APPENDIX B
Handling Customer Complaints Effectively

Salespeople rarely receive a call from customers thanking them for their help in making their purchase. More often than not, the call we receive after the sale closes is from the customer who has an issue. The reason you receive this call and not Customer Service is that customers align themselves with their salesperson. Because you have developed a trusting relationship with your customers, they often will come to you with their problems, bypassing other company employees who may be officially designated to help them. Now that there’s an issue, the customer wants you to fix it. And make it right.

When you receive a customer complaint, it’s important that you respect the relationship because it includes your company as well. Many times repeat business is awarded based on how a customer is treated after the sale. Since you may be the first line of communication, it is in your best interest to handle that call the best way possible.

Every salesperson knows that if a customer isn’t satisfied after the sale, the idea of a “repeat customer” won’t exist. Whether your company has a group of Customer Service Reps (CSRs) or not, the reality is that more times than not, the customer will come to you for help, advice, and resolution when a problem arises.

What kinds of complaint patterns can you expect? Let’s take a brief look the four personality types to see their behavior when under stress.

Precise Customers do not want to pick up the telephone to call until they have all of their facts written down and prepared in advance. This type of customer knows when the delivery took place, who was involved, what time the purchase arrived, and what exactly the issue is. Because the P is organized before calling you with the concern, chances are the details are highly accurate. Remember how they are motivated by the facts? This behavior remains the same when the P calls with an issue.

Your highly emotional Energized Customers will call when they have the time. That could mean sometime between their 12:55 and 1:00 appointment! Es tend to ramble, straying off the issue, and may not bother to have the serial number, time, or correct names in front of them when they call. The typical E rattles off the complaint, anticipating resolution within seconds—even though valuable information may be missing from his or her end of the line. Expect some drama from this type of customer.

The Assured Customer expects results. And fast! This type of customer immediately launches into a rant about what is needed to correct the problem. The A does not want you to make excuses or take the time to research the issue. In other words, he or she does not care about why, how, or who; the A only cares about when and how you intend to remedy the problem. The natural personality of the A is to raise his or her voice and bark out orders when stressed.

Because Kind Customers do not want to jeopardize the good relationship that has been built, and tend to be more passive in their approach, they are similar to Ps when there’s an issue. Ks tend to have their information prepared before calling, and are never demanding in their approach. He or she may sound calm, but don’t let that gentle voice fool you. There is a problem and you must resolve it in the best way possible. If ignored, the K will seek a higher level of influence in your company.

Keep in mind that most customers under stress have mentally shifted to their emotional operating style, which often means that logic has ceased to exist.

Now that you have a clearer understanding of expected personality customer approaches when there’s an issue, let’s take a look at the seven steps that you can take to resolve complaints with skill and professionalism:

Step 1. Make the right first impression. Answer the telephone with a warm, inviting voice— always! Even if you know this is an irate customer on the other end of the telephone. Your confident, in-control voice makes it clear that you are ready to help and aren’t afraid to speak with your customer. If you have a customer under stress on the other end of the phone, this approach may also immediately calm them down and remind them that you are willing to help.

Step 2. Listen without interrupting. Despite the personality of the customer on the other end of the phone, he or she needs to be listened to. All the way through. The better you are at remaining quiet and hearing out the problem, the more successful you will be at resolving the customer’s issue. Remember that your goal is to solve the problem and maintain a long-term customer. So be quiet, and listen just as intently as if you were making a sale, and take notes!

Step 3. Summarize what you heard. It’s important to first make sure you are clear what the issue is, then that the customer understands that you have been listening to what they have been saying, and finally that you consider the problem important and will do what you can to solve it. Be brief when you recap the situation and refer to the careful notes you took while the customer was explaining the problem. Keep your voice neutral—not emotional, disgusted, argumentative, or distraught.

Step 4. Investigate if necessary. If the complaint requires some research from your end, either ask the customer if you can call them back or whether they can hold. It’s important that you offer the customer a choice: It empowers the customer and reinforces your acknowledgment of the situation. A favorite transitional phrase while working through a customer’s problem is, “Let’s see what we can do …” By saying this you are indicating that you have listened, but are not making any promises at this point in the conversation. If no research is required, go to Step 5.

Step 5. Offer two solutions. Again, customers love to have choices. We all do. If there was a shipping problem and the wrong item was delivered to Tim’s loading dock, ask him if he would prefer to return the incorrect shipment or simply keep it at a discounted price. Or, you can ask whether he would rather have the product shipped overnight or twoday air. There are thousands of these combinations from which to chose, depending, of course, on the complaint, your company policies, and other variables. Just resist the urge to say “We’ll do this,” when you can offer the customer a choice.

Step 6. Get an agreement from the customer. After you have provided your customer with two choices, ask for an agreement. For example, you may ask, “Do you want us to credit your account or provide you with an additional pallet of material?” Then be quiet and wait for an answer. In this way, your customer will feel empowered to make the decision. After you are told which choice the customer prefers, close off the interaction. You might say, “Tim, we’ll have that pallet on the truck in the morning and you’ll have it by Wednesday afternoon. Okay?”

Step 7. Close in a positive way. Thank Tim for bringing the issue to your attention and reinforce the fact that you appreciate his business as an important long-term customer. Also, remember to confirm that the solution you came up with did, indeed, solve the problem. While you may not want to ask this question for fear of opening up a new can of worms (you are not, after all, your company’s customer service department), if the problem has not been resolved to the customer’s satisfaction you will certainly hear about it again. Better to be prepared with a follow-up call placed at a time that is convenient for you and not be blindsided by the customer calling you back to continue his or her complaint.

So, if you want more business, (and who doesn’t), make sure that you are taking care of your customers by addressing their complaints professionally. And the next time you get on the phone to make a sale, the customer will more than likely say “yes.”