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.