In order to deal effectively with complaints you can demonstrate your soft skills training as much as you like, but you need to show that you can resolve matters. In order to do this, follow these steps.

Firstly, find out what the customer wants. It will often be the case that they don’t actually know what they want. Indeed, they may just want the opportunity to vent their frustration. Don’t make the mistake of looking for a solution too early.

It may be that you need to investigate matters further, but look to agree a timescale even if you are not in a position to agree a resolution there and then. Do what you have agreed to do and ensure that you call back when you have said you will, even if you have to simply say that the complaint will take longer to resolve than originally envisaged.

Your organisation should be set up so that any complaints can be directed to the responsible department or manager. This means that steps can be taken to prevent problems reoccurring. Once the matter has been resolved think about whether you can actually go further than the customer expects by way of resolving matters. A complaint dealt with efficiently can actually improve customer loyalty.

Customer service staff are at the sharp end of the business and it is vital that a company invests in those people’s personal development and soft skills training. This is particularly true when those people are dealing with customer complaints.

There are certain steps which can be followed in order to deal with most complaints.

The first thing to do is apologise sincerely and without reservation. Tell the customer that you are taking responsibility and that you intend to help the client reach an acceptable solution. The sooner the customer realises that you are on their side the better.

Listening is paramount. Ask questions to get as much information as possible and simultaneously show the customer that you are genuinely interested in their problem. Don’t listen in silence. Make suitably positive sounds to show that you are paying attention. Try to never interrupt.

You should ensure that you empathise with the customer. That means that you not only demonstrate that you share their feelings but also that you want to do something to change matters. Never be defensive. If you are really experienced, it may be possible to calm someone by matching their tone and pace. Unfortunately, this can be interpreted as you being angry with the customer so the safest thing is to remain calm at all times.

One of the most repeated mantras, in any business is “the customer is always right.” Some might wish to quibble about this generalisation, and perhaps even make a case for saying that they don’t want certain customers. However, it is at the heart of all customer service. Good soft skills training is essential for staff working in this area.

When dealing with customers, particularly unhappy ones, you should always listen carefully and make notes on their problems. Try to match the customer’s rhythm, intonation and speed. However long they seem to take to explain their problem, listen and wait until they have finished before starting to offer solutions.

Repeat what you’ve heard back to the customer so you are sure you have understood them correctly and to show them that you have been listening.

Never become defensive however angry the customer may sound. They are not angry at you personally. If they should use unacceptable language, explain to them that you find it offensive and whilst you understand their feelings, certain language is not acceptable.

Always endeavour to have real conversations. Don’t be tempted to fall back on scripted answers. These will often come across as insincere.

Take ownership of the customer’s problem. Tell them what you are going to do and when you will be able to report back to them.

In a recent article, we discussed the importance of customer retention through effective handling of the customer complaints. We identified that strong active listening skills are important; indeed it’s often an area explored through role play on a quality customer service training course.

So what are the top tips for active listening skills?

Openness
It’s important to enter the dialogue with a positive mental attitude, which means focusing entirely on absorbing the important information. Leave out any pre-conceived notions.

Judgement
Resist making judgements too early in the conversation; be an information miner and don’t jump to any conclusions. Your goal is resolution, not making the client think the same way as you.

The Body
Make sure your body language is neutral and open. A huge proportion of our communication is delivered through our posture and gesture. Eye contact is probably the most important factor, but there are others.

Feedback
Although you don’t want to interrupt the speaker, give them physical verbal signs that you are listening and understand what they are saying.

Language
Listen out for key words or phrases from your speaker. By mirroring their language, you will increase their feeling of being empathised with.

Clarification
Do not be afraid to ask for clarification or for key points to be summarised. However, don’t put it in your words, with a spin on it – keep it simple, as they have presented it to you.

Even the most successful businesses never stop trying to improve their service to their valued customers. In the midst of an unpleasant recession, your company should be working harder than ever to be the best of the best.

So what are some of the things you can think about to make your service a competition beating weapon? Let’s have a look at the highlights:

Complaints are your friend
A customer complaint should be received very gratefully, for it gives you a perfect snapshot of how to fix potentially inherent problems in your business model. Every complaint is an opportunity to improve your services and should be taken seriously and acted upon.

Surveys
Whether it’s via the web, e-mail, telephone or snail mail, you should be doing everything you can to find out what your customer thinks about your product and service. Construct the campaign carefully to find real areas for improvement, not just glib positive appraisal. Incentivise your customers to give you this feedback in as much details as possible.

Loyalty programs
How much are you rewarding your loyal customer base to keep spending with you? You can bet the competition is enticing them with great deals, and you shouldn’t get too comfy with your existing client loyalty. It’s much cheaper to get more business from an existing client than marketing for a new one.

These are just a few tips, but if you think you’re organisation is struggling to give the best service, maybe some key personnel should invest in a management training course, a customer service training course, or another form of personal development.

The mobile phone industry is incredibly competitive. The big providers are constantly battling against each other to slash the price of their contracts and provide better packages to retain customers and attract new ones. However, many of the mobile phone providers have come under a lot of criticism in the last year for the failings of their customer service.

02, one of the major mobile phone providers has just announced the appointment of Professor John Murphy of Manchester Business School (MBS) as Chair of Customer Management. In his biography on the MBS website, it states:

“…he has established a unique cohort of PhD scholarship students in conjunction with leading UK companies. These students are specialising in service quality/customer retention research with an emphasis on issues which have a practical relevance to industry. This is the largest doctoral research group in this specialist area in Europe.”

It is comforting to see during these tough times, such a large organisation is concerned enough with its customer service to appoint a specialist in the field.

Many companies in the UK could do worse than investing in customer service training and the personal development of their key customer service staff, to ensure they improve their customer retention at what is a critical time.

If there’s one thing that could be said to be positive about the recession, it’s that companies are taking customer complaints more seriously.

Recently, there has been a lot of press about the tongue-in-cheek complaint letter sent to Virgin Atlantic by one its customers regarding their appalling food experience. This has resulted in the customer being invited to Virgin’s catering centre to give comments and advice. Virgin clearly want to turn the complaint into a positive opportunity for change, though a sceptic could argue that this may be somewhat prompted by the high publicity surrounding the complaint.

Still, Virgin has just emerged top in a recent survey for customer satisfaction, and there is a lesson here for all businesses.

Generally speaking, complaining customers can be very poor in communicating what they actually want, and instead get embroiled with the emotion and frustration surrounding their complaint.

It’s the job of a good customer service representative to interpret this information calmly and analytically into improving their company’s services, not just for that individual but for all their clients.

Remember, every complaining customer is one that wishes you to take action to earn their loyalty, and by resolving the complaint well, you’re likely to keep them for a healthy period of time.

If you’re a manager or business leader who feels your company could be doing more in handling customer complaints to improve your systems and procedures, you might want to consider sending some of your key staff on some quality customer service training courses.