If you’re running a business that deals with customers, then you’re going to get complaints. Heck, you could do everything perfectly and still get the occasional customer who just wants to vent at you for something that was probably their own fault!
If there’s one thing businesses don’t like, it’s… well, customer complaints. If you’re dealing with them, then you’re dealing with a potentially volatile situation that could end up losing your business. Not only this, but you have to consider how much time it takes to deal with customer complaints. So much of that time could be used to improve areas of the business, right? So the best question to ask isn’t so much “how do we deal with customer complaints”; a better question is “how do we stop customer complaints from happening at all?”. The answer is here. We’re going to take a look at the most common causes of customer frustration and the ways in which you can deal with them preemptively.
My item didn’t arrive on time! Also it was smashed!
If you’re running an online store that delivers products to people, then it’s essential that your fulfillment process is on point. Customers have so much choice when it comes to online shopping, and a lot of the competition are incredibly fast and reliable when it comes to delivery. If the product you’re selling is unique, then you have the upper hand – but you still need to deliver when promised and ensure the packaging is strong enough to avoid damage. Don’t be tempted to skimp when it comes to fulfillment.
Your website is slow and ugly!
Your website needs to be fast, responsive, clean, and easy to navigate. If your website is only just chugging by, then your customers simply won’t have the patience to make it to the purchasing process. And that’s if they can even find what they’re looking for! If your website isn’t user-friendly, then that’s doubtful. Developing a website for an e-commerce business is complex stuff, and if anything goes wrong you can end up losing a lot of business (and get inundated with complaints!). The right e-commerce website solution is vital. Not only does a slow and ugly website frustrate customers, but it actually makes it altogether unlikely that most people will even trust it enough to become customers!
I don’t like your response!
To reiterate: you’re going to get customer complaints no matter what you do. It’s not possible to stop all of them in their tracks, because there will be many kinds of complaints that are triggered by something that was beyond your control. But complaints aren’t the only sort of contact you need to keep in mind. There are simple questions and even positive feedback to consider. If you don’t respond to these promptly and with the right information, then you’re just going to get more complaints. Be empathetic, creative, and detailed in your responses to your customers. Don’t just send them soulless templates. Resolve their problem >and give them a reason to keep coming back to you.
Maria Fonseca is the Editor and Infographic Artist for IntelligentHQ. She is also a thought leader writing about social innovation, sharing economy, social business, and the commons. Aside her work for IntelligentHQ, Maria Fonseca is a visual artist and filmmaker that has exhibited widely in international events such as Manifesta 5, Sao Paulo Biennial, Photo Espana, Moderna Museet in Stockholm, Joshibi University and many others. She concluded her PhD on essayistic filmmaking , taken at University of Westminster in London and is preparing her post doc that will explore the links between creativity and the sharing economy.