Manage Customer Feedback and Complaints Successfully

5 May

manager customer complaints and feedback successfullyFeedback and complaints are really important in building your business successfully. They’re an opportunity for us to improve ourselves, our products, our services, and our processes – if we act on the feedback that we receive.

Unfortunately most feedback is either handled horribly or goes in “one ear and out the other”. Mishandling complaints this way is why a company’s performance never improves.

A more effective solution to deal with feedback is establishing a 3-step customer feedback process:

  1. Gather customer feedback.
  2. Take action.
  3. Communicate company feedback.

Step 1: Create a process for gathering customer feedback

First, decide how you will receive customer complaints and feedback. Focus on making it effective and efficient for both your customers and your company. Will one person be responsible for collecting feedback, such as, a dedicated support email address manned by a customer service VA, or will you set up webforms and collect all feedback in a centralized location, which you’ll then schedule reviews of regularly? You may even decide to set up a hotline so people can call in and voice their feedback. This decision will usually depend on how large your company is and how wide range the issues you have to handle are.

Step 2: Take action

Once you receive a complaint or suggestion, use it to take action. Remember, collecting feedback is of no value unless an action or change occurs.

Creating processes, procedures and templates for common issues are key to being efficient and improving your businesses performance. For new issues, have your team leader weigh the urgency of the matter and either offer a solution immediately or have a meeting with pertinent personnel to discuss the issue and best solution. Asking for your team’s input on issue resolution builds morale. Before any new procedure is made public, if possible, send an internal memo to your company and update them on any new procedures, again asking for any additional feedback. That ensures everyone is on the right page and taking correct actions going forward.

Step 3: Communicate company feedback

When you take action following feedback, let everyone know! This will show people that you really listened, and it will ensure that people continue to offer feedback in the future.

For example: if you receive several emails that a link was “dead”, reply to those that directly emailed you and send out a mass email with the corrected link and thank those that alerted you.

Following up on Feedback is Flattering

An important part of managing complaints and feedback is making sure that your customers are satisfied with the outcome of their feedback.

For instance: If you’ve received notes from your customers that they’d like to attend your events but are unable to because of the distance, it would be worth sending them a personalized note if you start offering alternatives (virtual events) or buddy discounts.

This is where it can be worth following up with every person who takes the time to provide feedback. Ask them directly if they’re satisfied with how you handled their complaint or feedback.

BONUS STEP—Conduct Surveys!

As well as creating a process for gathering feedback and complaints, you could also send out satisfaction surveys.

This helps to identify the metrics that you need to measure by instigating the communication.

Be sure and ask specific questions. Vague questions – such as “Are you happy with the program?” – rarely provide enough data to implement real change. More specific questions – such as “How easy did you find the membership forum to be?” – give you much more usable information.

Change Your Mindset

For true collaboration and resolution to take place, you and your team must take responsibility for the problem, and let the person know that you’ve heard their views.

If dealing with customer complaints and feedback is uncomfortable for you, practice. Set up phone role-playing time or conduct a scenario of “heated” email back and forth. This will give you the opportunity to think through your immediate response, prepare your adjusted response and deal with difficult situations much more effectively.

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