Hi everyone.

I've just read a wonderfully colourful email supposedly sent in retaliation to a seemingly incompetent cable operator here in the UK. Aside from being incredibly funny, it got me thinking that perhaps many modern organisations are neither geared up, nor willing, to handle complaints effectively.

What I'm looking for is a discussion on the complaints procedure, and how to help deal with those customers who simply have had bad experiences and decided that a confrontational approach is the only way to get things done. Obviously it is best to avoid such circumstances, but they do happen.

So, when complaints come in, how does YOUR organisation deal with them? Do you think you could do better, and do you have any ideas how you might improve things?

John

Good question! In this biz (rebate fulfillment) we do get a lot of complaints. We have a couple of standard procedures for these.
1)APOLOGIES!!! We pound this into our CSR's - ANY inconvenience to the consumer calls for an apology, even if it's the consumer's own fault! (Failure to read the rebate form is typical!)
2) We have a method of 'complaint coding' all calls in our database, so that we can track the reason for the complaint. Is it a complaint about the long wait to talk to a live rep? Poor service from a rep? Did the store misinform the consumer about the amount of the rebate, or direct them to a product that is not eligible for the rebate? Did the postal service lose or misdirect the submission? Etc, etc, etc.
3) We have a team of people who research the rebate and will contact the account managers to see if exceptions can be made for consumers (i.e., consumer bought a product that is more expensive than the one with the rebate and thinks that alone entitles them to money back; can we process the check even if not qualified? In most cases with the wrong product, the answer is 'no,' but occasionally exceptions can be made.) The team member will then return a call to the consumer to let them know of the results of the research.

"... What I'm looking for is a discussion on the complaints procedure, and how to help deal with those customers who simply have had bad experiences and decided that a confrontational approach is the only way to get things done."

Speaking as a *customer* the one essential is that the person I speak to doesn't become part of the problem!

I need them to:

- Listen properly
- Understand
- Apologise
- Offer me a relevant solution

It seems to me that more often than not, these needs are better met by a 40-year-old than a 20-year-old (writer ducks at this point and awaits 'further discussion' !).

If I ran a Call Centre I would therefore have a designated/appointed team (hopefully not doing this full time!) with the right competencies and rapport to handle complaints.

Hi John,

I think you raise an interesting issue, one that I am incorporating into our CSR training - handling customer complaints can be tricky when you personalise the issue, or even think the complaint is directed at you, rather than a productor service. Admittedly, sometimes the complaint can head toward the CSR, but I find that the more life skills and experience the CSR has, the better equipped they are to manage the complaint to the customer's satisfaction.
So, I guess that's my opinion on the 20 vs 40 theory!
Remember a complainant is just a customer that hasn't bought yet!