How to Respond to a Customer Complaint – The Right Way
Don’t you just love opening the mail only to stumble upon a raging complaint letter about you or one of your employees? The temptation is to respond quickly in a way that puts the customer in their well deserved place. As hard as it might be, we need to train ourselves to stop and take a deep breathe before responding as words written in anger, whether the customer is right or wrong, will always come back to bite you.
If you need to vent, write the note you want to write, but only as a draft. Once you have put your feelings on paper, throw it away, burn it or shred it. Never let a note of this type make it to a customer or it will serve as a reminder of your poor judgment.
When you write the letter that the customer will receive explain briefly what happened, how it happened and why it will never happen again. Always apologize for the experience regardless if the customer is right or wrong and possible offer some consideration for the issue. Thank the customer for their input and possibly offer your phone number for future contact depending on the issue.
It is never a bad idea to have someone review the letter before you send it. Be brief, factual and gracious so in the end the customer will return because you added value to the experience.
