It used to be that the BBB was the
only place you could go to gripe about a product, service or company that you
felt wasn’t treating you right. In today's digital age, there's no way of
knowing exactly where a customer will choose to complain.
From social media
sites like Facebook and Twitter to user-review sites such as Yelp and of course,
the Better Business Bureau, consumers can go wherever they would like to voice
their opinion.
Consider the case of Comcast, whose
employees are authorized to use Twitter to communicate
with customers. "It shows the public that
you're listening," says Morgan, who encourages employees to take advantage
of these public forums and post responses on message boards.
Of course, direct communication is
always the ideal, and if a customer's contact information is given, the issue
should be dealt with on a personal basis. Customer service software like Rhino Support ensures that no complaint goes unnoticed. Once a complaint
is entered, the company has the opportunity to answer and resolve the issue
even before often irate customers have the chance to post their discontent.
Many professionals suggest that once
the complaint is resolved, it's worth asking the customer to rate and review
their experience with the company using online rating and review software such
as Shopper
Approved.
When drafting a written statement to
respond to a customer's concern, the same basic rules apply as when talking to
a customer over the phone or face-to-face. Start out with something positive,
and be sure to thank the customer for bringing the problem to your attention.
Answer politely and affirmatively and, if the situation merits it, ask
appropriate questions that will help to investigate exactly where the service
went sour, how to smooth things over with the customer and, just as important,
how to prevent the problem from reoccurring.
Pay careful attention to the tone of
your letter. If you find that the little hairs on the back of your neck are
standing up, or you're clinching your jaw as you write the email, it's probably
worth your while to have a colleague edit the document before sending it. It
could save a customer.
Another great idea is to create
previously ‘canned’ responses for basic, specific issues. These ensure that
service representatives don’t take the complaints personally and write
something that they or the company might later regret.
Also, when possible, always
follow up written correspondence with verbal communication. Provide the best way(s) for the customer to get in touch
with you. The better your follow-up, the more serious your troubleshooting
efforts will appear to the customer, which increases the likelihood that they
will continue to use your product or service.
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