Handling customer complaints are more important than ever since they tend to be online. How you handle them may bring you more or less business.

1. CustomerCustomer
Complaints areComplaints are
Important –Important –
How do you handleHow do you handle
them?them?

2. One Vocal CustomerOne Vocal CustomerOne Vocal CustomerOne Vocal Customer
It used to be that one vocal, unhappy
customer who took the time to write and
complain, equaled 20 customers who
never said anything to YOU ... but
complained to everyone who would
listen.

3. The World is WatchingThe World is WatchingThe World is WatchingThe World is Watching
It is more important than ever to know how
to handle customer complaints, since they
are often online, for all the world to see.
A bad online review has the potential to
been seen by gazillions of potential
customers.

4. OneOne VocalVocal Gazillion CustomersGazillion CustomersOneOne VocalVocal Gazillion CustomersGazillion Customers
Remember those gazillions will also see
how you handle the situation. If you do
it right, you can turn a bad situation into
a boon for your business.
Online, there is the potential for many
more people, [gazillions even!] to see
the situation.

5. With Success Come THE CustomerWith Success Come THE CustomerWith Success Come THE CustomerWith Success Come THE Customer
Finding success as a business owner has a flip
side. Sooner or later, you will find THE
customer.
THE customer whose complaint, manner and
tone sets off all your alarm bells, tugs at the
wrong emotions, and pushes all your buttons.
THE customer causes you to feel defensive!
[How’s that for understatement?!]

6. Does THE CustomerDoes THE Customer
Determine your Success?Determine your Success?
Does THE CustomerDoes THE Customer
Determine your Success?Determine your Success?
How do you handle it if someone not only gives
you a bad review or complains about your
product or service but is rude or insulating on
top of it?
THE customer comes with success. How you
handle THE customer may determine if you
continue your success!

7. Conflict Isn’t Always BadConflict Isn’t Always BadConflict Isn’t Always BadConflict Isn’t Always Bad
Realizing that a complaint is an
opportunity makes it easier to turn
conflict into positive change!
Customers will tell you how to
resolve the issues – IF YOU LISTEN.

8. Look for the PositiveLook for the PositiveLook for the PositiveLook for the Positive
Keep Cool.
Thank the customer. They are very
valuable because they can give you
so much information.
Listen or read through the complaint
without paying attention to any
trigger words.
Focus only on the “meat” of the
complaint.

9. Keep Calm and Solve the ProblemKeep Calm and Solve the ProblemKeep Calm and Solve the ProblemKeep Calm and Solve the Problem
Remain cool and address only the real
issue and not the tone of the complaint.
That way you can open the line of
communication, allowing you to actually
solve the problem.

10. Give Them What they WantGive Them What they WantGive Them What they WantGive Them What they Want
If you can do it and it won’t break the bank,
the best thing you can do with a vocal
customer is to give them what they want.
You can potentially turn an unhappy
customer into a happy one.

11. Complaints Are Opportunities ToComplaints Are Opportunities To
ImproveImprove
Complaints Are Opportunities ToComplaints Are Opportunities To
ImproveImprove
Happy customers tell others.
You already know this one is vocal so use
that to your advantage. Make this
customer happy and he will tell others!

12. The Customer FeelingThe Customer FeelingThe Customer FeelingThe Customer Feeling
Focus on Customer Experience.
You should know how they feel during every
state of the browsing and buying experience.
How do they feel about the experience? Your
technology? Your website? Your phone system?
Your products? Service? Employees?
How about the ability to contact you?

13. Turn complaints into positive changeTurn complaints into positive changeTurn complaints into positive changeTurn complaints into positive change
Complaints will tell you what went
wrong and how to fix it!
IF they are heard.
Customers might not be so mad at you
when the product came broken or faulty if
they were able to contact you QUICKLY and
directly and you made good on it.

14. Online Customer ServiceOnline Customer ServiceOnline Customer ServiceOnline Customer Service
Who is handling your customer
service?
Is it your IT guy? Or admin assistant?
Or you?
Customer service professionals are
trained on how to deal with angry
people, to diffuse situations, calm them
and turn them around.
Make sure whoever is dealing with your
service online is trained and has the
authority to make things good.

15. Thoughtful, Timely ResponseThoughtful, Timely ResponseThoughtful, Timely ResponseThoughtful, Timely Response
Everything is multiplied online. The number of
people who see the complaint and your response.
Don’t forget the time warp.
People expect immediacy online. A complaint
unanswered for a day turns into a “complete lack of
customer service.”

16. Practice Healthy ResponsesPractice Healthy ResponsesPractice Healthy ResponsesPractice Healthy Responses
When someone reacts badly to something you
said or did, it can be tempting to respond in a
negative manner.
The truth is, how you respond to conflict will
inform your audience more about you than you
ever thought.
Find healthy ways to respond in a manner that
shows you’re putting the customer needs ahead
of your own.
Practice these responses until they come second
nature to you. Train all staff working in
customer service to do the same.

17. All Publicity is Good PublicityAll Publicity is Good PublicityAll Publicity is Good PublicityAll Publicity is Good Publicity
Don’t believe it. It may be more publicity
but it’s not good.
A defensive reaction tends to bring more
publicity – negative publicity.
Always strive to resolve the situation
happily so THAT can spread exponentially.

18. Take it OfflineTake it OfflineTake it OfflineTake it Offline
Try to find the person behind the complaint, the
email, the message or bad review and contact them
offline.
It is always better so speak where people can hear
your voice and intonation.
Resolve the problem offline and hopefully leave the
customer more than satisfied.
Ask if they would consider going back to the review
and saying how happy they are with how the
situation has been resolved.

19. Stop Online ComplaintsStop Online Complaints
Before They HappenBefore They Happen
Stop Online ComplaintsStop Online Complaints
Before They HappenBefore They Happen
Most people who have a complaint with a product
or service simply want it resolved.
Like NOW!
If you are accessible, if your website makes it
easy for people to reach you and you resolve
issues quickly, they are less likely to go online to
Yelp and TripAdvisor to vent frustration.

20. Make it EasyMake it EasyMake it EasyMake it Easy
Make sure your website has contact
information on every page. Make it easy to
find.
Make it easy to contact a real, live human.
And not just any only human with a headset.
Make sure the customer service person
actually has authority to make things right.

21. Be Grateful for the InsightBe Grateful for the InsightBe Grateful for the InsightBe Grateful for the Insight
Your most vocal customers are the
people you need to listen to. Be grateful
for those who tell you what they really
think for they are a wealth of
information.
"Thank your customer for complaining
and mean it. Most will never bother to
complain. They'll just walk away."
~Marilyn Suttle, Success Coach

22. Be Known for Your ServiceBe Known for Your ServiceBe Known for Your ServiceBe Known for Your Service
Make the vocal customers happy and
keeping the rest of your customers happy
should be a breeze.
Make them happy online might even bring
you more customers.
Be known for your service.

23. Your Greatest AssetYour Greatest AssetYour Greatest AssetYour Greatest Asset
"Our greatest asset is the customer! Treat
each customer as if they are the only one!"
Laurice Leitao, Customer Service
Professional SeraCare Life Sciences

24. Need More Info?Need More Info?Need More Info?Need More Info?
For more helpful info for your small
business check out:
PattTimlin.com
The full blog posts on:
How to Handle Customer Complaints and
Why You Need to Bring Service Back to Your
Business
will have you amping up your service!