1. Establish a common approach to handling complaints.
2. Draw up a standard complaints form.
3. Ensure complaints are assessed correctly. On receipt of a complaint, the recipient should look on it as a second chance to satisfy the customer.
4. Staff should be empowered to take appropriate action if the complaint is clearly justified, falls within their jurisdiction, and can be rectified immediately.
5. In the case of major complaints, the manager should decide on the appropriate action, which may involve the production of a detailed report on the events or consulting a higher authority.
6. If the level of seriousness has been properly understood, and the establishment of the facts correctly carried out, then appropriate action should become apparent.
7. When the problem has been resolved to the satisfaction of the customer, the recipient or superior should sign off the complaints form for subsequent analysis of any complaints trends.
8. Having dealt with the complaint, decide whether any system, equipment or personnel-related improvement needs tackling. Deal with internal process improvements or training requirements as necessary.
9. After an appropriate interval, say two weeks, get back in touch with the customer to confirm that the complaint was satisfactorily resolved - and to check that the organisation still has a customer.
10. All complaints forms should be returned to a simple, central address where a manager should have responsibility for monitoring the level and nature of complaints on a regular basis.
Do's and Don'ts for handling complaints:
Do:
Make customer service part of the corporate culture.
Empower staff to deal with complaints.
Keep in contact with the customer to ensure that the complaint is dealt with to their satisfaction.
Analyse the pattern of complaints and take action to make improvements. Treat complaints positively.
Courtesy, speed of response and a personal touch are essential. A complaining customer who gets all three will usually emerge a more satisfied customer than before he/she had any complaints. And he/she will tell others in turn.
Don't allow staff to:
Blame the computer.
Say it's not their department.
Take the complaint personally or defensively.
Allocate blame.
Use paperwork to block a fast response to complaints.
Offhandedness, slowness and impersonality are likely to lose you not only that customer but many others as well - bad news spreads.
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