considers complaints must master the appropriate techniques so that, at the first sign of irritation, he can pull himself together.

You will also need oral communication skills, special knowledge of telephone conversations, checklists with ready-made formulations and rules of behavior in different situations (see chapters 3-4, 5.1., 6.4.).

Your task is to quickly determine who is in charge of the issue, what you can do yourself to resolve the complaint, and what should be transferred to colleagues responsible for solving the problem. Thus, the consultant is personally responsible not so much for resolving each individual issue, but for ensuring that the client receives an answer as soon as possible (principle of “complaint ownership”).

Handling complaints

Today, complaints are often recorded using a multi-channel system that allows management to quickly receive complete and structured information. The complaints management system should unambiguously and clearly distinguish between problems by category. Stauss and Seidel (Stauss; Seidel, 2002, p. 132) suggest, upon receipt, to distinguish complaints first by the content of the questions, and then by the course of their resolution. Information regarding the content of complaints includes information about the complainant, the nature and object of the complaint, while information about the progress of the consideration of the complaint includes the receipt of the complaint, processing and reaction to it.

Primary complaint or secondary (in the latter case, it turns out that it is secondary in relation to a particular product, or is the same client complaining)? Does the customer complain about the company's employees or about the quality of the product or service? Differentiation can also occur in terms of the importance of customers and the possible consequences for the enterprise. The degree of importance of the client depends on the turnover, the difference between the intended benefits and costs, existing relationships with the client, the image in the market, the possible multiplier effect (potential damage is taken into account), etc.

Specific questions might look like this.

• What problems have occurred?
• What has already been done/undertaken?
• What was the result?
• What exactly do you mean by insufficient quality?
• What do you understand by ... ?
• What are your expectations?
• What specific actions should be taken now?
• Who should do what and when?

Once established, the categories cannot be regarded as something static and unchanging. They must also adapt to changing products and services and customer behavior.

By grouping complaints according to the above criteria, you will be able to efficiently and effectively deal with a variety of complaints from your customers. The categories of complaints form the basis for a differentiated approach in receiving and handling complaints.

Particular attention should be paid to the fact that all sales consultants of the enterprise receive similar complaints in the same way. If this does not happen, the categorization should be refined.

Figure 21 shows a fragment of a computer program for recording customer complaints.

ill. 21. Computer program for recording customer complaints

6.1.3. Handling complaints and taking action

This is what our book is about. For more information on handling complaints, see Chapters 2-5.

However, we would like to emphasize once again that the client who makes a complaint, first of all, expects a quick and qualified response to it, regardless of whether the complaint is filed by phone, fax, e-mail, via the Internet or by regular mail. In order to help the client as soon as possible, the sales assistant receives the necessary information from the electronic complaint management system. Access to a database of decisions made or to other data that may be important, such as electronic customer relationship management systems and enterprise resource planning, often allows the consultant to finally get to the bottom of the issue already at the first contact.

When conducting comprehensive customer surveys, special care must be taken to ensure that the results of surveys conducted in specialized departments of enterprises are not set aside simply because the person responsible for their processing has not been identified in a timely manner.

If it is not possible to immediately solve the problem by phone, the management of complaints of the enterprise should determine exactly how the sales assistant should respond in this case, depending on the communication channel through which the complaint was received: by phone, fax, e-mail or regular mail. For a written response, special text blanks have already been developed, with the help of which the consultant can professionally formulate phrases in such a way as to smooth out the tension of the situation as much as possible. If it is not possible to immediately give a final answer, the system issues a confirmation of receipt of the complaint, and, if necessary, a preliminary notification. In this case, the client calms down for a while, and the consultant can concentrate on another client. From such an approach to business, the reputation of the enterprise only wins.

Strictly speaking, we are talking about the fact that the consultant can quickly consider the complaint, so that the client is satisfied and that he remains your client, so that contact with him is maintained and successfully developed.

6.1.4. Reception, classification and documentation of complaints

Acceptance of complaints

A prerequisite for successful handling of customer complaints is a structured and efficient handling of complaints.

The following checklist will help you assess the performance of complaints management in your enterprise.

Checklist: Are we well prepared?

• Are sales assistants well prepared for possible complaints?
• What is the meaning of our sales consultants in the concept of "complaint"?
• How many complaints do we receive?
• Through what channels do we receive complaints?
• How accessible are we to clients?
• What are the customers complaining about?
• What specifically annoys them?
• Who responds to complaints?
• How far does the sales consultant's decision-making authority extend?
• How is the conflict escalation process regulated?
• Who responds to customer requests and how?
• What difficulties may arise due to the processing of a complaint?
• Are customer complaints and our solutions to them recorded?
• What conclusions can we draw?

Systematic complaint management takes into account the real state of things, so it will not be enough to answer the above questions once - they will be useful to you in order to monitor the situation in dynamics.

Some of the necessary information can be obtained using checklists during a conversation with a client.

Other information, for example, regarding the reasons for the complaint, as well as its possible consequences, should be systematized and evaluated a little later. This is important in order to avoid the repetition of complaints caused by similar reasons in the future.

At the final stage of handling the complaint, the sales assistant must determine what specific measures can be taken to resolve the problem.

Evaluation of complaints

Successfully functioning complaints management, by quickly addressing them and effectively resolving emerging problems, not only increases the level of customer satisfaction, but at the same time lays the foundation for long-term product quality management. Assessing and documenting complaints ultimately means improving product quality.

Once complaints have been received, classified, understood and reviewed, it is easy to evaluate these actions against various criteria. Along with the questions in the checklist above, the following questions can be asked.

• How quickly are complaints processed?
• How much is the cost per complaint?
• How many customer contacts will it take to resolve the issue?
• Have we achieved our goals?
• If so, what was good and what still needs improvement?
• If not, what is missing?
• What needs to be changed for this?
• What are the next steps to take?

The systematic evaluation of complaints saves on costly customer surveys. The company receives the necessary information from the complaints management system. So to speak, with home delivery and completely free.

Documenting Complaints

You can monitor the complaint handling process using various statistical reports. Assessing the content of complaints will help you identify weaknesses and plan for action to be taken. Thus, the costs of managing complaints are compensated. The causes of complaints are identified during the analysis and should be eliminated as soon as possible.

6.2. Complaint management optimization - a way to minimize their number

After evaluating the reports of the customer complaints department, it is necessary to draw concrete conclusions and carry out consistent work to eliminate deficiencies. If the complaint resolution process leaves much to be desired, it is not always the fault of the computer or a glitch in the system. In other words, systemic complaints management is highly dependent on employees.

At enterprises with a democratic management style, today they talk about the "wisdom of the many" or the "intelligence of the masses." At such enterprises, employee initiatives are encouraged to optimize the work with customer complaints. In this case, they get a double benefit:

• on the one hand, new valuable impulses and ideas coming from people who work directly with clients;
• on the other hand, motivated employees who themselves contribute to the progress of the company.

The term "soft factors" is often understood as establishing a constant connection with customers, as well as "service as a competitive factor". Increasing profits and saving on costs are among the "hard factors". We will consider here other factors, which, in turn, will be divided into “soft” and “hard”.

Rigid factors are based on a rational level.

In this case, we are talking about objective provable facts, numbers, data. Here are some examples:

• incorrect delivery of goods or goods delivered in the wrong quantity;
• upon receipt of the product, defects or delivery delays are found;
• the information received is not complete or does not correspond to reality;
• supply does not match demand;
• calculations are incorrect;
• service is delayed.

Soft factors, on the other hand, affect the emotional level, which is why they are more difficult to prove. These include the following:

• it is difficult to reach the hotline;
• insincerity, arrogance, coldness of employees;
• lack of qualifications;
• indifference of employees to work;
• disrespectful attitude towards customers;
• position "after me even a flood."

Sometimes soft factors turn out to be even more significant than hard ones (the power of feelings affects!). That is why it is so important to pay special attention to them.

Employee Question: Why are we losing our customers?

Answer: Because we mistreat them.

Employee Question: And why should I care about the service if the boss does not care about this?

Answer: Because you will be out of a job if the clients run away.

Employee Question: Then the boss will be left without work?

Answer A: That will be the next step.

The following practical tips will help you optimize your work with customer complaints:

• consciously understand the operation of your complaints management and the culture of the enterprise;
• convince employees, customers and partners (suppliers) of the feasibility of managing complaints;
• convince your employees that they should "tune in" to the client;
• systematically work on optimizing communication management;
• make sure that you can always be easily contacted, as the speed with which a complaint is processed is crucial for all involved;
• avoid conflicts with clients;
• help overcome the rational and emotional barriers to mutual understanding;
• work to overcome your fear of complaining. Managers and employees of complaints management should be able to deal constructively with complaints;
• take care of continuous professional development of your employees;
• depending on the degree of escalation of the conflict, use the knowledge gained in counseling and conflict resolution trainings;
• Encourage in your employees the ability to make decisions under their own responsibility aimed at creating a “winner-winner” situation;
• give sales consultants the necessary authority;
• clearly define the course of the workflow;
• keep the complaint management system up to date, especially in terms of using the latest software modules for planning, managing and processing data;
• expand the computer telephony system;
• thanks to Internet telephony, it is possible to save significant funds and at the same time respond more quickly and purposefully to customer requests and complaints;
• pay particular attention to “soft factors”;
• set your own rules for the game (see below) and make sure they are clear to everyone.

Our rules of the game in complaint management

1. When a customer complaint is received, the response must be immediate! If it is not possible to solve the problem immediately, the client should be informed how and when the issue will be resolved. In the future, it is necessary to monitor the process of processing the complaint.
2. A return call to the client must follow within 24 hours! If a solution has not been found during this time, the client should be notified of the progress of the complaint.
3. Upon receipt of traditional letters or emails containing complaints, the client should call on the same day to clarify all the circumstances of the complaint and / or inform the client that he will receive a response within three days (for example, if necessary, clarify the account). These deadlines must be respected for any written request requiring a response. If it is not possible to respond within this period, a written notification must be sent to the client.
4. If internal e-mail correspondence is being maintained and accounts are being created, then one person should be responsible for this! It should be clear from the text who should do what. You cannot assign one task to several employees at the same time or wait for one of your colleagues to guess to complete it.
5. Everyone should have a replacement at all times! Each employee must take care that in the event of a vacation or a sufficiently long absence, a replacement can be immediately found for the qualified performance of his work. At the same time, the duties of the deputy also include consideration of repeated complaints.
6. During the working day, each employee can be contacted. In the absence of the workplace, the telephone must be switched accordingly, which must be reported to the central office. The central telephone point must operate at full capacity. If you hear the phone of an employee who cannot answer at the moment ring, you must take the call.
7. We help and support each other.
8. We do not divide clients into "our" and clients of colleagues.

6.3. HR Policy in Complaints Management

The goal of the personnel policy for employees dealing with customer complaints is that each consultant, through comprehensive training and professionalism, can resolve a customer complaint. By helping to improve the skills of your employees, you will have the confidence that complaints will be handled appropriately.

Unfortunately, staff development is still seen as a waste of money by some executives. While in fact it is an important factor in the success of the enterprise.

The training plan for employees involved in complaints management should cover the following aspects:

• teaching the basics of interpersonal communication;
• holding seminars to improve professional and methodological training;
• rather long trainings on conducting telephone conversations and voice training;
• support through telephone coaching;
• organization of working groups for the exchange of experience and improvement of communication skills;
• conducting seminars to improve social and emotional competencies;
• conducting master classes on conflict-free communication;
• training in stress relief techniques.

Management can take care of creating appropriate model courses for employees.

In today's rapidly evolving technological environment, such as a self-service portal or an email management system, it is not enough to simply adapt the training system to changing customer needs (be reactive). Modern business requires us to stay ahead of these needs (be proactive). Technological progress has not only advantages, but also quite tangible disadvantages. Thus, direct contact with customers is increasingly lost. And not every client likes when his complaint is received by an answering machine, and not every client will be satisfied with a standard e-mail.

Modern customer relationship management systems are also used to find and reward talented employees who work effectively in this area.

Dealing with conflicts and complaints today is of particular relevance. Firstly, during the economic crisis, stores have to fight for every customer and his wallet. Therefore, it is very important for the manager to understand how customers relate to the store, and what urgently needs to be corrected. Secondly, the problem of low qualification of line personnel, people who are in contact with customers, has become very acute. In particular, the change in the national composition of trade workers is a problem that can no longer be turned a blind eye, it is necessary to develop new methods of management. In this article, we will tell you how to effectively organize the process of working with dissatisfied customers.

Complaints and conflicts as a source of marketing information

It is often said, "Don't be afraid of a screaming client, be afraid of a silent client." It is very important for management to receive information from consumers in a timely manner: this helps to identify errors in the work of store personnel in time, as well as to reveal facts of abuse or theft of personnel, to diagnose and correct a potentially dangerous situation. With an attentive attitude to the consumer, the level of satisfaction and the possibility of repeat purchases increase. Therefore, complaints should not be dismissed, but on the contrary, they should be perceived as an important source of marketing information.

Let's take an example. Back in the days of the dominance of analog photography, a network of photo salons noted a decrease in sales at a number of points, and at one point of sale, the sale of developing and printing services fell almost to the baseboard. Marketers associated this fact with the spread of digital photography and were already preparing a new assortment, but then one of the managers of the central office decided to visit this outlet anyway. And it turned out a lot of interesting things related to the activities of one particular seller. He adhered to the belief that life is given once, and "it must be lived in such a way that it is not excruciatingly painful for the aimlessly lived years." The worker discovered that there were lingerie, perfume and jewelry stores with pretty saleswomen in the neighborhood and preferred to communicate with them, rather than with annoying customers. The sign "Technical break 10 minutes" hung on the door for at least a third of the working day, and he could slam the window right in front of the buyer's nose and often shouted "Don't get in line, we're closing!". Then he decided to "optimize" the work by not giving out free photo albums as a gift, and some customers at equal prices chose this item precisely because of the albums. It is not surprising that during the work of this "hero" buyers got used to the fact that it is not worth going to this point, and began to look for others. Many dissatisfied customers (and especially those who were hit on the nose by the closed kiosk window) would be happy to report the exploits of the seller to management - if they knew how to contact him. After all, the first thing the seller did was to remove the sign with the phone numbers of the management.

From the very beginning, when choosing "where to buy and how to buy", the consumer begins to form his attitude towards stores. This attitude is formed on the basis of various information: media reports, the opinions of others, the buyer's own emotions. Especially buyers trust the unbiased opinion of friends, acquaintances or just people standing on the same side of the counter with them. Shustov's method of promotion, which is over a hundred years old, is still used by manufacturers of goods. Recall that this method was based on the conflict in the store: at first, students were recruited into the promoter teams who asked for Shustov's cognac in the store, and when it was not in stock, they began to resent loudly. The second wave of promotion was aimed at the HoReCa sector, and at the tables of expensive restaurants, handsome gentlemen, having ordered caviar, trout and truffles and having learned that there was no Shustov brandy on the menu, threw a napkin with the words: “My legs will not be in this eatery anymore!” The promotion was intended mainly for merchants, but it also had an effect on end consumers and became a prime example of a pull strategy. Food and appliance stores that have private labels and are trying to promote them often use the “honest seller” technique to shift the buyer’s attention from the selected product to another, more profitable for the store: “I understand that I should not tell you this, because all our goods are of high quality… But I confess that this sausage (vacuum cleaner, player) is not very good… Better take it (another brand is called)”. In the question of where and what Not to buy, and with which of the partners Not to do business, people listen much more seriously to the opinions of others. So, buyers have "black lists" of suppliers, among realtors and managers of shopping centers - "black lists" of tenants. It is believed that a satisfied client shares his opinion, on average, with three people, a very satisfied client with nine. Dissatisfied, on average, notifies nine people, in case of strong dissatisfaction - twenty-seven, and if he was very offended, he can take revenge long and hard, causing a discussion in the media or the Internet. According to numerous studies (including those conducted by our company), consumers are vindictive: they remember their disappointment and dissatisfaction well; . A certain belief is formed and spread, and it is extremely difficult to change this belief with the help of advertising and new arguments. All this forces companies to be more attentive to the organization of the flow of critical information. The right conclusions can often significantly reduce the cost of studying the opinions of consumers.

The attitude of buyers to quality in the store

According to American researchers, dissatisfaction with a product or service is experienced by approximately 20 to 50% of consumers, on average - about a third. Basically, the consumer's reaction to dissatisfaction can be expressed in the loss of confidence in the company or brand, brand change during subsequent purchases. More than half of complainers share their experience with friends and relatives, only 5% of complaints are directed at manufacturers, and about 23-40% of complaints are related to retail trade.

Consumer satisfaction, as the theory says, is a positive assessment of the chosen alternative, confirmation that the choice (store, product, brand) meets or exceeds expectations. When forming an assessment, most often there is an expectation of the category of “intended quality” - the one that the buyer wants to receive (R. Oliver). A simple confirmation, when the quality level is as expected, is taken for granted, that is, it causes a neutral rating. The assessment of the quality level consists of the characteristics of the store (interior, assortment and prices, information in the store, the accuracy and politeness of the sellers, the speed of service, etc.) and the general image of the outlet. The image is very closely related to the concept of "price - quality" and determines the expected quality - for example, it is assumed that in a well-known network of the "medium plus" segment, goods and services will be at a high level, and the buyer does not make high demands on discounters or markets. Most of the complaints are related to deceived expectations. When buying an expensive product, the buyer very often has inflated expectations regarding its quality (shampoo, which is 3 times more expensive, hair should shine 3 times stronger), and having saved up money for a large and expensive thing (furniture set, refrigerator or car), many customers sincerely believe that the store will spread the carpet in front of them. Speaking about the price-quality ratio, we note that quality refers not only to physical characteristics, but also to enjoyment, for example, the atmosphere of a themed restaurant. And satisfaction is also affected by the “size-quality” ratio: the size of the serving and the composition of the dish in a cafe or food court, the time of skating or an attraction, the size of the halls and the swimming pool in the fitness center.

During a crisis, the attitude of buyers to quality changes: money is given with great difficulty, and the buyer wants to spend it more rationally. Today, some companies have become overzealous in reducing costs, and the result has been a decrease in the quality of service. But when cutting costs in the retail chain, you need to be clear about the problems that may arise and know how to solve these problems. Yes, in the short term, you can increase profits by reducing the cost of purchases, buying lower-quality goods, reducing the assortment, reducing the quality of service, and hiring “cheaper” personnel. And at the same time raise prices. But then everything will collapse - the number of visitors, the average bill, i.e. all indicators that generate profit. Not to mention loyalty… If you get too carried away with cutting costs, you can not achieve such efficiency as Aldi or other discounters have, but turn into a typical “soviet” store.

The task of maintaining a proper level of service becomes more urgent as the number of foreign workers in trade increases. According to unofficial estimates, the number of store workers who came from other countries at the end of 2009 was twice the total number of retail workers in 2001! After the closure of a number of food and clothing markets and the introduction of legislative restrictions on the use of foreign labor in the markets, the staff from there rushed to chain and non-chain stores. In quite decent stores, you can now find the inscriptions "Sweet Opelsin" and "AstoroSHnA, what a floor." Imagine yourself in the place of the buyer: the navigation in the store is poor, the goods are not laid out, there are no price tags, and there is not a single employee on the entire trading floor with whom you can fully communicate in Russian. How will the buyer perceive such "quality"? First and foremost, store and chain managers should focus on improving navigation and visual aids for shoppers. The standards for store personnel should also contain less text, and more visual materials - diagrams, pictograms. Secondly, to strengthen control, make it more regular and tough. And thirdly, store managers today need to be trained according to special programs so that they can effectively manage teams consisting mainly of foreigners (or even mono-ethnic labor collectives). A competent manager must take into account the psychological and cultural characteristics of people of different nationalities that affect how the employee behaves and communicates with customers, what motivates him, etc. Such specialists will be in great demand in the market in the near future.

Will a dissatisfied customer complain

It depends on the following points:

1. How significant were the unpleasant event and its consequences for the buyer. For example, tile adhesive was needed right now, it turned out to be bad, and the master tiler had already taken the next order and could return to finish the job only after two weeks. Or a connection with emotional events - for spoiled pickles that were bought for the wedding table, and the corresponding shame in front of guests, the buyer will be much more offended than in an ordinary situation.
2. How well the buyer is familiar with the product (already bought, has experience in using it or not).
3. Does the buyer have experience in making complaints?
4. How the buyer assesses the likelihood that the complaint will lead to any result.
5. How difficult will the procedure for the exchange, return of goods or receive compensation. Buyers with a higher income prefer to "leave in English" and not even exchange a low-quality product if it is inexpensive (for each income level, "inexpensive" is understood in its own way), but simply throw it away. Or not to return to the store, but for free to give others things that they didn’t like or, upon careful fitting, turned out to be inappropriate in size. Sometimes a buyer absent-mindedly takes a product that does not have a price tag, finds out at the checkout that it costs many times more than it seemed, and a simple return procedure turns into a whole problem: you have to wait at the counter for at least fifteen minutes, then you need to write an application, present documents ... Moreover, the store employee looks disapprovingly, expressing with his whole appearance: “What a harmful, petty you are, I don’t envy your wife. And in general, if there is no money, there is nothing to go to decent shops ... "

Return and compensation: blackmail or reasonable demands?

From the very beginning, buyers who do not just complain, but demand compensation should be divided into two groups: "blackmailers" and "really offended." Very often "blackmailers" - low-income consumers who want to receive greater compensation: “Here I bought a curd mass with raisins from you, and there are iron shavings in it, if you don’t let me go a box for free, I’ll tell all the neighbors what product you are handing people!” Or: “We bought wallpaper glue from you, but it was of poor quality, as compensation for the damaged wallpaper, we want ten more cans. Otherwise, we’ll tell all the builders we know not to touch you again!” There are also lovers of “freebies”: “You have dirt and cockroaches in your store, and if you don’t give me this carbonate for free (which I really want, but don’t have enough money), then I’ll go straight to the sanitary and epidemiological station!” In the late 90s, such a blackmail technique was common: a bottle of purchased vodka was drunk right on the trading floor, after which the buyer fell to the floor shouting: “Fake! Poison! Money back and more compensation for treatment!” Frightened saleswomen in many cases gave out at least a check for free. In a nearby store, a double portion of snacks was “purchased” in the same way.

The possibility of returning goods can increase sales, and this was described back in the 19th century in Emile Zola's novel "The Ladies' Happiness": "Mouret penetrated even deeper into the woman's heart, inventing a system of return of goods - this masterpiece of Jesuit seduction. Take it, madam, you will return this thing to us if you no longer like it. And the woman who had hitherto resisted now bought with a clear conscience, finding excuse that she could give up her recklessness. In the US, you can even return used trousers or a half-used package of ground coffee because you don't like the product. The merchant's calculation is based on statistics: most buyers will not return the goods, actually using the store as a free rental point, or simply prefer to shove the item they don't like on the mezzanine. In addition, merchants in the United States and Western Europe have a database of credit card statistics at their disposal, and it is easy to track how much a buyer takes and how much he returns. If the buyer has made purchases for a large amount, the store employee takes back the worn trousers with a smile and wishes for new successful purchases, that is, spending. And malicious "returners" can be given a turn from the gate - or advised to continue to buy from competitors who are able to more thoroughly satisfy their demand. Here in Russia, most purchases are made in cash, and although discount cards and loans provide assistance in maintaining statistics, it is much more difficult to form a database of "returners".

The methods of working with "blackmailers" and "really offended" are different. In many detective series and books, their characters - police officers, private investigators and lawyers - give their clients the following advice: “You cannot yield to a blackmailer. By yielding once, you only whet his appetite, and you will have to pay again and again. By issuing a refund to the "blackmailer", the store in the vast majority of cases will not stop the flow of the promised negative information. Even if compensation is received, the buyer will continue to talk picturesquely about iron shavings in cottage cheese, poisoned vodka and spoiled glue, only casually mentioning refunds and gifts from the store. In 2009, when the financial crisis caused unemployment to rise and shoppers' income to fall, many stores saw an increase in the number of "blackmailers" and those who wanted to get something for free. If the buyer is not a "blackmailer", satisfaction of his requirements, as well as compensation and a gift, are quite possible. This is determined in each case by management, taking into account the “price” of possible consequences - direct losses and costs (for example, lawyer's fees, informal costs associated with inspections, the cost of extinguishing a scandal in the media), losses to the store's image, as well as possible lost sales. . A good solution is a discount on future purchases. Many customers, even after receiving compensation and a gift, still stop going to the store, and in the case of a discount for the future, the likelihood increases that they will still come again.

What does the buyer want to achieve as a result of the complaint?

1. Chat and quarrel with pleasure. There is a group of consumers who view the complaints process as a conversation and specifically go to the store (or call the manufacturer's quality department) to argue. Usually these are people who have a lot of free time and little money. The scandal in the store compensates them for the pleasure of the shopping process, and in terms of impressions it is equated with watching the next episode of a soap opera. They often do not need financial compensation, it is enough for someone to let off steam in the store, and someone will continue to communicate and will call and write to various authorities and the media.

Some buyers, if they are poorly served, want to "put the saleswoman in her place and show whose cones are in the forest." A case from life: a customer felt that she was not given enough attention in a shoe store. Considering that “revenge is a dish that should be served cold,” the customer came to the store a few days later in her best fur coat, expensive boots and a full arsenal of gold jewelry. Having found the very saleswoman, the customer tortured her for two hours: she forced her to bring various models, help to try on, so that the saleswoman literally stood on her knees in front of her. And, of course, I didn't buy anything! The customer then with pleasure, savoring the details, retold the whole story to her friends and even unfamiliar people.

How should store employees act in such situations? The most important thing is that the seller must take the initiative in his own hands in time, not be led by the buyer and politely but firmly direct the conversation in a specific direction. If the seller can not cope, then a more experienced colleague should come to the rescue.

1. Get the guilty punished. This group of complaining buyers may also not have compensation as their goal. It is simply important for them to get to the management and express their complaints to a person who can find justice for a lazy, rude or indifferent seller who offended. Such buyers are ready to spend their time waiting for the director or superiors, calling or writing to the central office of the network. Another real life example.

   Buyer Complaint:

   “Dear XXX (name and surname of the director are asked from the seller or taken from the information stand for buyers). I came on November __, 200_ with the aim of purchasing ___. Unfortunately, the sales assistant Alisa (surname unknown), instead of finding out in detail my needs and finding an opportunity to satisfy the desire of such a significant customer like me, brought down on me a list of your difficulties and limitations. She did not offer me any options to satisfy my request. To my surprise at this reception, Alice did not apologize or change her manner of speaking. I considered your network famous and highly professional. It's a shame you have people like this. I will never come to your stores again, as a customer you have lost me, and I will also try to convey the opinion about your sellers to my friends and colleagues. Declare "thank you" to your seller Alice for this.

   This is a cry for revenge. In fact, the customer wants to say: “Punish this terrible saleswoman! May hardship and suffering befall her in the minutes of my humiliation, may she be fired from an expensive boutique, and she will go to trade in the station kiosk, where she will have to put on woolen socks and a coarse padded jacket! Usually the complaint is lengthy, and it will certainly mention what the store will suffer if it loses such an important customer. In car dealerships, where the goods are by definition expensive and significant, buyers who are dissatisfied with the service or the manager’s inattention sometimes send letters of the following content:

   “I came to you to buy ___ (the brand of an expensive SUV or executive car is indicated here, although in reality the buyer could be interested in a modest small car), but due to poor service, I bought from your competitors. And your manager Vasya Kurochkin is to blame for this!!!

Dissatisfied customer makes a scandal in the store .

The satisfaction of such a buyer will come if he is sure that the guilty seller was duly punished. Sometimes just the fact that the buyer's issue is given sufficient attention by management, that his problems are ready to listen and share, can be of great importance. Even if no action is taken on this issue, the dissatisfied customer is already partially satisfied. He (or she) nods contentedly if he is told about the punishment, even if in reality it will not follow: “Thank you very much for bringing this matter to our attention. Of course, for such a serious act, we will fire her. Don't worry". Attempts to run and evade unpleasant communication or, conversely, to detect the fault of the buyer and go on the attack, can bring the problem to a critical state - as the Eastern proverb says, "If you drive a mouse into a corner, it will become like a tiger." The appearance of negative information on the Internet (in chats, blogs and other resources) is already an extreme degree of resentment. Even if the store employees were able to justify themselves to the management, in any case they are to blame for the fact that they behaved incorrectly in a conflict situation, failed to cope with the complaint, or simply did not pay attention to the buyer.

In the event that the buyer "thirsts for blood", you need to call the leadership of any level. If the buyer is middle or older, you can call an employee close to her in age so that the buyer can communicate with her more freely (“Well, what to take from these young people, the wind is in my head, but we understand each other”). Often, negativity arises when a couple comes to a store (for example, furniture, household appliances), and a young saleswoman begins to flirt with a man. She refers to him as a "wallet" - a decision-maker and financer of the purchase, or even frankly wants to please and make acquaintances. Naturally, the buyer's companion becomes indignant. In this case, to resolve the conflict, it is better to invite a male employee, and if there are none, then at least an older and less attractive woman.

In any case, the buyer must be sure that he is communicating with a real leader. In large stores, they put up a stand with photos of responsible employees so that the buyer can recognize them by sight or simply mark who they can contact if necessary. This increases trust. Smaller outlets sometimes display the manager's mobile phone on the stand (this could be the number of the real manager or a dedicated complaints officer). In one network in Yekaterinburg, the position of an employee at the booth changed several times: few people wanted to call a low-ranking manager. Only after they wrote that the general director of the network personally receives calls, the work with complaints improved significantly. The Beam grocery store chain in Moscow noticed that when the director of the store received calls from offended customers, there were no cases of subsequent appeals to the inspection authorities. It was enough for the buyers that they were listened to by the “most important boss”.

Board with director's phone number.

1. Exchange, return the goods. Since this requirement is absolutely legal, all actions of the merchant are regulated by the current legislation. At the same time, it is important in the process of communication to try to turn the negative into a positive. When returning or exchanging goods with a defect, the buyer can talk loudly and for a long time about this very defect. Therefore, in order to maintain the company's image, it should be noted that everyone can make mistakes, but not everyone is able to correct them in time.
2. Just get something for free.
3. Get compensation for damages, including moral. Recently, cases have become more frequent when "enterprising" people and no less enterprising consumer lawyers want to take advantage of the situation and take as much as they can from a rich trading network. If the buyer wants compensation in material form, then it must be attributed to the "blackmailers" or "really offended" and continue to act as discussed above.
4. Fulfill someone's order on "black PR" and publicly disgrace the store or product of any manufacturer. The earliest historical example of the use of "black PR" in trade known to us is the horror stories about "black Africa" ​​that were distributed by the merchants of ancient Carthage. The Carthaginians wanted to maintain a monopoly on the trade in African products that were mined and produced south of the Sahara - ivory, ebony and mahogany, golden sand - and discourage European traders from sailing to the equator for many years. For this, all sorts of fables were invented and told about the dangers that await travelers: about unusually ferocious crocodiles and lions, evil cannibal residents with one eye in their foreheads, about natural disasters, for example, that the sun in Africa rises so high that the water near the coast boils, swallows the ships, and people are boiled alive. Then the European merchants borrowed the style of slandering competitors, inflating their real vices and attributing fictitious vices. "Black PR" was used to restrict the sale of goods, to protect the merchant's territory or positions. In domestic trade today, the problem is especially typical for trade sectors where there is a socially significant component, and "black PR" is more common in stores and departments of alcoholic beverages, pharmacies, and stores for goods for children. Social negativity, allegedly coming from dissatisfied customers, is used to denigrate a competitor (a chain of stores or a manufacturer) and attract media attention. And just give journalists a reason plus some more money... For example, in 2003 in Izhevsk, two distilleries fought zealously for market share, and one of the competitors held such a "promotion": in stores near the company's stand with the competitor's products there was a homeless-looking dirty uncle and with a drunken smile, demonstrating the absence of front teeth, he said to the buyers: “I really love this vodka!” This was followed by a story about how he came to such a life, and how vodka of a certain brand helped him in this... froze and made a fuss: “You sell diluted alcohol!” The store manager contacted the representatives of the plant, and the management of the distillery urgently arrived at the store. In order to settle the scandal, it was necessary to invite an amateur to analyze and several other buyers to the plant, to conduct a tour of the workshops and make sure that the quality of alcoholic beverages was properly controlled. It turned out that the buyer's alcohol meter was simply defective...

"Black PR" is not neglected when competitors enter or struggle for market share, and the most famous example with alcohol is "product placement" in accident reports, when a bottle of vodka of a certain brand appears in the frame against a burned-out house or a wrecked car. In Novosibirsk in 2001-2004. (during the period of active competition between local manufacturers), newspapers quite often cited either the confession of a former quality control employee who retired and, unable to endure mental anguish, decided to finally tell the “truth”, or heart-rending letters from readers in women's magazines . The story of a certain Marya Ivanovna: “Until the age of 45, I was lonely and had already lost hope of finding a family, but a holiday came to my street - I finally met a good man. I invited him to visit, laid a rich table and thought that everything would be decided that evening. Yes, I just made a mistake - I bought vodka "X". He drank, he became very ill, and he said: “You are a fool, Mashka, a bad housewife, since you are buying all sorts of rubbish. He left and never returned. My whole life is broken…” It happens that several manufacturers join forces and try to protect an entire industry, which is observed in the light industry, where domestic manufacturers fight Chinese goods. Perhaps some readers remember the story of the poisoned baby hats, which was widely discussed among the masses. As noted above, the main part of the negative falls on the retail trade.

Once store employees have determined what type of complainer a particular customer is and what they want to achieve, it is important to start dealing with that complaint effectively.

Why store employees are bad at dealing with complaints.

The Chinese commander Sun Tzu taught: “A victorious army first realizes the conditions for victory, and then seeks battle; the losing army fights first and then seeks victory”, so options for dealing with various cases of complaints and conflicts must be developed in advance. The behavior of employees in stores where a conflict arises, and later in the office where complaints are handled, is not always correct. Reasons for this:

• An employee (or a group of employees) wants to hide his bad work, flaws or theft from his superiors: they shield each other, hush up problems. Mutual responsibility is especially common in those stores where a group of fellow countrymen work;
• The employee tries to avoid responsibility by shifting the blame to the buyer or his colleagues;
• The employee takes a defensive position, does not listen to the buyer, but contradicts him;
• The employee does not want to get involved in a conflict and simply avoids communicating with a dissatisfied customer;
• The employee is not competent enough and cannot delve into the problem, and even more so, solve it;
• The employee does not want to spend time and effort on handling complaints.

In order for the buyer not to turn from irritation to rage, and the conflict does not flare up more strongly, sales floor employees need to remember what not to do:

• To argue, and especially to convince the buyer that "We are white and fluffy, and you are to blame." Example: a customer who made a purchase of a car in a branded car dealership, a week after the purchase, receives a call from the manager of the quality department and asks how he was served, whether he is satisfied with everything. The client brings down a stream of complaints: “The sales assistant was incompetent, all the time I had to wait a long time, the cafe does not work after 18-00, I was hungry. And when the ordered car arrived, they took me to the parking lot to look at, where new cars and broken ones are mixed (the salon and the branded car service were in the same building). And my wife, who also bought a car from you a year ago, never received congratulations from your company, although competitors bombarded her with advertising and phoned. Manager's response: “Well, what are you, we can't have that! I assure you, you are the first to say such things." Having hung up, the client will remain in the opinion that the service is bad - they listened with half an ear, did not find out anything and, most likely, did not write anything down. In the situation with cars, which was in 2007-2008, such maintenance could not affect sales in any way. And now, when sales have fallen by more than 2 times, and experts have announced that car companies will reach the sales level of 2007 in 7 years, car dealership employees really had to become “white and fluffy” ...
• Immediately attribute the buyer to fools, brawlers or crazy. And look at him accordingly, whispering or exchanging understanding glances with colleagues and other buyers. It is also extremely undesirable to tell the buyer: "Just don't be nervous, calm down, pull yourself together." Psychologists believe that after such phrases, the emotionality of the conversation, on the contrary, will increase.
• make excuses. “You understand, well, maybe the saleswoman didn’t feel well, maybe she has problems in the family. So I didn't hold back." Sometimes this helps, but in most cases the buyer will answer: “I don’t understand and I don’t want to understand! Everyone has problems, but they work, they don’t buzz ... When I come to the store, I want to be smiled at and served quickly.”
• Use the “change of investigator” technique, known in the days of the NKVD, when the defendant had to state his question to different people several times.
• Make hasty promises that are obviously unfulfillable.

When communicating with a buyer, and especially with a dissatisfied one, it is necessary to accurately apply the language, take into account the level of intelligence of the interlocutor: even the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius said that it is necessary to speak with everyone in a language he understands. Communication specialists note several important points. First, the excessive use of professional slang can cause dissatisfaction. The fact that words used in everyday communication are better understood is confirmed in psycholinguistics, the science that studies the perception of speech and reactions to it. Secondly, negative words should be avoided, as they are perfectly remembered. Some people have a bad attitude towards the words “debtors”, and after “You owe” an explosion may follow: “We don’t owe you anything, we paid for the goods, so please figure it out! ...” The probability of misunderstanding is higher when using passive voice. But sometimes the passive voice is used specifically to mitigate the confession of guilt (recall the winged example: “I threw my grandmother off the roof” and “Grandma was thrown off the roof by me” - it seems like she herself fell). Thirdly, excessive bureaucracy, an impersonal and standard response to complaints also causes irritation, it is perceived as ignoring, signaling or unsubscribing.

Steps to deal with a dissatisfied customer

It is important that the complaint does not develop into a major scandal, which will involve many store employees and other customers. Here are the steps for dealing with complaints:

• Stage 0 - Identification of the first signs of discontent. For example, dissatisfaction with queues at self-service checkouts, slow service can be judged by the number of abandoned carts with goods. In the queue itself, there are three stages of impatience. The first stage is characterized by tense silence, people shift from foot to foot, lean on the cart. At the next stage, people begin to quietly mutter under their breath, and if they come as a family or group, they exchange opinions, but so far only with people they know: “Well, here we are again, it was better to buy at a kiosk”, “Some kind of slow this cashier is probably working the first day”, “What do they have there, something broke again, or what?” In the third stage, the situation heats up, and buyers begin to communicate with each other. The most daring ones wave their arms, shout insults or loudly call the administrator, and the most nimble ones will try to get into this or another cashier without a queue. There is a mess, and it becomes difficult for a procrastinating cashier to keep track of people, money and goods. Therefore, it is desirable to take the situation under control before the first signs of open discontent.

The situation in the checkout area must be kept under control
before the first signs of customer dissatisfaction appear.

• Stage 1 - In the event of a threat of a scandal, it is necessary to take the buyer out of the trading floor as soon as possible. When others hear the conversation in raised tones, the topic can then spread, acquiring rumors (as they say, “either he stole, or was stolen from him,” but in any case, something is wrong in the store). Some of the buyers will gladly join and begin to express their claims against the store. It is best to take the buyer to the office of one of the managers, and if the store has limited non-trading premises - at least to the corridor or to the far corner of the trading floor.
• Stage 2 - Choose - resolve the issue yourself or transfer the dissatisfied buyer to a more experienced colleague or senior seller. In a number of networks, sellers do not have to resolve the issue, and the administrator (or manager) of the trading floor is called on the stage. Complaint handling is one of his significant responsibilities. When one employee “transfers” a customer to another, he must definitely explain to his colleague the essence of the issue. A new employee should address the buyer with the words: “As far as I understand, the following happened. I will tell what was passed to me, if you notice inaccuracies, then please correct it. Thus, it becomes immediately clear to the buyer that they are paying attention to him.
• Stage 3 - Find out the cause of the complaint, determine exactly what happened. Listen carefully, without interrupting, noting important information (what, where, when, who from the store employees) and try to separate the emotions of the buyer from the facts. Everything needs to be written down, even if you perfectly understood and remembered everything. If the problem is immediately visible, and the store employee has instructions on how to proceed, then it is better not to postpone the solution of the issue. The most common cases should be described in the standards section.
• Stage 4 - When the situation is atypical, and the store employee does not have the authority to make a decision, or the facts need to be verified, it is necessary to apologize (in any case), thank the buyer and inform the management about the possible response time.
• Stage 5 - After all the facts are recorded, they must be checked and the satisfaction appropriate to the case selected. And before making a final decision, once again weigh the possible negative consequences, because in some cases savings or a hasty decision can lead to big losses.

In the central office of the company, the process of managing complaints and claims can be organized in different ways. The first option: all calls and letters are received by the secretary and forwarded to a specific department or person. The main disadvantages of such a scheme are the constant “kicking off” of the client, plus the loss and distortion of information when transferring it from one employee to another. Considering that at least 10% is lost with each transfer of information, it will not be surprising that a complaint that is forwarded, and even half-forgotten during the consideration period, often leads employees to bewilderment. Another drawback is the diffusion of responsibility, the absence of a person responsible for making a decision. In another scheme, complaints are received by some department - trade, marketing, control organizations. But employees of these departments may not have full information, as well as the time and skills to work with a dissatisfied client. Uncertainty and vague promises (“I don’t even know, I’ll try”, “call tomorrow - well, it’s better never”), of course, are perceived negatively. But the situation is even worse when an employee, in the conditions of a lack of time, solves issues that go beyond the level of his competence. Such a scheme can be quite effective: the company has a coordinator to whom all complaints are directed. The coordinator "leads a complaint", communicates with the client and contacts the necessary departments, depending on the cause of complaints and claims. The same employee keeps statistics and classifies complaints: how many of them were related to the quality of the goods (including a certain supplier), customer service, payment for goods, non-provision of additional services, improper paperwork for corporate clients. The employee responsible for dealing with complaints should report directly to the manager and be able to contact him directly in an emergency.

Given the growing role of the Internet, as well as the fact that it is used by the most interesting consumer groups for trading - young people who have a whole shopping history ahead of them, and middle-aged people who are already making good money and spending a lot - it is very important to study information on various Internet resources. These are professional sites, and forums, blogs and their possible future analogues. The facts of mentioning the company are revealed, and informal communication is used, which consists in influencing opinion leaders. With the help of competent work in stores and at the central office, you can turn the conflict management system into a PR tool and help increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Kira & Ruben Kanayan,

Leading consultants of the company "Union-Standard Consulting", Moscow,
authors of the book Retail real estate: challenges of the time and prospects »,
books ""
and books ""

• Why handling customer complaints is so important
• What is the mechanism for dealing with customer complaints
• How to determine the company's development path based on customer complaints
• Why is it important to deal with customer complaints?

Customer dissatisfaction can extend to the service, the actions of company employees, violations of the terms of order fulfillment, the quality of services and goods - in each case, it is necessary to understand how to deal with customer complaints. With the right organization of work with incoming consumer complaints, you can achieve the progress of your company and increase the loyalty of the target audience, with a steady increase in income. Since the expansion of the circle of customers depends on the loyalty of current consumers.

From my own experience, I can say that at least half of new customers were acquired on the principle of "word of mouth", according to the reviews of their consumers. The complaint confirms that the client wants to report his dissatisfaction, but is ready for a dialogue. If the complaint is left unattended, the company will lose not only one client, but also his acquaintances.

You spent a lot of time, money and energy on a potential client, and in response you heard: “I need to think.” What to do? Perhaps you need to start with what not to do.

We have selected 8 ways to deal with an objection and increase company sales. You will also find a checklist for checking actions.

The main algorithm for dealing with customer complaints

1. Fixing customer complaints

Working with customer complaints involves their mandatory fixation. This function should be performed by an account manager (quality director or marketer). Complaints are recorded in order to further identify ways to eliminate deficiencies in work and services. It is necessary to regularly discuss incoming claims, considering both the essence of the claim and the promptness of the problem.

2. How to respond to customer complaints? As quickly as possible

Each claim requires careful analysis in the company. The company team should do some internal investigation. The best option is when it is possible to respond to customer complaints as quickly as possible, ideally, immediately on the day the claim is received. Only in this case, the client will be sure of the care of the company. If fault is found on the part of employees, it is necessary to provide the client with an apology, getting rid of the identified shortcomings. Experience confirms that it is better to get rid of small claims first, and only then to identify the causes and perpetrators of a failure in the company's work.

3. Established feedback

For business in today's competitive environment, reliable and stable feedback from customers is simply necessary. Teach your employees how to deal with customer complaints, how to listen to the target audience. Employees need to realize that complaints are normal in the work of any company, and not necessarily a sign of someone's incompetence. When working with a client, you can improve the work of your company and convey care for consumers, which the target audience will definitely appreciate.

4. What to do in case of an unfounded complaint

In the event that the company is not at fault for the problem, explain to the client that you have met your obligations. But we strongly recommend that you do not leave the client alone with your problem - try to offer him a way out of a particular situation. This condition is especially relevant for the b2b sector.

VIDEO OF THE MASTER CLASS OF ALEXANDER LEVITAS IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU

"GUELLIAN MARKETING: THE BASICS OF MARKETING WITHOUT A BUDGET".

How dissatisfied customers suggest the right paths for development

Dissatisfied customers quite naturally lead to additional troubles, but for the company they become a serious resource. With a competent attitude, understanding how to work with customer complaints, as a result, it will be possible to improve the quality of services and expand their range. There is no need to be afraid of complaints from customers - after all, they indicate the shortcomings of the company and the possibility of further progress.

We work with customer complaints according to the following principle - we register the received appeal in our database. For this, a call from the client will suffice. Next, the representative of the quality service processes the complaint in several main stages:

Clarification of the situation (the opinion of not only the client, but also the contractor on this project is taken into account), determining the validity of the complaint received.

Understanding the causes of the complaint

Formation of a corrective action plan. First of all, actions will be needed to eliminate dissatisfaction on the part of the client, and then actions to improve work processes - to prevent similar problems in the future.

Determining the degree of customer satisfaction - how he approached the proposed measures to eliminate the problem.

In this process, the main rule is not to leave the client and his problem unattended, it is necessary to understand the causes of this problem, eliminating them directly and other identified shortcomings in the provision of services.

• Customer complaints: how to respond and respond to them

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No matter how big your business is, you will always have customers who are dissatisfied with its quality. Many of them will complain about the work of your company, which can negatively affect its reputation. In this article, we would like to tell you how to deal with customer complaints, skillfully resolve them, and also respond to them correctly.

Complaints and claims of customers: who is to blame?

Customer complaints may or may not be justified, but both types should be dealt with, whether the customer is right or wrong. A timely and high-quality response to a client’s complaint will allow not only not to lose a client, but also to build long-term cooperation.

In the event of a valid customer complaint, the fault lies specifically with you or your company. Let's say you have a butcher's shop, where, through inattention, the sellers released the damaged goods. Naturally, it is quite logical that the buyer will remain dissatisfied and begin to complain.

For unfounded complaints, it is not your fault (or the fault of your company's employees), but the client, for some reason, believes otherwise. And even in this case, you can not leave his displeasure without attention. We will return to this topic, but for now we will answer one question that concerns many people.

Why dealing with customer complaints is essential

Everyone knows what the term "word of mouth" means. So, in any business, many new customers come on the recommendation of old ones. If you don't handle customer complaints and grievances, you run the risk of generating negative comments from previous customers about your company, thereby scaring off other people who have not yet had time to get to know your business, but could well become regular customers. All this will surely lead to the fact that the reputation of your company will deteriorate. That is why dealing with customer complaints is of paramount importance. Eliminate claims in time, and they will simply be forgotten.

The following tips will help you better deal with dissatisfied customers:

1. Record customer complaints in writing

This is especially important for medium and large businesses, because regardless of the number of complaints, some of them may go unnoticed. Account managers should write down the grievance of the dissatisfied person so that your team can later find ways to resolve it.

2. If guilty, eliminate the complaint as quickly as possible

If the complaint is justified, and you or your employees are at fault, the response to the client’s claim must be received as quickly as possible, otherwise the client’s anger may turn into unnecessary problems and a damaged reputation for you. How to eliminate dissatisfaction in this case? First, apologize and explain that it's entirely your fault and you understand why the client is angry. But there are few clients who are satisfied only with the words of forgiveness, and therefore we offer you one of the following options:

– a discount for a dissatisfied customer on the next purchase;
- compensation for the costs of the perfect purchase;
- an apology gift
- an additional service provided free of charge.

You will see, after such actions, the client’s dissatisfaction will be removed as if by hand, and it is possible that he will write a positive review about you.

3. Respond even to unfounded complaints

You haven't forgotten about "word of mouth" yet, have you? Then you should understand that even unfounded complaints spoil the reputation. In this situation, we recommend that you explain to the client that there is no fault of your company and do exactly the same as with a justified claim: offer a gift or discounts. This will have little effect on income, but you will be able to maintain your reputation and not lose a client.

4. Treat complaints and grievances as a way to improve.

In response to the client's claim, you do not need to get angry and try to prove your case. We advise you to just listen, because often in complaints you can find something that will make your business better. Someone is dissatisfied with the quality of your services? Perhaps it really is lame? Let every complaint be an incentive to improve. Those companies that know how to listen to their customers are always one step ahead of the competition!

5. Get feedback

If you do not have your operators on the phone or online who work with claims, to whom will the client complain? Other people, but not you. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you establish feedback with people so that when complaints arise, they contact your company, and not tell everyone around you how badly you treated them. Be as open to the client as possible: leave management contacts freely available, work with call center operators, track claims by e-mail and feedback form.

Handling Customer Claims: Conclusion

Complaints are a normal phenomenon that any business will certainly face. No matter how ideally the work is built, communication with customers, the level of service and no matter how great the quality of the product / service offered, there will always be those who are dissatisfied. Correctly respond to, and most importantly - listen to them to make your company even better. We wish you prosperity and more satisfied customers!

09:30 18.01.2016

Vasily Muntyan, General Director and co-owner of the online studio "Shirt to order", Izhevsk

• How to make a customer more loyal with a handwritten postcard
• Negative experience: the company began to respond to customer claims and complaints, but there were even more of them

In the life of every company, unpleasant moments happen - We perceive them as gifts, because if a client reports a problem, it means that he has retained the remnants of loyalty and is ready for dialogue.

Customer dissatisfaction helps to correct systemic errors and improve staff competence. However, it is important, first of all, to respond correctly to complaints.

In response to customer complaints, we began to write letters of apology by hand. Previously, we reacted to the feedback of satisfied customers in this way - we sent them a paper letter with thanks. The reaction has always been positive, so we decided to do the same in response to complaints. In addition, we enclose chocolate with personal apologies.

The letter on a special postcard is written by myself or by the manager who works with the client. I am not at all embarrassed by my terrible handwriting - it’s better to let it be real than look like an imitation. At the same time, any employee who interacts with clients can make an application for a postcard on my behalf: a support service manager, an employee of a representative office in Moscow, a partner manager.

Here are examples where apology cards helped us improve our impression of the company.

Example 1. Once we made a marriage while sewing a collection for one partner. He was very upset, even furious - he did not expect such a mistake from us.

Indeed, we did not treat his order properly and looked at the marriage at the control of finished products. Emails and calls did not help - the partner ignored them. Then we redid the order without agreeing with him and sent it to the same address. The order was accompanied by a personal apology on paper and a sweet gift. The reaction of the partner was lightning fast - having changed his anger to mercy, he immediately wrote me and the manager with whom he worked, a letter of gratitude.

Example 2. There was a case when the client several times asked us to remake the product, because it did not sit well on his figure. At some point, he was even ready to take the money (we return it on demand). However, the card and chocolate changed his attitude, we continued to work, and in the end we managed to sew the perfect shirt for him.

Each email sent is 100% successful. Such attentive attitude always pleasantly surprises customers. We even received enthusiastic letters from clients and partners after our postcards were presented. One of them made a post on his Facebook page. All our apologies were accepted, and we managed to keep our customers, and most importantly, good relations with them.

Why is it important to work with customer complaints?

Customer complaints may relate to the quality of service, the behavior of your company's staff, late order fulfillment, the quality of the product or service provided. Proper organization of work with complaints from customers (consumers) allows you to increase their loyalty to your company and, as a result, income. The influx of new customers depends on customer satisfaction with the quality of services provided.

In my experience, approximately 50% of new clients come from the recommendations of existing ones.

If the client is dissatisfied, then he feels a strong sense of resentment or dissatisfaction and wants to tell you about it. If the client's claim is justified, but he did not receive satisfaction, you have lost him, as well as his friends and acquaintances. After all, it is known that retaining an existing customer is a higher priority than attracting a new one.

First, it costs less to retain a customer, and second, losing customers can disrupt an established market with little real growth.

Therefore, the commitment of the buyer, based on the quality and constant satisfaction of his needs, is one of the significant advantages.

How to deal with customer complaints

1. Record all complaints

First of all, it is necessary to record all complaints and claims received by the company in a specially established journal. This should be entrusted to the employee responsible for working with clients (usually the marketer or quality director handles complaints).

It is necessary to fix complaints in order to then find ways to solve certain problems and eliminate shortcomings in the work. Complaints can also be used to judge what customers think about the company.

It is necessary to regularly (for example, once a month) discuss all received claims, and not only their content, but also the methods and speed of resolving the situation. The discussion should be attended by all employees responsible for working with clients and their claims, as well as managers whose departments are affected by complaints.

2. React as quickly as possible

Each claim must be analyzed and a so-called internal investigation carried out. It is desirable to give a response to the client as quickly as possible, if possible - on the day the claim is received. Only in this way he will feel the care of the company.

If the fault of the employees is found, the client needs to apologize and eliminate all shortcomings. Moreover, as practice shows, it is best to eliminate small claims first, and then figure out whose fault the failure occurred.

3. Get feedback

Provide business with consistent and reliable feedback. Train your employees to listen to customers, answer their questions and solve their problems. Employees need to understand that complaints are normal in business and a valuable source of information, not evidence of incompetence.

Working with a client, you solve his problems, and if he feels that you care about his problems, he will come to you more than once.

4. What to do if the claim is unfounded

If you see that your company is not at fault for what happened, you need to explain to the client that you have fulfilled all your obligations. However, it is desirable to offer a way out of the current situation with less losses for the client and for the company. The client should not be alone with the problem! This is especially important for organizations operating in the b2b sector.

In my practice, there was a case when a client received a claim that not all the agreed work on the design of the outlet was completed in full. An immediate on-site visit made it possible to establish that all the works listed in the task were completed in full and according to the project, and the discrepancy was caused by the fact that the customer changed the requirements during the work. After discussing the situation, we decided to meet the customer's requirements, despite the fact that this led to a decrease in our income. Currently, this company is our regular client.