Responding to complaints – Tutorial

 

 

Responding to complaints letters is of course a different matter than doing the complaining. If you are in a customer service position and you receive complaints from customers, your response needs to be sympathetic, but also needs to reflect the responsibility and accountability that your organization bears in relation to the complaint. Your organization ideally should also have guidelines for dealing with complaints that might not be justified; i.e. where the customer's complaint is based on an expectation that is beyond or outside what was agreed or stated in the contract.

Remember that the writer of the complaint letter is another human being, trying to do the best they can, with the same pressures and challenges that you have. Respect the other person. Focus on the issues and solutions, not the personality or the emotion.

You should therefore always demonstrate willingness and the capability to understand a customer's feelings and situation, whether or not you actually agree with their stand-point. Use phrases like, "Oh dear, I understand that must be very upsetting for you."

Before you send anything - read it back to yourself and ask, "What would I think if I received this? How would I feel?" If your answers are less than positive you should re-write the letter.

A complaining customer is an opportunity for the supplying organization to improve and consolidate the relationship, and to keep the customer for life. Make sure you use it.

Remember that customers whose complaints are satisfactorily resolved become even more loyal than they were before the complaint arose.

 

Study the STRUCTURE of a letter responding to a complaint

Dear.........

I am writing with reference to (situation or complaint) of (date).

Firstly I apologize for the inconvenience/distress/problems created by our error/failure.

We take great care to ensure that important matters such as this are properly managed/processed/implemented, although due to (give reason - be careful as to how much detail you provide - generally you need only outline the reason broadly), so on this occasion an acceptable standard has clearly not been met/we have clearly not succeeded in meeting your expectations.

In light of this, we have decided to (solution or offer), which we hope will be acceptable to you, and hope also that this will provide a basis for continuing our relationship/your continued custom.

I will call you soon to check that this meets with your approval/Please contact me should you have any further cause for concern.

Yours sincerely, etc.