{"id":294,"date":"2012-08-22T14:58:54","date_gmt":"2012-08-22T14:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=294"},"modified":"2012-08-22T14:58:54","modified_gmt":"2012-08-22T14:58:54","slug":"how-to-handle-customer-complaints-to-build-loyalty-for-your-small-business","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/how-to-handle-customer-complaints-to-build-loyalty-for-your-small-business\/","title":{"rendered":"How to handle customer complaints to build loyalty for your small business"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even the happiest of your customers inevitably will have a complaint at some point. Any number of things can go wrong and will – a product will arrive late or you will miss a deadline — whether the fault lies with your small business or forces outside of your control. The good news is that your customers care enough about the relationship to let you know they are disappointed or unhappy. Far better that than they go away and leave you wondering why. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In any case, when a complaint comes in, how you handle it will impact the relationship with your customer. Getting defensive about the issue, which is a natural response when someone complains, is the last thing you want to do. It will get you nowhere. Far worse, of course, is to suggest your company did nothing wrong and you can\u2019t do anything to fix the problem. Expect your customer to run to your competitor, but not before posting a scathing review of your company on Yelp or one of the other online review sites.<\/p>\n

Your best approach when you get a complaint from a customer is to take the criticism and try to diffuse the situation. \u00a0Live and professional communication<\/a> is also important; so as soon as soon as you learn about an issue \u2013 no matter where you are — get in touch with your customer.<\/p>\n

Here are other suggestions to convey that the \u2018customer is always right\u2019 and mean it:<\/p>\n

Listen:\u00a0 Let your customer vent and keep an open mind. Don\u2019t question the validity of the complaint or prejudge. To assure your customer you understand the complaint, repeat it. It\u2019s far easier to fix the problem when you both are on the same page.<\/p>\n

Avoid blame: Even if your customer is in the wrong, don\u2019t blame them. Discuss how to resolve the problem in strictly factual terms without trying to establish who is wrong.<\/p>\n

Say you\u2019re sorry:\u00a0 Regardless of the situation and who is at fault, say you are sorry and mean it. More than likely, your apology is really what your customer wants.<\/p>\n

Offer a solution: Don\u2019t wait for your customer to ask \u201cwhat are you going to do about it,\u201d tell them. Describe your plan to turn the situation around. If the problem is complex and a quick fix won\u2019t due, set a time frame for resolution and stick to it.<\/p>\n

Follow up: After you\u2019ve resolved the problem, touch base with your customer to ensure they are satisfied and see if there is anything more you can do. Make sure your customer understands how much you value their business.\u00a0 You might also send them a discount coupon or a gift card as a token of your appreciation for their patience and loyalty.<\/p>\n

How you respond to your customer\u2019s complaint says a lot about your business. It\u2019s not about winning or losing when a complaint comes in; it\u2019s about building customer loyalty.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even the happiest of your customers inevitably will have a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[510],"tags":[693,694,637],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}